2006年9月19日泰國爆發字1991年以來首次的軍事政變，結束了長達近一年的反塔克辛運動，總理塔克辛(Thaksin Shinawatra)被迫下台並流亡海外，臨時政府預計將以一年的時間進行政治改革，修訂新憲法與重新舉行國會大選，塔克辛時代正式宣告結束。事實上，2001年時塔克辛率領泰愛泰黨(Thai Rak Thai Party)以極大的差距擊敗民主黨(Democrat Party)，順利當選泰國總理，歷經四年的執政之後，再度於2005年獲得連任。儘管塔克辛具有龐大民意的支持，但由於塔克辛本身與大財團之間的密切關係，以致於從其上台之後就陸續有反對聲浪出現，到最後則以軍事政變收場。本文主要探討泰國自1932年至2006年政商關係的轉變，以及反塔克辛運動最後演變成軍事政變的原因。主要的論點則在於塔克辛上台之後，泰國的政商關係已經由金錢政治(money politics)轉變成大型金錢政治(big money politics)，而塔克辛與財團企業之間的密切關係，以及所衍生的親信主義(cronyism)等問題則是泰國2006年發生軍事政變最主要的原因。

The first coup d’etat since 1991 in Thailand on 19 September 2006 ended not only the year-long anti-Thaksin demonstrations, but also Thaksin’s political career. The provisional government, led by General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, organized by the Council for Democratic Reform (CDR), was determined to restore a democratic government, to revise the new constitution, and hold a general election within one year. In the 2001 general election, Thaksin Shinawatra led the Thai Rak Thai (TRT) Party and triumphantly defeated the Democratic Party. The victory led Thaksin Shinawatra to becoming the 23^rd Prime Minister of Thailand. In 2005, after four years of rule, the TRT won the election again and was re-elected government of Thailand. However, despite of his popularity, Thaksin Shinawatra faced criticism from various civic groups because of his close relationship with his Shin Corporation and the other big business groups. This paper explores the business and politics in Thailand from 1932 to 2006. It argues that since 1991, under the leadership of Thaksin Shinawatra, the relationship between business and politics have transformed from “money politics” to “big money politics”. Moreover, it asserts that this transformation and the cronyism on the part of the Thaksin government led to the coup d’etat in 2006.