It may not have pleased too many people at the time, but Thailand's military coup in May last year has had a positive outcome for one key sector of the Thai economy: tourism
Thailand’s visitor arrivals bounced back to a record total of 2.65 million in January, up by 16.3% over January 2014, according to figures published by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
This was largely due to a major comeback by all markets in Asia and the ASEAN region, led by the top performers - China and Malaysia.
The security situation in Bangkok has improved sufficiently for visitors to again head for the Thai capital, while elsewhere in the country the generals are re-writing regulations for the benefit of tourists.
As reported by our Thailand correspondent, Alasdair Forbes, in Phuket, the Karon police recently launched a pilot project that allows tourists to report crimes and other problems at the nearest 7-Eleven convenience store.
Staff at the stores will ring the police station on the tourists’ behalf, relieving them of the task of trying to find the police station, possibly losing valuable time.
The generals have also sorted out skulduggery among operators hiring out water sports equipment, beach umbrellas and other stuff in Phuket. The new laws may be a bit confusing but they appear to be working for the benefit of visitors.
And there's more. Tourists visiting islands in the Andaman Sea, off the west coast of peninsular Thailand, have reached unsustainable levels, leading Natural Resources and Environment Minister General Dapong Rattanasuwan to order park officials to come up with ways to limit numbers - within two weeks.
The generals have cut through vested interests to deliver quick solutions aimed at improving the experience of visitors to Thailand. Problems that would have taken months if not years to sort when left to former governments departments are now being fixed in a matter of days.
And for this we can salute the generals.