Military seizes power in Thailand, ousts PM in 'unity' move

Updated at 9.30am/20.09.06

BANGKOK: Thailand's military seized power from Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a bloodless late-night coup, imposing martial law in what they said on Wednesday was a bid to unite the nation after months of political turmoil.   

Tanks and heavily-armed troops -- many wearing yellow scarves to show their allegiance to Thailand's revered king -- surrounded Thaksin's office or stood guard at key points throughout the capital of Bangkok.   

The military later announced a nationwide ban on gatherings of more than five people but insisted that it wanted to restore civilian power "as soon as possible."   

The prime minister watched his downfall on television from a hotel in New York where he hurriedly cancelled a speech at the UN General Assembly.   

The Thai ambassador to Washington said Thaksin was preparing to leave New York, but did not say where for. He has an official plane at his disposal and family and a home in London.   

His wife Potjaman reportedly left Bangkok for Singapore.   

Tom Kruesopon, an advisor to Thaksin and a member of his ruling party, said the premier "has not given up his power. He is not seeking asylum."   

In Bangkok, coup leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin said the military had seized power in order to unite the nation.   

"The constitution, the Senate, the House of Representatives, the cabinet and the Constitutional Court have all been terminated," he said in remarks on state television alongside other top military and police leaders.   

"We agreed that the caretaker prime minister has caused an unprecedented rift in society, widespread corruption, nepotism and interfered in independent agencies, crippling them so they cannot function.   

"They have also repeatedly insulted the king."   

Sonthi said their provisional council "needed to seize power to control the situation, to restore normalcy and to create unity as soon as possible."   

He vowed the council "has no intention to rule but to return power to the people as soon as possible."   

Coup leaders earlier declared Wednesday a national holiday and ordered top civil servants and business chiefs to come to military headquarters "to learn about the new policy".   

Officials at the royal palace said the commanders had met the influential King Bhumibol Adulyadej who is deeply revered in the country.   

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan condemned the coup, urging Thais "to remain calm."   

"This is not a practice to be encouraged," he told CNN television in New York. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer denounced an "unacceptable" power grab.   

"It is of grave concern for us that the government has been overthrown in this way," Downer told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.   

"There was an expectation in Thailand there would be an election toward the end of this year, and it is of concern to us that the military appear to have simply seized power."   

The European Union also demanded an immediate return to "democratic order", while airlines and travel companies voiced concern and China, Japan and other governments urged tourists to be careful and avoid unnecessary travel there.   

Asian stock markets opened weaker but dealers said they expected the impact to be fairly limited unless events turned violent. The Thai baht fell against the dollar but later recovered most of the losses.   

Alvin Liew, an economist with Singapore's United Overseas Bank, said it was a "knee-jerk reaction."   

Analysts said the region was in much better shape to cope with the fallout given the massive restructuring after the 1997 financial crisis, which itself was sparked by turmoil in Bangkok.   

The uprising capped months of uncertainty and discontent with Thaksin, who was accused of corruption after his family sold nearly two billion dollars of shares in his company earlier this year without paying any tax.   

As well as the corruption allegations, Thaksin has also come under fierce criticism for his handling of a militant Islamic uprising in the south of the country where more than 1,400 people have been killed.   

On the streets, many people were unsure what it all meant. They leaned out of windows shouting at one another, trying to make sense of the changes.   

"It's just the news," said a chicken vendor. "Tomorrow everything will be back to normal. Everything is OK because we have a king."   

"I was very surprised. I didn't think that this could happen right now," said Somchai, a 51-year-old pancake vendor who said he had heard the news on the radio.   

"I'm not scared because I don't see any tanks or bombs or explosions."   

Not known for political stability, Thailand has lived through more than a dozen coups in recent times, although this was the first for 15 years.   

Thaksin temporarily resigned and called new elections in April but the vote descended into chaos amid a boycott by his opponents. He repeatedly dismissed criticism of his leadership as well as allegations of business wrongdoing.   

Statement on Thai TV

The following is a translation by Reuters of a statement read out on Thai television on Tuesday as the armed forces staged the first coup in Thailand in 15 years.   

“Whereas the political reform commission under the democratic constitutional monarchy, comprising the commanders in chief of the armed forces and the head of the national police, have secured the situation in Bangkok and nearby suburbs without any resistance.   

“In the interest of maintaining law and order, a request is therefore made for public cooperation for which our apologies for any inconvenience.”

Thai PM cancels UN speech after coup

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has cancelled a planned speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, hours after the armed forces seized power in a coup in Bangkok.   

The UN Secretariat, which made the announcement, gave no further details.