BBC : Thailand's military tightens grip

Thailand's military tightens grip

BBC News | September 20, 2006

Thai military leaders are looking to consolidate their hold on power after staging a coup while the prime minister was at the UN General Assembly.

Martial law has been declared, and the coup leaders have announced that regional commanders will take charge of areas outside the capital, Bangkok.

They have ordered provincial governors and heads of government agencies to report to them in the coming hours.

The country's stock market, banks and schools will be closed on Wednesday.

BBC World, CNN and other international TV news channels have been taken off the air, while Thai stations have broadcast footage of the royal family and patriotic songs.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra cancelled a speech he was due to give at the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday evening.

It is unclear whether he intends to return home.

The coup leaders insist that power will be returned to the people.

Declaration of loyalty

In Bangkok, Tuesday saw soldiers seize government offices and take up strategic positions around the city.

In a broadcast on all Thai television channels, the leadership of the armed forces said it had taken control of Bangkok, declared nationwide martial law and ordered all troops to return to their bases.

The rebels - who said they were led by Commander-in-Chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin - have visited King Bhumibol Adulyadej and declared loyalty to him.

Many of the soldiers on the streets are wearing yellow armbands to signify loyalty to the king.

King Bhumibol, who is highly revered by Thais, has made no comment about whether he backs the takeover attempt.

But there has been some negative reaction from abroad.

The EU's Finnish presidency expressed "grave concern" at events, and the US called on Thais "to resolve their political differences in a peaceful manner".

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said he deeply regretted the fact that the coup had taken place, while New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark urged politicians and military to resolve their differences democratically.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said the organisation supported changes of government through democratic means rather than by the barrel of a gun.

'Unease'

Pressure had been growing on the prime minister to resign, including from groups close to King Bhumibol, following a political impasse in which April's general election was declared invalid.

But the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok reports that while many people wanted Mr Thaksin out of office, there will be unease about the way this has happened, and people will be looking to see whether the king has supported the coup.

It is the first coup attempt in 15 years in a country where they used to be commonplace. There were 17 of them between 1932 and 1991.

Opposition Senator Mechai Viravaidya welcomed Mr Thaksin's departure, despite doubts about the methods used.

"I'm delighted he's gone," he said. "It would have been great if he had resigned voluntarily, but apparently he was too stubborn. But at least it's better than an assassination."

Another opponent of the prime minister, Chirmsak Pinthong, suggested that Mr Thaksin's continuation in power would have been even worse.

"I would say that nothing is worse than what Thaksin has done," he said. "Thaksin has already carried out what I would call a silent coup, because he called the country as a dictatorship by using money in a corrupt way.

"Nothing is worse than the Thaksin regime."