The Thai experience with democracy« Thread Started on Jul 28, 2007, 11:26am » --------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Thai experience with democracyread at source> http://nationmultimedia.com/2007/07/28/ ... 42799.phpA special project has been launched sponsored by the Sanya Thammasak Foundation to mark the August 19 national referendum on the draft constitution. As part of the project, articles featuring local and international views on Thai democracy and democracy in general will be featured on The Nation's Opinion page, as well as on The Nation's weblog. The following article is the foundation's introductory piece for the project.Published on July 28, 2007 The word "Thai" may mean "free", a meaning close to the concept of democracy, yet the Thais' understanding of democratic principles is doubtful at best. Thailand had its first taste of democracy 75 years ago on June 25, 1932. Few Thais, except a handful among the elite, understood what they received that day. There was a running joke that, after the 1932 revolution, most Thais thought that "democracy" was the name of a son of Phraya Phahol, the military leader of the revolution.