More than any other new government, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has more than a full plate of goals and programmes. If anything, the junta has a longer list of projects than most governments. Its aim was to interrupt and cancel most of the important work of the government it replaced. Indeed, the NCPO has a tough job ahead to carry out all the changes it envisages. At the same time, it must not forget or ignore the serious problems that come with the job of taking over government.
Among the top duties of good governance is law enforcement. The junta authorities have won some mild praise for their focus on violence that took place during the six months before they seized power. A joint police-military raid nabbed two suspects in the killing of two children at a political rally in Trat. Numerous weapons caches have been seized. If military-directed operations manage to solve other cases of violence that killed more than two dozen people in Bangkok, the junta will win deserved praise.
But there are early, worrying signs about the military's focus. It seems almost exclusively settled on political cases. For certain, there was a spate of violence in the Bangkok area. And the stated goal of the coup was to separate the bickering political factions and provide a cooling-off period. The military has managed to eliminate much of the tension and stop most of the political upheaval. But there is a country to run, and important developments which seem to receive scant attention.
This paper described on Sunday the plight of residents in Bang Kloy Lang community in Phetchaburii's Kaeng Krachan National Park. This coming weekend, park chief Chaiwat Limlikitaksorn returns to his post. He was asked by park authorities to take a month off while they investigated the disappearance of the Karen activist Porlajee "Billy" Rakchongcharoen. The investigation has stalled, like almost all probes into such disappearances.
Mr Chaiwat is the last person known to have seen Billy. His account states he arrested the activist for illegally harvesting honey, but released him out of his kindness. Billy, who was pursuing lawsuits against the park chief, has not been seen since. Billy's family and friends actively fear abduction, beatings or worse.
This is an important case, with immediate effects on villagers, and with both national and international ramifications. Billy was a well-known figure in the Phetchaburi area, in the legal system, and among NGOs. Police claim to be working on the case, questioning witnesses and even filing a complaint with the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission, which has no power to act against Mr Chaiwat.
As detailed in this newspaper, horrendous crimes, attacks and terrorism continue in the deep South. While the Phetchaburi case is a crime where the army could intercede under junta regulations, the 10-year-long violence in the far South is the responsibility of the army. People in the region and across the country would be forever grateful if the army, under its new-found authority, could bring greater pressure, including diplomatic pressure, on the gangs responsible for more than 6,000 deaths since 2004.
Ending political violence and building a new national regime is the main goal of the NCPO. But in the 15 months it has allotted for that task, there are many other responsibilities that must be attended to. The junta is almost three weeks old, and there is an entire country to run. Only a tiny part of the country is involved in the colour-coded politics. Citizens have the right to expect good governance across the board.