The academics took part in a panel discussion on “The Future of Thailand and Transition to Democracy” on Friday.

They agreed that Thailand’s democratic development suffered from interruptions from military coups.

They blamed military dictatorships for the slow progress of the Kingdom’s democracy.

The panel discussion was organised at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science to mark the 84th anniversary of the 1932 revolution that ended the absolute monarchy.

Satithorn Thananitichote, an academic from King Prajadhipok’s Institute, said that military dictatorships often learned to adapt for a long stay in power.

He said the current military dictatorship would be able to survive for a long time because it allowed room for dissent and responded to calls from different groups of people. Also, he added, the military rulers could create confidence among foreign investors and listen to suggestions from international organisations.

The academic said Thailand’s democracy was at its peak in 2004. “But today we are in a transitional period, from one system to another, which may not be a democracy,” he said.

However, he admitted that democracy created no real equality in terms of the economy and politics, and governments did not always meet the demands of the people.

Surachart Bamrungsuk, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science, said that there were three periods of democracy in Thailand – in 1932 after the revolution, in October 1973 during a student-led uprising, and in May 1992 during a pro-democracy mass rally.

He said that the latest military coup in 2014 involved the establishment of the country’s “biggest set of authoritarianism”. And he expected the military rulers to stay longer than in the past if they could meet their promises of creating a new economic system and getting rid of corruption.

However, he added, if they failed the country’s economy would suffer severely, as was the case in Latin America following the collapse of dictatorships.

Surachart called for reform of the armed forces, particularly regarding the scope of military laws and the “inheritance” of military dictatorship, such as violations of human rights.

Pichya Pongsawat, a political lecturer at Chualongkorn University, said that Thailand’s democracy lacked stability, which led to frequent military coups and dictatorial rule.

He noted that Thailand had seen 18 coups since 1932, the fourth highest in the world.

The academic said that Thai society often solved democratic problems with undemocratic means.