It's not just a coup, it's a revolution by the Thai elite.
Revolution. That's the key word which will help us to understand Thailand's latest coup. What motivates Prayuth and his army to dismantle the Thai state? Why is Prayuth so keen to control the propagandistic element of the coup?
It's immediately obvious to any observer that despite the relatively low level of physical resistance to the coup, the junta is making a disproportionate large effort to control the minds of Thai people.
"It's not a coup" says Prayuth, while anti-coup activists are subjected to military trials. "We want to restore order and a sustainable democracy" says prayuth, while threatening to dissolve all political parties and legislative institutions.
"We want to strengthen democracy and make Thai people happy", says the coup maker. The junta's key words: peace, order, security, reconciliation.
Ok, and now for the truth. Thailand's army, the elite class, and the super wealthy monarchy are frightened of Thai people. They're frightened of losing power. They fear the democratic process. They are terrified of losing their huge fortunes.
The coup (and that is what it is) is a desperate attempt by Thailand's rich riff raff, to claw back the power and influence which they believe rightly belongs to them.
More importantly, the tearing down of the Thai state and its replacement by unelected military quangos and kangaroo courts, is an essential step towards establishing elite "values".
These post-coup values, Prayuth hopes, will bring about a harmonized new Thailand, with everyone thinking alike, worshiping Bod and learning to be real "Thais".
Basically, what Prayuth hopes to gain from his coup, is a nation of obedient Thais, prostrated on the floor before their rich Chakri masters.
One could almost say we saw it coming. Just a few years ago Prayuth declared that he would not accept Thai people having different opinions or thinking differently. He asked the question: "How would we live?".
For General Prayuth, full control over the lives and minds of Thai people represents an essential element towards safeguarding the "security" Thailand's parasitic elite class need to stay in control.
Prayuth and his army are motivated by fear of personal freedoms and the loss of control under a truly democratic system. This coup is not just about restoring order, is it about restoring a feudal cast system in which ordinary Thais occupy the bottom rung of society.
A revolution by the Thai elite has just begun to ensure the king and his army remain the owners of Thailand, and any notion of personal liberties, equality or human rights are erased from the collective psyche of Thai people.
What Thailand needs is a counter revolution by the working class.