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Thailand has seen its fair share of upheaval and turmoil in past few years. In attempt to quell public unrest over next month, ruling military junta has ordered national broadcasters to air all games of soccer World Cup for free. Many Thais are under curfew but National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) believes they will be happy if they can watch World Cup games for free. This will please poorer Thais who could not afford special digital box needed to view games. The NCPO arranged that all matches would be televised for free on army-owned stations. It is not such good news for satellite channel RS, which paid over $20 million for broadcasting rights.

NCPO leader Prayuth Chan-ocha said move is to "return happiness to Thai people". It is part of junta's "happiness campaign" aimed at winning hearts and minds following last month's coup. The campaign has also seen free concerts and free haircuts for poor. The junta is also promising to subsidise farmers, cap costs of basic foods and start major infrastructure projects. Many soccer-mad Thais will have to watch free games at home as there is late-night curfew in most of country. Thailand’s national team is ranked 149th in world rankings and has never qualified for World Cup Finals. The tournament began on June 12th and will finish on July the 13th.