Then again, General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, his predecessor, repeatedly made the same promise right up to the moment he overthrew Mr Thaksin.

ECONOMIST: Heading for uncertainty

Fishily, in mid-week, General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, the army chief and junta leader, started mentioning that retired military officers were also civilians.

ECONOMIST: The junta's stumbling first steps

General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, who led the coup, has retired as army commander and quit the Council for National Security, as the junta calls itself.

ECONOMIST: Thailand's election

The chair of the HCNR is none other than a general, Sonthi Boonyaratglin, turned member of parliament, who led the coup against Mr Thaksin in 2006.

ECONOMIST: Thailand��s politics