Bangkok – It certainly had all the hallmarks of coup time in Thailand.

On Thursday evening, there was an unexplained blackout of national television, sparking mass speculation that yet another military coup was in the offing.

Past coups have always been preceded by military seizures of radio and television stations, so Thursday’s TV blackout – actually the result of a satellite failure – understandably set Thailand’s television-addicted populace on edge.

Adding to the coup jitters was an unusual military exercise staged by 1,600 soldiers belonging to the 2nd Infantry Regiment Thursday in Prachin Buri, 80 kilometres east of Bangkok.

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