When Thailand's military seized power last September, its promise to bring unity and stability to a nation polarised by winner-takes-all politics received a warm welcome in Bangkok. Families lined up to take snapshots in front of the army tanks that had rolled into town to crush any hopes of a constitutional solution to the political stalemate. Royal endorsement for the coup - Thailand's 18th in 76 years - appeared to seal the fate of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his allies.
But the unity on display in the days after the coup has begun to splinter, both within the military elite and among anti-Thaksin forces. Analysts say these divisions could deflect the ruling Council for National Security (CNS) from its promise to hold elections and restore civilian democracy by the end of the year. Opposition politicians who cheered the removal of Mr Thaksin are starting to snipe at the regime's performance.
The biggest blow to public confidence came early on New Year's Eve, when a series of co-ordinated bombings rocked the Thai capital, killing three people. Even after police had cleared a downtown plaza and tried to disperse midnight revellers, a second wave of bombings claimed more injuries, including several foreign tourists.
Thailand's business community has also felt the sting from a series of economic blunders and U-turns, including a stock exchange meltdown last month triggered by draconian capital controls. Revisions to the law on foreign investment, fuelled by the nationalist backlash against the sale of Mr Thaksin's family-owned telecommunications empire to Singapore, have left some investors wondering if Thailand is still open for business.
Authorities allege that forces aligned with the ousted prime minister planted the bombs to destabilise Thailand's interim government, which is investigating alleged corruption in the former administration. They have denied any connection between the blasts and a Muslim-led insurgency in the south that has claimed more than 1,900 lives since January 2004.
No arrests of bombing suspects have been made, though, and Bangkok remains on edge. In recent weeks, police have responded to dozens of false bomb alerts and hoaxes in and around the capital.