In the UK the shortest 'political' distance between 2 points is a straight line, but it went through a long and painful journey to get there; civil war, protests, strikes, an so on. If the Thai people want the same I think they are just going to have to do a lot more than they are now to get it. Unfortunately, I don't think this will happen. Sad as it is, no one wants to send their kids in defenceless against live ammunition which, if push comes to shove, is highly probable, Unfortuately, Thailand in nestled in a region where abuse of liberties, freedoms and people are common (Myanmar, Cambodia, Lao...). The big players on the world stage make the right noises about democracy whilst at the same time selling military hardware to these states; therefore, I think the Thai people are on their own with it. It is now just a matter of how much they want it. I don't think it will change much, and that is not a criticism of Thais, I just think at the end of the day, they will have to pay a high price for a western style democracy.