On 19 Sept 2006, the Royal Thai Army overthrew the government of elected Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in the latest of a long line of coups. This event resulted from a hot political crisis that had begun in early 2005, when Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai (TRT Thais Love Thais) party won reelection. A new constitution has been written, elections held, and civilian government restored under the People's Power Party (PPP) led by 73-year-old Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej -- a traditional establishment based on a non-elected "holy trinity of monarchy, military, and bureaucracy." The underlying tensions that led to the coup remain, however. Thailand badly needs to find a middle ground, in which the best of its old traditions can be adapted to help the country adjust to the new challenges it faces. FR: S. Stanton. Adapted from the source document.