Thailand’s military has declared martial law. Military leaders refuse to call their actions a coup, stating they were done “to preserve law and order”. All roads and means of communication are now under military control. There have been almost a dozen military coups in Thailand since 1932. The country has endured months of political and security instability around contested election results. Michael Montesano, co-coordinator of the Thailand Studies Program at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, gives his thoughts on what was behind the military takeover. (Photo: AP/Apichart Weerawong)