Sanuk Canuk

Not that I don't want to jump on the kudos wagon here but I wonder if the OP is on target. Is it not also possible that the current military government, the failure of recent civil governments and the problems with corruption might be a result of poor education rather than the cause of it? A democracy is not a simple form of government to manage and it requires that the citizens be aware and informed so that they can direct government policy with their actions and ballots. If the people are not sophisticated enough to resist corruption rather than try their best to benefit from it then maybe they are not ready for a democracy.

I guess what I am trying to say is that the military may not be the cause of the poor education, it may be that poor education (which allows the corruption), resulted in the coup. I don't think that it should be presumed that the military wants the masses to remain illiterate so that they are easier to control. While I don't doubt that the generals are getting wealthy from their position, I would also guess that they are nationalist enough to want all of Thailand to prosper.

__________________
[Laying Plans] "It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected." Sun Tsu