from abc.net.au: Like most South East Asian nations, Thailand is changing. The standard of living, for many, is improving, the lower middle class is growing, access to internet and cable TV is increasing – and with it political awareness and a desire for a say among those who have never really had one. For the so-called Bangkok elites and their moneyed backers, including those connected to and part of the monarchy, this is a problem. They make up the historic upper class and they see themselves as the intellectual core of the country, and they also control its money, but they’re too few, and they can’t win elections. Hence, how do they take back control?