Ugh. At some point I knew it would come- the USA meddling in Thai politics. From the Wikileaks cables it appears the USA knew in advance of the 2006 coup and approved; it also appears the USA has continued to meddle in Thai politics since 2006.

One of the cables about the coup:http://thaicables.wordpress.com/2010/12/15/06bangkok5811-my-meeting-with-general-sonthi/

Some great analysis about the situation and the USA’s involvement:

“The cables confirm what was evident at the time: the muted US response to the 2006 coup was guided purely by US economic and strategic interests. The US has longstanding connections to the Thai military going back to the 1960s and 1970s when Washington backed military dictatorships and used the country as a base for US operations during the Vietnam War.” And

“Whether the US condemns or condones a junta is based on political expediency. Over the border in neighbouring Burma, the US had maintained an economic blockade of the military dictatorship and postures as a defender of the democratic rights of the Burmese people. What Washington objects to is not the suppression of basic democratic rights but the close ties between the Burmese junta and China, the main US rival in the region.” Quotes are from this article:

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/dec2010/thai-d18.shtml

The 2006 coup was the beginning of the protests, including the recent Red Shirts protest that lead to 91 deaths earlier this year.