Thai military takes control with coup
Nationwide curfew imposed.
BANGKOK — Thailand’s military on Thursday carried out the country’s 12th coup in 82 years, arresting government and protest leaders in a move the army chief said would end six months of turmoil and deadly protests.
Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, flanked by uniformed security officers, announced on state television that the military “needs to seize control of the situation in the country.” The constitution that was written after the last coup, in 2006, was being discarded, he said.
Soldiers broke up the main camps of rival protest groups and imposed a nationwide 10 p.m. curfew that sent people in Bangkok, the capital, heading home. As the curfew hour struck, armored personnel carriers were seen blocking key arteries in the city. Political leaders were rushed from closed-door meetings at the Army Club in Bangkok to a barracks where they will be kept under house arrest, officials said.
Many Thais greeted the coup stoically, stocking up on provisions. TV and radio channels were ordered to cease regular programs, and soldiers entered some newspaper offices in Bangkok, according to photos posted on social media.
Secretary of State John Kerry said there was “no justification” for the coup and urged the military — a Washington ally dating to the Vietnam War — to restore democracy immediately. U.S. law prohibits direct assistance to countries after a military coup, and Kerry said in a statement that the U.S. was reviewing its annual aid package for Thailand, which includes $12 million for military and civilian programs.
Early Friday, Bangkok was calm and activity appeared to be relatively normal, Reuters reported, though the military has ordered all schools and universities to stay closed. Traffic was light, but cars were moving slowly on some roads into the capital because of army checkpoints.
The bloodless takeover marked the second time in eight years that Thailand’s army has removed from power the Pheu Thai party, which is linked to Thaksin Shinawatra, the controversial telecom tycoon and former prime minister who was ousted in 2006.
The Southeast Asian kingdom has been sharply divided between Thaksin’s mostly provincial supporters, who have prevailed in recent elections, and the more affluent urban establishment, which wants to temporarily suspend democracy to have his family banished from politics.
Tensions have risen over the past six months, with street protests that resulted in at least 28 deaths.
On Tuesday, with the rival camps believed to be headed toward confrontation, the army announced it was imposing martial law, but it denied that it was staging a coup. After barely 48 hours, Prayuth reappeared on television to declare the military take over was complete.
Human rights groups sharply criticized the military takeover. Critics said the army had taken the side of anti-government protesters, who have been hoping for military intervention to forestall elections scheduled for the summer.
In 2010, Prayuth launched a crackdown against the Pheu Thai aligned “Red Shirt” movement that left more than 80 people dead. The movement’s calls for democratic reforms have led to accusations that it is anti-monarchist, a dangerous charge in Thailand, where severe laws prohibit criticism of the long-ruling king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, 86.
In his statement Thursday, Prayuth said the military would “protect and worship the monarchy.”