The genie's out of the bottle in Thailand

A quick observation. Things are heating up to the boiling point in Bangkok. General Samak has threatened to disperse protesters but the army won't stage a coup d'etat like it did two years ago. This time, the army preaches caution and a parliamentary solution to the growing unrest. What is left unsaid is that today's crisis has its origins in the military coup. The army with the backing of the king unleashed a force which they find that they cannot easily control and which they fear for its consequence. The monarchy may not be in danger but it foundations are suddenly shaky. What's more, the current unrest has detracted the government's attention from the Muslim insurgency in the southern provinces near and around the Malaysian border. Now that the Ramadan the month of fasting has come, fighting might abate, and thus, buy Samak time to settle matters pacifically in Bangkok.