It was a relief that the coup was bloodless. It brought delight to anti-Thaksin activists. In Bangkok there were scenes of women handing flowers to soldiers on the streets. Pro-Thaksin supporters have not reacted, and are waiting to see what Thaksin's plans are.

General Sonthi got the approval from the king the next day (September 20), and thus Thaksin's prime ministership ended disgracefully.

Thaksin, a billionaire telecommunications tycoon and a former police officer with a Ph.D degree from the US, divided the nation since the flawed election in April. The election was later annulled by the courts. Thaksin was acting as a caretaker prime minister.

It is the same General Sonthi who had said that there would be no coup, and the military would be patient. To justify his action, on September 20, Sonthi addressed the nation stating: "Military rule would be temporary. The military insists that it has no intention to become the country's ruler." He reportedly added: "What needed to be done had to be done before it got out of control."

It is reported that a prime minister would be appointed within two weeks and a new constitution, under which elections would take place in October 2007, would be in place within one year.

He further said that there was no ban on Thaksin's return to contest the election. However, he said that the law would take its own course if the deposed prime minister had done anything wrong during his rule.

Why did the coup take place?
First, corruption charges have dogged the government led by Thaksin. Many people think that he amassed the fortune of his family by manipulation, bribery, and corruption. Thaksin became prime minister in 2001. Soon after, he faced corruption charges for concealing assets when he was deputy PM in 1997. Although he was cleared of corruption charges, he was never perceived as a "clean man" by civil society.

What angered most Thai people this time was that Thaksin sold his family business, Shin, the nation's strategic telecommunications asset, to a Singaporean firm, at a price of $1.9 billion. It was reported that his family did not pay taxes. The sale was the harbinger of a wave of unrest that ultimately culminated in a coup.

Second, Thaksin gradually became dictatorial because of his party's huge parliamentary majority. He ruled with an iron hand in a country where the middle-class did not approve of his style of governance. Press critics were often muzzled, and he dismissed ministers at the drop of a hat.

He was hailed as Thailand's Lee Kuan Yew, a strong man. Thaksin forgot that his country was not a small country like Singapore with only 4.5 million people. Thailand's population is estimated at 65 million, and dictatorial rule does not usually sustain in a densely populated country.

Third, Thaksin had, reportedly, posed a challenge to what the royal palace sees as royal prerogatives to decide the successor to the king who is celebrating the 60th anniversary of his accession.

Many political observers believe that loyalty to King Bhumibol Adulydej motivated the military to stage the coup. This time the king did not do what he did in 1991. In 1991, the king intervened against the army chief Suchinda's rule, and eventually the general had to go and Anand Panyrachun, a civilian, took over as prime minister.

Fourth, political observers believe that Thaksin had divided the nation since April, and as the crisis deepened the king, a deeply revered person and the national symbol, became uncomfortable. It is reported that General Sonthi was known to be close to the king, and his frustrations and unswerving loyalty to the king emerged.

Fifth, his mishandling of a Muslim separatist campaign in the south, bordering Malaysia, had killed more than 1,000 civilians. His tough attitude towards Muslim rebels did not add to his political strength. His policies have aggravated the situation.

The military leaders were not comfortable with his policy in the south, as deaths have occurred almost every day. The prime minister appointed the Muslim General Sonthi as the armed forces chief to assuage the feelings of Muslims. Eventually it was the Muslim general who deposed him.

Sixth, the election that took place in April, just one year after his victory in 2005, was allegedly rigged by Prime Minister Thaksin. The opposition boycotted the election and protests continued. It is reported that although the king did not publicly say anything on the result of the election, he discreetly reminded the judges of the Constitutional Court of their responsibility in resolving political crises in the country. The court annulled the election.

Seventh, it seems that Thaksin was overconfident of his political position because of his popularity with the majority of people (in particular, farmers) in the countryside. He should have known that decisions of the political destiny of a leader in a developing country does not lie with poor people.

In a democracy it is the middle-class that sets the agenda for change in politics and often people follow them. Thaksin ignored the demands of civil society and demonstrated arrogance of power. That appears to have brought him down.

Eighth and finally, Thaksin made a political mistake by assuming power in the caretaker government. If he had stepped aside, which he initially did, probably the coup would not have occurred. Power acts as an addiction that causes downfall.

It appears that the removal of the prime minister has been a circuit breaker in the prolonged political crisis in Thailand. Calling the coup a "hiccup," Kavi Chongkittavorn, of the Nation newspaper, said: "It was a necessary evil, if you look at it. There were no other options to end this political cul-de-sac."

While the Thai people exhibited nonchalance and levity about the coup, foreign governments, including the US, expressed ritualistic concern calling for restoration of democracy soon in the country. The editorial of International Herald Tribune of September 21, opined:

"The best thing Sonthi could do now is to recall his wise words of six months ago, and return power to the constitutional civilian leadership."

<>h5Barrister Harun ur Rashid is a former Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN, Geneva.