Thursday, 21. September 2006, 13:42:08
September 21, 2006
The Thai armed forces have declared martial law in Thailand and revoked the country's constitution, several hours after launching a coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra while he was out of the country
Retired Lt.-Gen. Prapart Sakuntanak said in a televised address that the government had been dismissed and the 1997 constitution revoked, Reuters reported.
The announcement came as the Thai military surrounded government headquarters with tanks and declared the king to be the leader of a provisional authority.
Earlier, an announcement on Thai television declared that a "Council of Administrative Reform" with King Bhumibol Adulyadej as head of state had seized power in Bangkok and nearby provinces on Tuesday night without any resistance.
"The armed forces commander and the national police commander have successfully taken over Bangkok and the surrounding area in order to maintain peace and order. There has been no struggle," the announcement said. "We ask for the co-operation of the public and ask your pardon for the inconvenience."
Sakuntanak said that the seizure of power was temporary and would be "returned to the people" soon.
He said the council, consisting of armed forces and police, had been set up to implement political reforms.
"Independent bodies have been interfered with so much they could not perform in line within the spirit of the constitution," he said.
But Thailand's government spokesman said the military coup, the country's first in 15 years, could not succeed.
He said he was confident the coup leaders they would fail "because democracy in Thailand has developed to some…measure of maturity."
While Shinawatra was in New York, at least 14 tanks surrounded his office in Bangkok, Government House.
Tanks rolled through the city's commercial district as troops warned people to get off the street for their own safety. The military seized control of television stations and an army-owned television station suspended regular programming to play patriotic songs.
The army's commander-in-chief, Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin, used the military to take over power from the prime minister, a senior military official told the Associated Press.
PM declares state of emergency
Thaksin declared a state of emergency from the city of New York.
"The prime minister, with the approval of the cabinet, declares serious emergency law in Bangkok from now on," Thaksin said in a statement broadcast on Thailand's state-owned television channel.
Thaksin appealed to Thai troops not to "move illegally."
The prime minister also said he had ordered the army chief to work in his office and suspended him from military duties.
Thaksin had been scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on Wednesday night, switched his speech to Tuesday and then cancelled it.
Coup follows months of political crisis
The country has been in a political crisis for months.
The three main opposition parties boycotted a snap parliamentary election in April, amid accusations of government corruption.
There were opposition-led mass protests over the election results, which handed a new term to Thaksin and the ruling Thai Rak Thai party.
The government has also been plagued by accusations of brutality in troop crackdowns in three southern provinces, where it has been battling an insurgency by militants who want to establish a separate Muslim state.
On Saturday, six bombs were simultaneously detonated on a busy tourist shopping street in a southern Thai town, killing a Canadian and at least three other people and injuring dozens of others.
Thai police blamed the attack on Muslim separatists
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