Amid coup buzz, Thai army chief heads to Pentagon

Gen. Anupong Paojinda, head of the Royal Thai Army, is visiting the Pentagon from Feb. 5-12. The Thai general’s trip, U.S. diplomats said, was scheduled months ago at the request of U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey.

But the general is absent at an uneasy time in Thailand, where coup buzz is currently on high. By visiting U.S. top brass, his trip has also inadvertently yanked America into Thailand’s latest political drama.

Anupong is reviled by a Thai anti-establishment faction — known as the “red shirts” — that was galvanized by Thailand’s most recent coup. That 2006 putsch ousted then-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, a folk hero among the urban poor, a new-money business class and millions of Thais in northeastern farming country.

Ever since this faction announced a late February “final battle” to topple the ruling government — coupled with threats to surround barracks and government offices — the Thai media has openly speculated that a military coup may be nigh. A number of Thailand’s past 18 coups were preceded by street unrest that turned chaotic, convincing generals to roll tanks and restore order.

Anupong’s detractors are now asking the Obama administration to confront the general’s role in Thailand’s 2006 coup. As commander of an army division overseeing Bangkok, the general ordered tanks into the capital’s streets. The coup was not universally condemned; some middle-class Thais, fed up with Thaksin’s alleged corruption, greeted soldiers with roses and ribbons.

In their letter to Obama, the red shirts insisted Anupong’s role as a “coup co-conspirator” should disqualify the general from Pentagon visits. The trip, they claim, “does not sit well with millions of Thais who view it as a step backward” for democracy.

“It’s a bit of an embarrassment for the U.S.,” said red shirt spokesman Sean Boonpracong. “If this coup happens, it will be under Anupong’s watch.”


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