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Archived Articles  Simeon Mitropolitski is a Canadian analyst, of Bulgarian descent, and former syndicated columnist with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). He is the author of several hundred articles dealing with the hot political and economic topics, both Bulgarian and international. ("A Royal Solution." World Press Review. June 1997, provides English versions). He was part of the first group of Bulgarian intellectuals that began the opposition movement that finally put an end to the communist regime in the country, and in 1996-1997 participated in the international monitors' teams during the elections in several Balkan countries - Romania, Albania and Bulgaria. In 1999 he was among the few Bulgarian journalists that supported NATO military operation against Yugoslavia. In 2002 Simeon and his family emigrated from Bulgaria to Canada where they now live in Montreal, Quebec.
Global Real Estate Project
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Thailand military coup: Business as usualIn the wake of an officially bloodless military coup in Thailand, many foreigners ask whether they should fear new administrative intrusions with their business interests. The answer is simple, no they shouldn't, but we know it will be insufficient to calm down those who already pack and book tickets to move out. Putting the most recent coup into a comparative perspective however seems sufficient to make current situation appear almost as normality.
Coups here and thereWhen military takes power usually everybody is scared. Older still remember Chile's coup of 1973 and planes bombing presidential palace right in front of international media. Many people remember the 'marshal law' regime in Poland imposed in 1981. Military regimes are closely associated with human rights abuses, deliberate arrests, missing without trace people. So it's understandable why anyone wants to get out of a country just experiencing a military coup. It isn't just a matter of personal disgusting seeing brutal force taking power; it's also a basic fear for own life that tells us to leave as soon as possible until the dust settles down.In Latin America where republican form of government is the only one available, military coup is at the same time state coup. In Thailand however the situation is very different. The monarch is the state, and the coup is never aiming abolishing the monarchy. It's rather the monarch that uses military to get rid of current government. The monarch's role is far from and far above what westerners assume by constitutional monarchy. He has a place within the real power, and not only within the realm of symbolic power. A Prime Minister that gets stronger is above all a threat to the monarch, not to the elected parliament. In most parliament democracies a government with a strong parliament support is a stable government. People elect their representatives, these representatives elect a government; this government enjoys support by the parliament, the parliament enjoys public support. In Thailand however, where the monarch has real power on its own, this parliament mechanism of accountability makes the government more vulnerable to military coup. The monarch if dissatisfied with the Prime Minister cannot just fire him; a dismissal won't make a difference because he enjoys political support of the parliament. A monarch that is dissatisfied with the government has only three options left, to convince the Prime Minister to change the political course; to dissolve the parliament and to call for new election fearing a new mandate for his political opponent; or discretely to call to the military to get rid of this government and this parliament. Making military coup in Thailand thus means that the monarch has exhausted all the other more conventional options.
Business as usualThus coups in Thailand are a way for the monarch to get rid of an embarrassing government that is supported by parliament. This however is only a half story. Each government has its own political agenda outside potential institutional conflict within the public executive, monarch vs. the Prime Minister. The government that was just toppled has been known for its strong rural base; it's thus not surprising to see that military junta enjoys high public support in the capital city. In a country like Thailand, where half of the population is still toiling land, the issue of who gets what of the land is among the few paramount issues the country faces. Modernization requires giving more and more land for industrial, urban, and commercial development. Traditional peasantry tries to block these developments by staging up social protests and campaigns of public disobedience.Since late 19th century the monarchy in Thailand has always been a factor of modernization. Without it we may say Thailand would have never risen above the average level of its much poor neighbors Burma, Laos, and Cambodia. Modernization nowadays like never before requires providing good business climate for foreigners, small and big investors and just visitors. Our advice is: don't sell your investments in Thailand. Your patience in this time of trial will be awarded. As far as this monarch is alive your business interests stand high in the list of public priorities. Don't fear military in Thailand as far as they are acting under monarch's orders. We don't ask anyone to overcome the natural disgusting before seeing naked force taking power; all we need is putting this coup into comparative perspective and look at it as part of the mechanism by which Thailand makes governmental changes.
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See also the directory of companies providing real estate services in, and general real estate information of Thailand.
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