[Pridi] was a wonderful man. He was a natural leader. He was one who cared for the people. So, since then, we have so many coup d’états. And every coup d’état, of course, it helped the military. It never helped the people. And the last coup, four years ago, I think people regarded that as the last straw. That’s why they are demanding democracy without military. …

… unfortunately, [the red shirts] also have been linked with the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was a crook, who was a dictator in the guise of democracy. That is the unfortunate thing. But, of course, many people did want to link with Thaksin, but Thaksin used the opportunity. He claimed that he can return home with the mass movement. That’s rather unfortunate.

…Since we don’t believe in God, some try to make the king God, which, of course, is unfortunate. The king is the first among equals, you see?

The full interview with Sulak Sivaraksa is available here.