Women wear soldier costumes Wednesday at Victory Monument in Bangkok. Wilawan Watcharasakwet/The Wall Street Journal
BANGKOK—Thailand's military junta is trying to make Thais happy about the latest coup, trotting out saluting young women in risqué camouflage outfits and hosting street parties with free food and music.
Since taking power in a coup d'état two weeks ago, the military has tried to smooth over nearly a decade of deep political divisions and win support for its new mandate, which it sees as a necessary first step toward kick-starting Thailand's sputtering economy.
On Thursday, it extended that campaign with plans to open a nationwide series of "reconciliation centers," responsible for organizing entertainment and encouraging local Thais to participate in volunteer programs.
The centers would organize rural equivalents of a series of street parties in Bangkok, such as one Wednesday night in an area previously used as a rally site for antigovernment protesters and featured female dancers dressed in revealing army fatigues as one of its attractions. The military also said it would consider lifting curfews in more areas, which are likely to include popular tourist areas.

Related Articles

"The reconciliation process will provide the conditions to bring peace and harmony to our society; we are not going to force the happiness," said Col. Weerachon Sukondhapatipak, a spokesman for the National Council for Peace and Order, the military's post-coup governing body.
He didn't elaborate further on where the reconciliation centers would be located or what events they would organize.
Motorists watch female Thai soldiers perform and sing on a military truck as soldiers and police take positions to prevent demonstrations against military rule at Victory Monument. Reuters
Meanwhile, the country's tourism-authority chief on Thursday said he was waiting for the military to grant a supplementary budget to win back tourists through advertising and other promotional campaigns. While Thailand hasn't released arrivals statistics for May, the month of the coup, airlines have reported falling passenger numbers.
But while tourists may be coaxed back, analysts are skeptical the reconciliation efforts will be sufficient to resolve the differences among Thailand's political groups. Sirote Klampaiboon, an independent political and human-rights scholar, said the military crackdown on opposition protests means people can't express themselves freely and would be unlikely to resolve their political grievances.
More than 350 people have been summoned and detained by the military since the coup, although most have been released. A nationwide crackdown is also under way against those the military said violated the Thailand's strict lèse-majesté laws, which carry harsh punishments for anyone who insults or defames the country's widely revered king.
Mr. Sirote said the reconciliation effort so far hasn't been effective "because the conflict in the past six months involved so many sides and so many people over the past decade. The positive thing about this effort is that it stops the confrontations that could have turned violent, but it doesn't resolve the conflict," he said.
Antimilitary activists have reacted angrily to the junta's efforts to win support.
"The military junta is waging a psychological war against pro-democracy activists," said Giles Ji Ungpakorn, a Thai-British academic and activist supportive of the government ousted by the military junta.
Police and military officials insist the street parties help bring Thais of different political beliefs together.
"We have the interests of the general public strongly in our mind, and what we are doing is trying to get the country going again after the political impasse," said Yongyuth Mayalarp, a military spokesman. "You have to start somewhere."
Wassana Aiemjaroon, a 42-year-old street cleaner who attended Wednesday's street party, said she was happy to see people enjoying themselves. "I'd been very stressed by the political tension for years and felt insecure with the situation. Now I'm happier and I can laugh," she said.
—Nopparat Chaichalearmmongkol, Newley Purnell and Warangkana Chomchuen contributed to this article.
Write to Jake Maxwell Watts at jake.watts@wsj.com and Wilawan Watcharasakwet atwilawan.watcharasakwet@wsj.com