Thailand military seizes power in coup Skip to main content

Thailand military seizes power in coup

Thailand military seizes power in coup

The moment Jonah Fisher and other reporters realised a coup was under way

Related Stories

Thailand's military has announced it is taking control of the government and has suspended the constitution.
In a TV statement, army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha vowed to restore order and enact political reforms.

The cabinet has been told to report to the military, TV broadcasting is suspended and political gatherings are banned. A nationwide curfew will operate from 22:00 to 05:00 local time.

The coup follows months of political turmoil in Thailand.

On Tuesday the army imposed martial law. Talks were then held between the main political factions, but the army announced the coup on Thursday.

Key political figures, including opposition protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban and pro-government protest leader Jatuporn Prompan, were taken away from the talks venue after troops sealed off the area.
Thailand's coup explained - in 60 seconds

Troops fired into the air to disperse a pro-government protest camp on the outskirts of Bangkok but there are no reports of major violence.

The broadcast media have been told to suspend all normal programming.
line
The BBC's Jonah Fisher, in Bangkok: What we're hearing is that soldiers have moved rapidly to consolidate their position, moving in on the "red shirt" camp, the broad protest movement linked to the government, on the outskirts of Bangkok. They are also moving towards the anti-government demonstrators' camp in the centre of town.
A curfew has just been declared, so the military is obviously making efforts to make sure there is no immediate response to its announcement. Those people who voted for what is still the elected government here will feel extremely annoyed and frustrated by what has happened.
Most people are expecting the "red shirts" to rally now and are extremely concerned about the possibility of confrontation.
Why is Thailand under military rule?
line
Gen Prayuth said he had taken over power because "of the violence in Bangkok and many parts of the country that resulted in loss of innocent lives and property, [which] was likely to escalate".

He added: "We ask the public not to panic and to carry on their lives normally."
Footage showed the moment political leaders were driven away from the talks

In a later a statement read on television the military said that "in order to run the country smoothly, [it has] suspended the constitution of 2007, except for the chapter on the monarchy".

The statement said Gen Prayuth would head a ruling military body - the National Peace and Order Maintaining Council - but that the upper house of parliament and courts would continue to function.
Thai soldier in Bangkok, 22 May Journalists were ushered away from the area where talks had been held
A pro-government protest camp in Nakhon Pathom province, 22 May Troops enter a pro-government protest camp in Nakhon Pathom province
Anti-government protesters in Bangkok, 22 May Anti-government protesters pack up their camp in Bangkok ahead of the 22:00 curfew
 
The army has ordered acting PM Niwatthamrong Boonsongphaisan and his ministers to report to the military on Thursday "in order to keep peace and order".

The TV statement also carried a ban on "political gatherings" of more than five people, adding: "Anyone who violates the ban will be subject to a one-year jail term, 10,000 baht ($307) fine, or both."

The UN human rights office has urged the new Thai authorities "to take all necessary measures to ensure fundamental human rights are respected".

The first curfew has now begun, but as the 22:00 (15:00 GMT) deadline loomed there was heavy traffic on the streets of the capital with people trying to get home.

Yingluck removed The army has staged at least 12 coups since the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932.

The latest unrest began in the Thai capital late last year, when then-Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra dissolved the lower house of parliament.

Demonstrators have blockaded several areas of Bangkok for months.

Earlier this month, a court ordered Ms Yingluck's removal for alleged abuse of power.

Thailand has faced a power struggle since Ms Yingluck's brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, was ousted by the military as prime minister in 2006.

Mr Thaksin and Ms Yingluck have strong support in rural areas and among poorer voters.
Correspondents say they are hated by an urban and middle-class elite who accuse them of corruption.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27517591

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Chronology of the Press in Burma

1836 – 1846 * During this period the first English-language newspaper was launched under British-ruled Tenasserim, southern  Burma . The first ethnic Karen-language and Burmese-language newspapers also appear in this period.     March 3, 1836 —The first English-language newspaper,  The Maulmain Chronicle , appears in the city of Moulmein in British-ruled Tenasserim. The paper, first published by a British official named E.A. Blundell, continued up until the 1950s. September 1842 —Tavoy’s  Hsa-tu-gaw  (the  Morning Star ), a monthly publication in the Karen-language of  Sgaw ,  is established by the Baptist mission. It is the first ethnic language newspaper. Circulation reached about three hundred until its publication ceased in 1849. January 1843 —The Baptist mission publishes a monthly newspaper, the Christian  Dhamma  Thadinsa  (the  Religious Herald ), in Moulmein. Supposedly the first Burmese-language newspaper, it continued up until the first year of the second Angl

ARSA claims ambush on Myanmar security forces

Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on Sunday claimed responsibility for an ambush on Myanmar security forces that left several wounded in northern Rakhine state, the first attack in weeks in a region gutted by violence. Rakhine was plunged into turmoil last August, when a series of ARSA raids prompted a military backlash so brutal the UN says it likely amounts to ethnic cleansing of the Muslim Rohingya minority. The army campaign sent some 650,000 Rohingya fleeing for Bangladesh, where refugees have given harrowing accounts of rape, murder and arson at the hands of security forces and vigilantes. Myanmar's military, which tightly controls information about Rakhine, denies any abuses and insists the crackdown was a proportionate response to crush the "terrorist" threat. ARSA have launched few attacks in recent months.  But the army reported that "about ten" Rohingya terrorists ambushed a car with hand-made mines and gunfire on Friday morning

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do