“Well, I’m here to give you the word straight from the Captain. There’s
going to be liberty. Things are quiet in Bangkok right now. Order has
been restored in the streets. The way things are shaping up we’re going
to be visiting the jewel of Southeast Asia for ten days-” The distant
thunder redoubled, and several of the men standing off-camera in the
CVIC provided appropriate sound effects by applauding and whistling.
It took several seconds more to restore order in CVIC. Liberty was
always a subject of keen interest on board ship, a break in the
shipboard routine at sea where day followed day with a mind-numbing
sameness. The average sailor in Jefferson’s crew was nineteen years
old; for him, a taste of the exotic eased the bite of homesickness.
The noise in the room subsided, and Buckley laughed. “I can tell a lot
of you already know something about where we’re going. If I can get
your one-track minds off girls for a moment, though, let me tell you
something about the place.”
He began giving a travelogue-style presentation about the country,
referring occasionally to note cards on the podium in front of him.
Buckley had been fascinated by the fact that Thailand, alone of the
nations in Southeast Asia, had never been a colony of a European power,
that even the name That meant “free.” Muang That, “Land of the Free,”
was fiercely proud of that heritage.
“You all know the capital of the country is Bangkok,” he said. “But
don’t forget that the Thais themselves call it Pra Nakhorn, the
‘Heavenly Capital,” or better yet Krung Thep, the ‘City of Angels.”” You
guys from Los Angeles ought to appreciate that.”
He went on to explain how important Thailand was to American interests
in the region. Its neighbors on three sides included Laos and
Cambodia–both communist–and Burma. The Socialist Union of Burma had
been under one Marxist military dictatorship or another since 1962.
Recent free elections had carried with them the promise for democratic
reform, but for the present the military continued to rule that
impoverished country.
“Thailand is a member of both SEATD and ASEAN,” he said, “and is one of
the United States’ very few strong, democratic, and pro-Western allies
in the region.
“Of course, most of you old hands remember how important Thailand was
back during Vietnam. After the war, we turned our bases over to the
Thais, packed up our gear, and went back to the World. The political
know-it-alls predicted that Thailand would go the way of Cambodia and
Laos in a few months.
It didn’t. That politics are unique in that everyone in the country
loves and respects the King.
“Thailand is a constitutional monarchy.” Buckley paused to perch his
glasses on his nose and look down at what he had written on an index
card before him. “The King’s name … I’d better read this to get it
right …
The King’s name is Bhumibol Adulyadej. He provides a tremendously
stabilizing influence that keeps the lid on That politics. During a
crisis, by constitutional law, he remains neutral … so even during a
coup you have the rebels swearing loyalty to the Crown. The ordinary
That people take respect of their monarch very very seriously. No
revolutionary would get very far if he didn’t revere the King as much as
they did.
“Back in 1981, for instance, there was a coup attempt by a group of army
officers who called themselves the Young Turks. They were strong,
well-armed, and commanded a fair percentage of the country’s military
forces … but as soon as it became clear that they did not have the
King’s blessing–despite his official neutrality–support for their
movement fell apart and they were crushed.
“Under the King, the That government is a weird mix of democracy and
military rule. It’s based on the English system, with a prime minister
and a two-house parliament consisting of the Senate and the National
Assembly, but both tend to be dominated by military officers. In
Thailand, it works out, military officers can work in the business
sector, run banks, own hotels, or serve in government … and still have
an active military career. They rule according to the That