We know that after disasters it is the military that provides the workforce to help the victims.

But it is a marvel to see the Army concerned about something as abstract as morals.

All credit for this goes to the Council for National Security (CNS), the group of military men who staged the coup on September 19.

Through the project "Khunnatham Nam Thai" ("Morals Will Lead Thailand"), they are showing a great deal of care for society, principally targeting the young as the future of the nation.

Particularly affecting were the 45-second TV commercials that were aired for some time before shorter versions followed two weeks ago. There were four scenes. In the first, a woman scolds her mother in front of her two daughters. In the second, a girl sees her father not giving up his subway seat to a standing pregnant woman. In the third, a boy watches his father graciously receiving a bag of money, certainly in return for some favour. In the fourth, a couple fights in front of their small child.

They convey the message that children absorb what adults around them do and are programmed to imitate them when they grow up themselves. And it works.

On www.adintrend.com, the ads won overwhelming voter approval. A man called Karun commented: "Great. It's about time we saw ads for the good of society."

Ma Bi said: "They're short, that's all ... which is a pity for the nation's future."

Indeed, this is but a tiny part of the CNS's morality drive. It has commissioned a song with the name of the project as its title. The lyric bemoans the good things about Thailand that have been compromised by foreign culture: "It is time to revive lost culture, so that Thais can live an independent and moral life."

Youngsters are being recruited to send the message that only ethics will lead Thais to sustainable prosperity and block corruption, which is believed by many, including the CNS, to be the main cause of the national rift.

It was in fact to fight corruption that CNS chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin led the coup, which explains why he is so serious about this project. Hopefully it will not suffer a budget setback or any other obstacle, or Thailand will never move forward to a better society.

achara_d@nationgroup.com