TotallyOz Posted January 22, 2008 Posted January 22, 2008 The Council for National Security held its final meeting Tuesday, declaring itself out of business, but stating its members will continue to meet to discuss business of the armed forces. The weekly meeting of the CNS on Tuesday was the final one, as the 2007 constitution it wrote stated that the junta was finished when a new government is formed, and that is expected by next week. But while the last meeting officially closed the book on the Sept 19, 2006 coup after 490 days, it also was clear that old groups of soldiers never die. "The military should not be involved in politics and politicians should not interfere with the military," declared CNS spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd. And to that frank promise he added: "We need a politically neutral person to be defence minister," and said that the last meeting of the junta discussed who would be the right person for the job. "Everybody in the CNS, especially the army commander-in-chief, insist there will be no more coups," the spokesman said. Few tears will be shed over the departure of the 70-week military council. "The generals have proved unfit in their handling of post-coup Thailand," Chulalongkorn University political scientist Thitinan Pongsudhirak wrote in Tuesday's Bangkok Post. "Policy directions have been murky, leadership incompetent, overall administration inept. The generals have made themselves obsolete by botching their latest putsch," he wrote. The generals accused Mr Thaksin of presiding over rampant corruption and of disrespect toward revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej - charges he denies - but an anti-graft panel they appointed has come up with only one case against him. They also failed to eradicate his Thai Rak Thai party despite its court-ordered dissolution for electoral fraud and the banning of Mr Thaksin and 110 senior party members from politics for five years. http://bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=125362 Quote
Bob Posted January 22, 2008 Posted January 22, 2008 The Council for National Security held its final meeting Tuesday, declaring itself out of business, but stating its members will continue to meet to discuss business of the armed forces. And, like September of 2006, it only takes them one meeting and a couple of beers to declare themselves back in business. If the prior constitution didn't restrain them at all, why would anyone believe that the new one will? The new consititution, by the way, has a provision that says that one is allowed to protest anyone who violates the constitution - but only so long as the protest is peaceful. Geez, it just wouldn't be fair to have citizens shooting at tanks taking over your government, would it? Quote
