Thailand’s Army Chief Announces Military Coup
Thailand's army chief has announced that the military has seized power in a coup to restore stability and order after six months of political deadlock and turmoil.
Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha made the announcement Thursday in a statement broadcast on national television. He said the commission that imposed martial law Tuesday would now take control of the country's administration.
The development followed two days of meetings between the country's rival political leaders that failed to break the impasse. The closed-door talks at an army facility in Bangkok were called by Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha. Most Thais were watching the talks with a mix of skepticism and hope.
One of the army's explanations for declaring martial law was to avoid feared clashes between the two sides in the conflict, and prevent more violence. The crisis, which started in November, has left 28 people dead and hundreds injured, many by drive-by shootings and grenades hurled at protest sites.
Thailand has been gripped by bouts of political instability for more than seven years. The latest round of unrest started in November, when demonstrators took to the streets to try to force Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to step down. They accused her of being a proxy for her popular billionaire brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup and now lives in self-imposed exile to avoid a jail sentence on a corruption conviction.
Many of Thailand's highest-profile political figures were summoned by the army chief for the gathering of rivals, which was unthinkable until now. They included the acting prime minister - who declined to attend the talks but sent four representatives in his place - and anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, as well as Suthep's rival from the pro-government Red Shirt group, Jatuporn Prompan.
Wednesday's first round of talks ended without a resolution, highlighting the challenges the army faces in trying to end to the conflict.
In a televised announcement on Thursday, the army said the "meeting to solve the political conflict" would enter its second phase later in the day, and that the army chief "would like to invite" the political leaders to return.
The army warned, however, that supporters of the two protest groups "must not follow them, and stay put at protest sites."
Despite Tuesday's imposition of martial law, there was little sign of tension in Bangkok. There were no soldiers on the streets in most sections of the capital, with troops assigned mainly to two areas away from the city center where protesters have gathered.
Prayuth, the army chief, has said that without imposing martial law, the political opponents, who had declined to meet in the past, would never have come together.
The military has insisted that it is not seizing power, but that it is acting to prevent violence and restore stability in the deeply divided country. But in a nation that has experienced 11 coups in modern history, the army's action remains unclear.
The English-language Bangkok Post ran a commentary Thursday titled "Coup or No Coup, Task Ahead Is Huge." The column questioned the military's intentions and its stated goal of imposing martial law to bring about a democratic solution.
"Will the army chief be able to persuade politicians to bridge their differences and start talking, to place the national interest beyond that of their own? No one knows," the column said. "At this stage, the people realize they have no choice but to place their trust in the army chief."
Also summoned for the negotiations were leaders of the ruling Pheu Thai party and the opposition Democrat Party, as well as the five-member Election Commission and representatives from the Senate, which has anti-government members pushing a plan to replace the government with an appointed leader.
Suthep's anti-government movement, which started in November, has blocked elections and vowed to overthrow the government. Thousands of his supporters were gathered in Bangkok's historic district near the prime minister's office compound, which has been vacant for months due to security concerns.
Thousands of the pro-government Red Shirt protesters are holding their own rally on the outskirts of Bangkok and say they will not tolerate the removal of the elected government.
Highlighting the threat of violence, the army announced Thursday that it had made five seizures of weapons this week in the provinces, including grenades, semi-automatic rifles and ammunition. The army said it had no immediate proof the weapons were related to political violence.
The main person missing from this week's talks has been Thaksin, whom the crisis revolves around. His 2006 overthrow triggered a power struggle that in broad terms pits his supporters from the country's rural majority against a conservative establishment in Bangkok that felt threatened by Thaksin's popularity.
After the latest round of unrest started in November, Yingluck dissolved the lower house of Parliament in a bid to ease the crisis, and later led a weakened caretaker government until a court dismissed her for nepotism. The court's ruling was viewed by her supporters as politically motivated.
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