Coups, Semidemocracy, and the may 1992 Uprising 
The democracy following the October 14 uprising was fragile and short lived. Form October 1973 until the october 1976 coup, this brief democratic period was plagued with violent conficits between the conservatives, led by the military, and the socialist movement, headed by student leaders.
Assassinations of student activists, violent clashes between the student movement and right-wing groups supported by the military, frequent labor strikes, labor and farmer rallies seeking social justice, and student protests against the return of marshal Thanom culminated in a violent attack by right-wingers on students during a demonstration at Thamasat University. This led to a military coup on October 6, 1976, ending three years of democracy.
An autocratic civilian regime took control in the coup's aftermath. the regime, unpopular because of its ultraright polices, mobilized civil servants and univeties, and suppressed progressive and socialist movements on a large scale. Another coup by another army group was launched to oust the rightist regime and establish one that supported limited political rights, known as a semidemocracy. It was first led by General Kriangsak Chamanaand and later by General prem Tinsulanonda, who served as prime minister form 1980 to 1988.
After the Octorber 14 event, the army was divided into several factions. The most notable were the Young Turks, the Class 5, and the Democratic Soldiers. The young Turks and the class 5 were midlevel officers, mostly troop commanders. Members of Class 5 graduated form academy two years prior to the Young Turks belived that Thailand needed a strong leader with a clean record whereas class 5 prioritized the maintenance of the military class's ruling position over Thai society. The democratic soldiers advocated a "democratic" revolution along the line of Leninist democratic centralism.
General Prem's eight-years rule was made possible by the support of the Thai royal family, the army, and political parties. When he first came to power, all three factions of the army threw their suppoer behind him. However, he almost of class 5 and the Democratic Soldiers. The latter decided to dissolve their organization after they were able to convince Prem to adopt a political strategy (known as prime Minister's Order 66-2523) to suppress communist insurgents.
The semidemocracy under General Prem's Leadership provided an opportunity for political parties to establish linkages with business and social groups. The continued operation of the elected House of Representatives facilitated the institutionalization of an elected legislature and the dissemination of democratic values among the Thais. After eight years in power, Prem faced popular pressure to make a choise between running in the 1989 election or stepping down. Prem left office, ending the semidemoceary and enabling a full-fledged democracy to be reestablished under the leadership of Chatichai Choonhavan, the leader of Chart Thai Party, which was the largest party in the House of Representatives at that time.
The democratic government of Chatichai was plagued with a host of problems, the most serious of which was the corruption of key cabinet members. Tension in the relationship between the government and military leaders due to lack of trust also presented a problem for Chatichai. As these tensions grew and the corruption became more widespread, the legitimacy of Chatichai's government was weakened, providing an opportunity for the military to step in' 
A coup to topple Chatichai's government was launched by the army under the leadership of the class 5 faction in February 1991. The junta claimed that the objective of the coup was to disband the corrupt government, but the public believed that the group was motivated by personal ambitions to gain more control over elected politicians. The public allowed the junta to maintain order and launch political reform programs. former diplomat and businessman, to lead the government and set a years as a time frame for drafting a new constitution.
An uprising against the junta occurred in May 1992 when General Suchinda Kraprayoon, the Class 5 leader, assumed the the premiership after the enactment of the new constitution and the general election of the House of Representatives. Suchinda's decision to occupy the premiership served as evidence that class 5 intended to hold on to power. The protest developed into violent clashes between protesters and government forces. To prevent the situation form getting worse, the people asked king Bhumibol Adulyadej to intervene and resolve the conflict.
The prime minister and Chamlong srimuang, one of the leaders of the uprising, were summoned to have an audience with the king. The meeting was televised live nationwide. The king advised the two leaders to settle the conflict peacefully and seek advice form sanya Dhammasak, the president of the privy Council, and General Prem, a member of the council. A few hours later, general Suchinda appeared on television announcing his resignation from the premiership to end the crisis. Anand Punyarachun was appointed prime minister agian, and his mission was to organize another general election sometime in 1992. The election was held on september 13, 1992, and Chuan Leekpai, the leader of the Democrat Party, become prime minister