land's most popular Khao Yai national park, with the air force providing the aeroplane that flew golfer Jack Nicklaus to survey the site." Thus, the cloud of corruption hung over the military just as much as it had over the deposed politicians. The army also displayed its disregard for basic human freedoms. the forests of Buri Ram province in the Northeast, soldiers were in the process of callously evicting villagers from forest reserves, where they had lived in some cases for generations, and a green activist monk and some of his followers had been arrested. In the slums of Klong Toey, surrounding the port of Bang kok, a major chemical fire had led to hardship, and the military secretly dis- posing of highly dangerous chemical waste in the headwaters of a stream in Kanchanaburi province, and in Ubon Ratchathani Province, soldiers lined up against protesters at the site of the controversial dam on the Mool river, near the Cambodian border. In all of these cases television coverage had been cen- sored 78
Further distrust of the armed forces surfaced when a prominent leader mysteriously disappeared in Congress of Thailand role Thanong Phoarn, was an outspoken unionist had played a key in opposing the Government's introduction of the law which barred state en terprise workers from striking, and which disbanded their unions. Since then he had been actively soliciting the support of international labour organisa but had been banned from attending the ILO annual meeting in Geneva, to be held shortly after he disappeared. The deputy Defence Minister casually brushed the matter aside, claiming that Thanong had probably wanted to get away from his wife, a scenario which was accepted by few. He has not been seen since." So it was possible the the military was involved in murder as well. There was also a rather messy public dispute and law suit between Sunthorn's wife and minor wife, which prompted further calls for his resigna tion The annual reshuffle of positions in the armed forces was seen as merely tightening the grip that an elite group military already enjoyed. Not only did Class 5 officers consolidate their dominance in the top positions, but promotions were made for a large number of Class 11 graduates into second- ranking command positions, thereby strengthening Suchinda's support from within the army and ensuring a secure medium-term line of succession to higher posts. Suchinda himself was also to take on the mantle of Supreme Commander when Sunthorn retired in September. The protest resignation of several senior (non-Class 5) officers who had been shunted aside in the reshuffle, only re emphasised the stranglehold that a small group had, with even other groups from within the military powerless to stand in its way. The NPKC had ac cused the Chatichai government of nepotism but had behaved in just the same manner itself. By this time too, ACM Kaset had indicated his interest in the