big_fat_pig
sarNie Egg
omg .. state of emergency in BKK
omg- STATE OF EMERGENCY IN BKK!!!!!!!!
- Thread starter big_fat_pig
- Start date
thea
sarNie Hatchling
i think the person is talkn about this situation in thailand right now heres an article on it http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060919/ap_on_re_as/thailand
I heard about this on fox news... It has to do with the prime minister Thaksin..
I dont know wat happen.. but my friend in thailand said that Thaksin ummm.. umm how should i explain this.. umm I cant explain it.. BUt it has to do with Thaksin... they dont want him back in Thailand... Thats why they are surrounding this house...
I dont know wat happen.. but my friend in thailand said that Thaksin ummm.. umm how should i explain this.. umm I cant explain it.. BUt it has to do with Thaksin... they dont want him back in Thailand... Thats why they are surrounding this house...
Thai army chief leads coup while prime minister away
Story Highlights
• NEW: Thai military says nation under martial law
• NEW: Thailand's constitution suspended
• Thai prime minister at United Nations in New York
• Tanks in streets of Bangkok
BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Tanks and troops patrolled Bangkok late Tuesday after the chief of Thailand's army said the military was taking control of the country.
The coup against the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is being led by Thai army chief Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratkalin and Thailand's opposition Party of Democratic Reform.
The coup plotters declared martial law and suspended the constitution of the Southeast Asia nation. (Watch tanks roll through the streets of Bangkok -- 3:53)
Thaksin, in New York to address the United Nations, declared a state of emergency and said his government was still in control of the country.
Troops on the streets of the Thai capital had yellow ribbons on their weapons, a sign of loyalty to the nation's king, to whom the coup plotters proclaimed their loyalty.
At least four tanks and a number of armored vehicles were stationed around the royal palace in Bangkok, CNN's Dan Rivers reported. Soldiers were apparently setting up roadblocks and what appeared to be members of the royal guard surrounded the palace.
It was unclear if the soldiers were loyal to the government or to those attempting to seize power.
Two tanks were parked outside the government headquarters, which houses Thaksin's office.
There have been no reports of violence.
Rumors have been swirling in the Thai capital in recent weeks that a coup d'etat was being planned.
Thaksin, who has been under considerable pressure to step down, decided Monday night to reschedule his speech to the U.N. General Assembly for Tuesday night and return to Bangkok afterward, according to U.N. officials. He had originally been scheduled to address the assembly on Wednesday.
Elections in Thailand are scheduled for November after the country's constitutional court ruled that a vote in April vote was unconstitutional.
Thaksin had called for the April elections, three years early, after opponents accused the billionaire leader of abusing the country's system of checks and balances and bending government policy to benefit his family's business.
Thailand has seen dozens of government coups since the end of World War II.
CNN's Richard Roth contributed to this report
source-http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/09/19/thailand.coup.rumor/index.html
Thai commander takes over after coup
BANGKOK, Thailand - Thailand's army commmander ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a military coup Tuesday night while the prime minister was in New York, circling his offices with tanks, declaring martial law and revoking the constitution.
An announcement on national television signed by army Commander-in-Chief Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin ordered all troops to report to their duty stations.
As soldiers and armored vehicles moved through Bangkok, an announcement from the military earlier declared a provisional authority loyal to beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
The announcement declared that a "Council of Administrative Reform" had seized power in Bangkok and nearby provinces without any resistance. It recognized the king as head of state.
Source-http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060919/ap_on_re_as/thailand_17
Thai army coup ousts government By Pracha Hariraksapitak
BANGKOK (Reuters) - The Thai armed forces dismissed the government and revoked the country's 1997 constitution on Wednesday after a coup to oust Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
A coup spokesman, Retired Lieutenant-General Prapart Sakuntanak, announced the dismissal in a televised address after the army took control of Bangkok without a shot being fired and announced a commission to reform the constitution. The prime minister declared a state of emergency from New York.
A government spokesman with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra at the United Nations said the coup could not succeed and "we're in control."
Tanks and soldiers took over Government House in Thailand's first coup in 15 years and Prapart said on television the army and police were in control of the capital and surrounding provinces.
The seizure would be temporary and power "returned to the people" soon, Prapart said on all Thai television channels.
The army declared martial law, told all soldiers to report to base and banned unauthorized troop movements, suggesting the military leadership was worried that Thaksin loyalists in the armed forces might attempt a counter-coup.
Prapart said the armed forces and police had set up a body to decide on political reforms, ousting billionaire telecoms tycoon Thaksin in the midst of a political crisis stemming from accusations he had subverted Thailand's 74-year-old democracy.
"Never in Thai history have the people been so divided," Prapart said.
"The majority of people had become suspicious of this administration, which is running the country through rampant corruption," he added.
"Independent bodies have been interfered with so much they could not perform in line within the spirit of the constitution."
Weerasak Kohsurat, a deputy minister in a previous government, told Reuters he believed royal adviser Sumate Tantivejakul would head the reform commission and an interim government would be formed while political reforms were agreed.
Elections would be called soon and Thaksin would be allowed to take part, he said.
RISING PRESSURE
After mass street protests against him in Bangkok, Thaksin called a snap election in April, hoping his firm rural following would counter his metropolitan opponents.
However, opposition parties argued that Thaksin had skewed neutral bodies such as the Election Commission in his favor and boycotted the poll. That rendered the election result invalid.
Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party was widely expected to win a re-run tentatively scheduled for late November, increasing pressure on his opponents in the military and the old establishment to resort to removing him by force.
"There is no other means to solve the political deadlock," said a former senior official close to the top military brass. "It's been almost a year that the country has no democracy, no legitimate government to run the country.
"I've told foreign diplomats Thailand may need to take a step backward, if they think a coup will, in order to leap forward."
The Thai baht fell immediately after Reuters reports of tanks rolling toward Thaksin's Government House office.
In New York, Thaksin phoned a Thai television station to make a statement.
"I declare Bangkok under a severe state of emergency," he said.
The transmission stopped after 10 minutes while he was still talking.
Inside Government House, around 50 soldiers ordered police in the complex to lay down their weapons, a witness said, and tanks and soldiers were seen on many street corners although Bangkok remained quiet.
In his television statement, Thaksin ordered troops not to "move illegally" and told army commander-in-chief Sonthi Boonyaratglin to report to acting Prime Minister Chidchai Vanasatidya.
He also ordered Armed Forces Supreme Commander Ruangroj Mahasaranond to implement the emergency order.
source-http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060919/ts_nm/thailand1_dc_4
Troops seize center of Thai capital in apparent coup
BANGKOK (AFP) - Heavily-armed troops backed by tanks have taken control of the Thai premier's office in Bangkok while Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was out of the kingdom.
Witnesses outside government house in central Bangkok said forces loyal to sacked military commander Lieutenant General Sonthi Boonyaratglin had taken took control of the building in what appeared to be a coup.
An announcement flashed on all public television channels said police and military forces loyal to King Bhumibol Adulyadej had taken control of Bangkok "to maintain law and order". It was accompanied by patriotic music.
The announcement said the troops belonged to the "Council of Political Reform". It apologised to Thai citizens for the unrest and asked for them to cooperate.
The military action came as Thaksin prepared to address the United Nations General Assembly. He told Thai television from New York that he had sacked Sonthi and declared a state of emergency.
Thaksin said he had already appointed a new army chief to stabilize the kingdom, which has been gripped by months of political uncertainty and rumours of an impending coup.
"He is in charge of solving the problems while the country faces an urgent situation," Thaksin was quoted by television as saying about the new military commander, who was not named.
UN officials said Thaksin had brought forward his address to the UN General Assembly.
A Thai government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Thaksin was considering cutting short his stay in New York to return to face the crisis.
"He is planning to leave New York as soon as possible," the Thai source told AFP in New York.
Thailand has limped along without an elected government since Thaksin dissolved parliament in February as pressure mounted on him to quit over corruption allegations.
Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in response at the time, angered in part over the Thaksin family's tax-free sale of its 1.9 billion-dollar stake in Shin Corp, the telecoms giant Thaksin founded before entering politics.
In a bid to quell the mass rallies, Thaksin called a snap vote in April, three years ahead of schedule.
An opposition boycott guaranteed Thaksin a victory but also sunk the credibility of the polls, which were later invalidated following a rare intervention by Thailand's king, who asked top judges to break the deadlock.
Late last month police said they had found a powerful bomb in the trunk of a car near Thaksin's house, saying it was an attempt to assassinate the prime minister.
Thaksin said a group of up to four military officers had schemed to kill him.
Thaksin, 57, was already under increased security following scuffles between his supporters and groups opposing his rule.
source-http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060919/wl_asia_afp/thailandpolitics_060919165132
theres more news on yahoo news
Story Highlights
• NEW: Thai military says nation under martial law
• NEW: Thailand's constitution suspended
• Thai prime minister at United Nations in New York
• Tanks in streets of Bangkok
BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Tanks and troops patrolled Bangkok late Tuesday after the chief of Thailand's army said the military was taking control of the country.
The coup against the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is being led by Thai army chief Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratkalin and Thailand's opposition Party of Democratic Reform.
The coup plotters declared martial law and suspended the constitution of the Southeast Asia nation. (Watch tanks roll through the streets of Bangkok -- 3:53)
Thaksin, in New York to address the United Nations, declared a state of emergency and said his government was still in control of the country.
Troops on the streets of the Thai capital had yellow ribbons on their weapons, a sign of loyalty to the nation's king, to whom the coup plotters proclaimed their loyalty.
At least four tanks and a number of armored vehicles were stationed around the royal palace in Bangkok, CNN's Dan Rivers reported. Soldiers were apparently setting up roadblocks and what appeared to be members of the royal guard surrounded the palace.
It was unclear if the soldiers were loyal to the government or to those attempting to seize power.
Two tanks were parked outside the government headquarters, which houses Thaksin's office.
There have been no reports of violence.
Rumors have been swirling in the Thai capital in recent weeks that a coup d'etat was being planned.
Thaksin, who has been under considerable pressure to step down, decided Monday night to reschedule his speech to the U.N. General Assembly for Tuesday night and return to Bangkok afterward, according to U.N. officials. He had originally been scheduled to address the assembly on Wednesday.
Elections in Thailand are scheduled for November after the country's constitutional court ruled that a vote in April vote was unconstitutional.
Thaksin had called for the April elections, three years early, after opponents accused the billionaire leader of abusing the country's system of checks and balances and bending government policy to benefit his family's business.
Thailand has seen dozens of government coups since the end of World War II.
CNN's Richard Roth contributed to this report
source-http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/09/19/thailand.coup.rumor/index.html
Thai commander takes over after coup
BANGKOK, Thailand - Thailand's army commmander ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a military coup Tuesday night while the prime minister was in New York, circling his offices with tanks, declaring martial law and revoking the constitution.
An announcement on national television signed by army Commander-in-Chief Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin ordered all troops to report to their duty stations.
As soldiers and armored vehicles moved through Bangkok, an announcement from the military earlier declared a provisional authority loyal to beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
The announcement declared that a "Council of Administrative Reform" had seized power in Bangkok and nearby provinces without any resistance. It recognized the king as head of state.
Source-http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060919/ap_on_re_as/thailand_17
Thai army coup ousts government By Pracha Hariraksapitak
BANGKOK (Reuters) - The Thai armed forces dismissed the government and revoked the country's 1997 constitution on Wednesday after a coup to oust Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
A coup spokesman, Retired Lieutenant-General Prapart Sakuntanak, announced the dismissal in a televised address after the army took control of Bangkok without a shot being fired and announced a commission to reform the constitution. The prime minister declared a state of emergency from New York.
A government spokesman with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra at the United Nations said the coup could not succeed and "we're in control."
Tanks and soldiers took over Government House in Thailand's first coup in 15 years and Prapart said on television the army and police were in control of the capital and surrounding provinces.
The seizure would be temporary and power "returned to the people" soon, Prapart said on all Thai television channels.
The army declared martial law, told all soldiers to report to base and banned unauthorized troop movements, suggesting the military leadership was worried that Thaksin loyalists in the armed forces might attempt a counter-coup.
Prapart said the armed forces and police had set up a body to decide on political reforms, ousting billionaire telecoms tycoon Thaksin in the midst of a political crisis stemming from accusations he had subverted Thailand's 74-year-old democracy.
"Never in Thai history have the people been so divided," Prapart said.
"The majority of people had become suspicious of this administration, which is running the country through rampant corruption," he added.
"Independent bodies have been interfered with so much they could not perform in line within the spirit of the constitution."
Weerasak Kohsurat, a deputy minister in a previous government, told Reuters he believed royal adviser Sumate Tantivejakul would head the reform commission and an interim government would be formed while political reforms were agreed.
Elections would be called soon and Thaksin would be allowed to take part, he said.
RISING PRESSURE
After mass street protests against him in Bangkok, Thaksin called a snap election in April, hoping his firm rural following would counter his metropolitan opponents.
However, opposition parties argued that Thaksin had skewed neutral bodies such as the Election Commission in his favor and boycotted the poll. That rendered the election result invalid.
Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party was widely expected to win a re-run tentatively scheduled for late November, increasing pressure on his opponents in the military and the old establishment to resort to removing him by force.
"There is no other means to solve the political deadlock," said a former senior official close to the top military brass. "It's been almost a year that the country has no democracy, no legitimate government to run the country.
"I've told foreign diplomats Thailand may need to take a step backward, if they think a coup will, in order to leap forward."
The Thai baht fell immediately after Reuters reports of tanks rolling toward Thaksin's Government House office.
In New York, Thaksin phoned a Thai television station to make a statement.
"I declare Bangkok under a severe state of emergency," he said.
The transmission stopped after 10 minutes while he was still talking.
Inside Government House, around 50 soldiers ordered police in the complex to lay down their weapons, a witness said, and tanks and soldiers were seen on many street corners although Bangkok remained quiet.
In his television statement, Thaksin ordered troops not to "move illegally" and told army commander-in-chief Sonthi Boonyaratglin to report to acting Prime Minister Chidchai Vanasatidya.
He also ordered Armed Forces Supreme Commander Ruangroj Mahasaranond to implement the emergency order.
source-http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060919/ts_nm/thailand1_dc_4
Troops seize center of Thai capital in apparent coup
BANGKOK (AFP) - Heavily-armed troops backed by tanks have taken control of the Thai premier's office in Bangkok while Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was out of the kingdom.
Witnesses outside government house in central Bangkok said forces loyal to sacked military commander Lieutenant General Sonthi Boonyaratglin had taken took control of the building in what appeared to be a coup.
An announcement flashed on all public television channels said police and military forces loyal to King Bhumibol Adulyadej had taken control of Bangkok "to maintain law and order". It was accompanied by patriotic music.
The announcement said the troops belonged to the "Council of Political Reform". It apologised to Thai citizens for the unrest and asked for them to cooperate.
The military action came as Thaksin prepared to address the United Nations General Assembly. He told Thai television from New York that he had sacked Sonthi and declared a state of emergency.
Thaksin said he had already appointed a new army chief to stabilize the kingdom, which has been gripped by months of political uncertainty and rumours of an impending coup.
"He is in charge of solving the problems while the country faces an urgent situation," Thaksin was quoted by television as saying about the new military commander, who was not named.
UN officials said Thaksin had brought forward his address to the UN General Assembly.
A Thai government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Thaksin was considering cutting short his stay in New York to return to face the crisis.
"He is planning to leave New York as soon as possible," the Thai source told AFP in New York.
Thailand has limped along without an elected government since Thaksin dissolved parliament in February as pressure mounted on him to quit over corruption allegations.
Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in response at the time, angered in part over the Thaksin family's tax-free sale of its 1.9 billion-dollar stake in Shin Corp, the telecoms giant Thaksin founded before entering politics.
In a bid to quell the mass rallies, Thaksin called a snap vote in April, three years ahead of schedule.
An opposition boycott guaranteed Thaksin a victory but also sunk the credibility of the polls, which were later invalidated following a rare intervention by Thailand's king, who asked top judges to break the deadlock.
Late last month police said they had found a powerful bomb in the trunk of a car near Thaksin's house, saying it was an attempt to assassinate the prime minister.
Thaksin said a group of up to four military officers had schemed to kill him.
Thaksin, 57, was already under increased security following scuffles between his supporters and groups opposing his rule.
source-http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060919/wl_asia_afp/thailandpolitics_060919165132
theres more news on yahoo news
YoUa
One Of Kob Big Fan
Mara Phang
sarNie Adult
Thanks for sharing the news, ladies. This is terrible!! I hope the civilians wouldn't get affected by the chaos. I wonder what caused this?
thanks for sharing nong moe!! I'm watching in on thai satilliate (whatever how you spell it) too!!
thai people.. and the thai soldiers/miltary.. were complaining.. that thaksin wasnt doing his job right.. especially about the south of thailand.. something like that.. im not sure.. ..
tye-niranh
sarNie Adult
omg looks so scary. hope everything is okay!
Thailand's military ousts prime minister By GRANT PECK, Associated Press Writer
BANGKOK, Thailand - Thailand's army commander staged a coup Tuesday night and ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra while he was in New York, circling his offices with tanks, declaring martial law and revoking the constitution.
Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin, who is known to be close to Thailand's revered monarch and is a Muslim in this Buddhist-dominated nation, took power without a shot being fired. He will serve as acting prime minister, said army spokesman Col. Akara Chitroj.
"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 new leaders said in a statement on national television. "We ask for the cooperation of the public and ask your pardon for the inconvenience."
As soldiers and armored vehicles moved through drizzly Bangkok, the military declared a provisional authority loyal to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, calling itself the "Council of Administrative Reform."
The council, it said, soon return power to a democratic government but did not specify what reforms they would carry out.
The military ordered all troops to report to their duty stations. There was no sign of resistance to the coup in the hours after it was announced late Tuesday.
The coup leaders also said all schools, banks and the stock market will be closed Wednesday. Civil servants, including permanent secretaries of ministries, heads of state agencies, and heads of universities in the Bangkok metropolitan area were ordered to report to the council on Wednesday morning.
Akara said Deputy Prime Minister Chitchai Wannasathit had been removed from his post.
An army general, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said Chitchai and Defense Minister Thammarak Isaragura na Ayuthaya — two Thaksin loyalists — had been arrested.
"The government is no longer administering the country," Akara said.
Thaksin, who has faced calls to step down amid allegations of corruption and abuse of power, was in New York at the U.N. General Assembly, and he declared a state of emergency in an audio statement via a government-owned TV station in Bangkok in a vain attempt to stave off the coup.
Thaksin, who had been scheduled to address the General Assembly, canceled his speech.
Government spokesman Surapong Suebwonglee, who was with Thaksin in New York, said the coup leaders "cannot succeed" and was confident they would fail "because democracy in Thailand has developed to some ... measure of maturity."
At least 14 tanks surrounded Government House, Thaksin's office. A convoy of four tanks rigged with loudspeakers and sirens rolled through a busy commercial district of Bangkok, warning people to get off the street for their own safety.
The coup went largely unnoticed in Bangkok's popular tourist districts, where foreigners packed bars and cabarets, oblivious to the activity about two miles away. But word raced among street vendors hawking T-shirts, who packed up their carts quickly and started heading home.
Hundreds of people gathered at Government House, taking pictures of themselves with the tanks.
"I don't agree with the coup, but now that they've done it, I support it because Thaksin has refused to resign from his position," said university student Sasiprapha Chantawong. "Allowing Thaksin to carry on will ruin the country more than this. The reputation of the country may be somewhat damaged, but it's better than letting Thaksin stay in power."
The White House was monitoring the events closely, "but the situation at the moment is unclear," said Frederick Jones, a spokesman for President Bush's National Security Council. "We look to the Thai people to resolve their political differences in a peaceful manner and in accordance with principles of democracy and rule of law."
Former Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, and a member of the opposition Democrat Party, said Thaksin had forced the military to act.
"As politicians, we do not support any kind of coup but during the past five years, the government of Thaksin created several conditions that forced the military to stage the coup. Thaksin has caused the crisis in the country," he told The Associated Press.
It was the first coup in Thailand since 1991, when an attempt by Prime Minister Suchinda Kraprayoon, a military general, to retain power was countered by mass street demonstrations and Suchinda's ouster. After that, the military vowed to remain in its barracks, in contrast to earlier decades when military coups were a staple of Thai politics.
Tuesday's coup came a day before a major rally — the first in months — was to take place in Bangkok by a anti-Thaksin coalition.
Massive rallies earlier this year forced Thaksin to dissolve Parliament and call an election in April, three years early. The poll was boycotted by the opposition and later annulled by Thailand's top courts, leaving it without a working legislature.
Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party twice won landslide election victories, in 2001 and 2005 and had been expected to win the next vote on Oct. 15, bolstered by its widespread support in the country's rural areas.
In March, Sondhi sought to ease speculation the military might join the political fray, as it last did in 1992 and more than a dozen other times during earlier crises.
"The army will not get involved in the political conflict. Political troubles should be resolved by politicians," Sondhi said at the time, echoing comments of other top military officials. "Military coups are a thing of the past."
On Monday, Thaksin had said he might step down as leader of Thailand after the upcoming elections but would remain as partly leader, despite calls for him to give up the post.
The first sign of the coup came when army-owned TV channel 5 interrupted regular broadcasts with patriotic music and showed pictures of the king. Later, several hundred soldiers were deployed at government installations and major intersections in Bangkok.
Thaksin's critics wanted to jettison his policies promoting privatization, free trade agreements and CEO-style administration.
Opposition to Thaksin gained momentum in January when his family announced it had sold its controlling stake in telecommunications company Shin Corp. to Singapore's state-owned Temasek Holdings for a tax-free $1.9 billion. Critics allege the sale involved insider trading and complained a key national asset moved to foreign hands.
Thaksin also has been accused of stifling the media and mishandling a Muslim insurgency in southern Thailand that flared under his rule.
In the mostly Muslim south, separatist insurgents have waged a bloody campaign that has left at least 1,700 dead, mostly civilians, since 2004. Citizens there have complained of rights abuses by soldiers and discrimination by the Buddhist majority.
Bhumibol, a 78-year-old constitutional monarch with limited powers, has used his prestige to pressure opposing parties to compromise during political crises. He is credited with helping keep Thailand more stable than many of its Southeast Asian neighbors.
He is the world's longest-serving monarch, celebrated his 60th year on the throne with lavish festivities in June that were attended by royalty from around the world.
Many Thais had been counting on him to pull the country through its political crisis, which has left it with no functioning legislature and only a caretaker government after the inconclusive election.
Bhumibol was born in Cambridge, Mass. He became the ninth king of Thailand's Chakri dynasty on June 9, 1946, succeeding his older brother, Ananda, killed by an unexplained shooting.
Since then, he has reigned through a score of governments, democratic and dictatorial. He has taken an especially active role in rural development.
In 1992, demonstrators against a military strongman were gunned down before the king stepped in to end the fighting and usher in a period of stability.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060919/ap_on_re_as/thailand_21
LASTEST!!!!
POLICE ARE CLEARING THE STREETS!!! NO VOILENCE REPORTED!!!!
BANGKOK, Thailand - Thailand's army commander staged a coup Tuesday night and ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra while he was in New York, circling his offices with tanks, declaring martial law and revoking the constitution.
Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin, who is known to be close to Thailand's revered monarch and is a Muslim in this Buddhist-dominated nation, took power without a shot being fired. He will serve as acting prime minister, said army spokesman Col. Akara Chitroj.
"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 new leaders said in a statement on national television. "We ask for the cooperation of the public and ask your pardon for the inconvenience."
As soldiers and armored vehicles moved through drizzly Bangkok, the military declared a provisional authority loyal to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, calling itself the "Council of Administrative Reform."
The council, it said, soon return power to a democratic government but did not specify what reforms they would carry out.
The military ordered all troops to report to their duty stations. There was no sign of resistance to the coup in the hours after it was announced late Tuesday.
The coup leaders also said all schools, banks and the stock market will be closed Wednesday. Civil servants, including permanent secretaries of ministries, heads of state agencies, and heads of universities in the Bangkok metropolitan area were ordered to report to the council on Wednesday morning.
Akara said Deputy Prime Minister Chitchai Wannasathit had been removed from his post.
An army general, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said Chitchai and Defense Minister Thammarak Isaragura na Ayuthaya — two Thaksin loyalists — had been arrested.
"The government is no longer administering the country," Akara said.
Thaksin, who has faced calls to step down amid allegations of corruption and abuse of power, was in New York at the U.N. General Assembly, and he declared a state of emergency in an audio statement via a government-owned TV station in Bangkok in a vain attempt to stave off the coup.
Thaksin, who had been scheduled to address the General Assembly, canceled his speech.
Government spokesman Surapong Suebwonglee, who was with Thaksin in New York, said the coup leaders "cannot succeed" and was confident they would fail "because democracy in Thailand has developed to some ... measure of maturity."
At least 14 tanks surrounded Government House, Thaksin's office. A convoy of four tanks rigged with loudspeakers and sirens rolled through a busy commercial district of Bangkok, warning people to get off the street for their own safety.
The coup went largely unnoticed in Bangkok's popular tourist districts, where foreigners packed bars and cabarets, oblivious to the activity about two miles away. But word raced among street vendors hawking T-shirts, who packed up their carts quickly and started heading home.
Hundreds of people gathered at Government House, taking pictures of themselves with the tanks.
"I don't agree with the coup, but now that they've done it, I support it because Thaksin has refused to resign from his position," said university student Sasiprapha Chantawong. "Allowing Thaksin to carry on will ruin the country more than this. The reputation of the country may be somewhat damaged, but it's better than letting Thaksin stay in power."
The White House was monitoring the events closely, "but the situation at the moment is unclear," said Frederick Jones, a spokesman for President Bush's National Security Council. "We look to the Thai people to resolve their political differences in a peaceful manner and in accordance with principles of democracy and rule of law."
Former Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, and a member of the opposition Democrat Party, said Thaksin had forced the military to act.
"As politicians, we do not support any kind of coup but during the past five years, the government of Thaksin created several conditions that forced the military to stage the coup. Thaksin has caused the crisis in the country," he told The Associated Press.
It was the first coup in Thailand since 1991, when an attempt by Prime Minister Suchinda Kraprayoon, a military general, to retain power was countered by mass street demonstrations and Suchinda's ouster. After that, the military vowed to remain in its barracks, in contrast to earlier decades when military coups were a staple of Thai politics.
Tuesday's coup came a day before a major rally — the first in months — was to take place in Bangkok by a anti-Thaksin coalition.
Massive rallies earlier this year forced Thaksin to dissolve Parliament and call an election in April, three years early. The poll was boycotted by the opposition and later annulled by Thailand's top courts, leaving it without a working legislature.
Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party twice won landslide election victories, in 2001 and 2005 and had been expected to win the next vote on Oct. 15, bolstered by its widespread support in the country's rural areas.
In March, Sondhi sought to ease speculation the military might join the political fray, as it last did in 1992 and more than a dozen other times during earlier crises.
"The army will not get involved in the political conflict. Political troubles should be resolved by politicians," Sondhi said at the time, echoing comments of other top military officials. "Military coups are a thing of the past."
On Monday, Thaksin had said he might step down as leader of Thailand after the upcoming elections but would remain as partly leader, despite calls for him to give up the post.
The first sign of the coup came when army-owned TV channel 5 interrupted regular broadcasts with patriotic music and showed pictures of the king. Later, several hundred soldiers were deployed at government installations and major intersections in Bangkok.
Thaksin's critics wanted to jettison his policies promoting privatization, free trade agreements and CEO-style administration.
Opposition to Thaksin gained momentum in January when his family announced it had sold its controlling stake in telecommunications company Shin Corp. to Singapore's state-owned Temasek Holdings for a tax-free $1.9 billion. Critics allege the sale involved insider trading and complained a key national asset moved to foreign hands.
Thaksin also has been accused of stifling the media and mishandling a Muslim insurgency in southern Thailand that flared under his rule.
In the mostly Muslim south, separatist insurgents have waged a bloody campaign that has left at least 1,700 dead, mostly civilians, since 2004. Citizens there have complained of rights abuses by soldiers and discrimination by the Buddhist majority.
Bhumibol, a 78-year-old constitutional monarch with limited powers, has used his prestige to pressure opposing parties to compromise during political crises. He is credited with helping keep Thailand more stable than many of its Southeast Asian neighbors.
He is the world's longest-serving monarch, celebrated his 60th year on the throne with lavish festivities in June that were attended by royalty from around the world.
Many Thais had been counting on him to pull the country through its political crisis, which has left it with no functioning legislature and only a caretaker government after the inconclusive election.
Bhumibol was born in Cambridge, Mass. He became the ninth king of Thailand's Chakri dynasty on June 9, 1946, succeeding his older brother, Ananda, killed by an unexplained shooting.
Since then, he has reigned through a score of governments, democratic and dictatorial. He has taken an especially active role in rural development.
In 1992, demonstrators against a military strongman were gunned down before the king stepped in to end the fighting and usher in a period of stability.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060919/ap_on_re_as/thailand_21
LASTEST!!!!
POLICE ARE CLEARING THE STREETS!!! NO VOILENCE REPORTED!!!!
Mara Phang
sarNie Adult
Thanks for the confirmation, Tangmoe. WOW!! This is surprising. I also hope it will end peacefully.