The Politics of Thai Buddhism Under the NCPO JUNTA

Abstract

Upholding and protecting Buddhism might be a duty of traditional Thai rulers, in their desire for political legitimacy, but the NCPO’s decisive actions concerning the institutional reform of Buddhism are rooted not merely in respect for this tradition. Thai society today might not find the legitimation of political power through the defence of Buddhism to be as persuasive as in the past. Indeed, what the NCPO did in the area of Buddhist reform during its almost half-decade-long rule reflected a political decision. That decision had been closely intertwined with the dynamic of contending forces in Thailand’s long-troubled religious politics. The background of long-term contentions between lay religious nationalists and the Sangha convinced the military government to act, for the sake of national security and the stability of its regime.