Shortly after the military coup of May 22, 2014, Suthep Thaugsuban, 65, leader of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), entered the Buddhist monkhood. An outspoken right-wing politician and former deputy prime minister under Abhisit Vejjajiva’s Democrat Party government (2008-2011), Suthep led an anti-corruption protest that gathered an estimated 10 million followers despite having previously been embroiled in a corruption scandal himself. BK visited the conservative firebrand in Surat Thani province to discuss his opinions on military intervention, and why he considers himself a born politician.
