State Structure, Policy Formation, and Economic Development in Southeast Asia

6	Conclusion State configuration and the politics of economic development

The smooth and swift Thai military coup that unseated twice-elected Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006 betrayed no immediate signs of the street protests that would stymie the country's return to electoral democracy. In the months and years that followed, Bangkok had become the scene of street clashes between the anti-Thaksin Yellow Shirts and pro-Thaksin Red Shirts.¹ The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) led the Yellow Shirts and contained large numbers of the Bangkok-based middle and upper classes aligned with the monarchy and bureaucratic elites. The pro-Thaksin Red Shirts were led by the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), and came ...