Abhisit puts stability and order first

Thailand’s lessons for the west

After a slow start, Thailand’s prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, seems a little surer on his feet. As protesters besieged his office in a reversal of the demonstrations that toppled Abhisit’s Thaksin-proxy predecessors during the first month of his new administration, it appeared that he and Korn would quickly go the same way as those they replaced. But they have so far withstood the fury. Thailand was able to host a crucial summit of the regional Asean nations, a statement that at least they had a modicum of control over the country.