Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra found himself deposed
yesterday as his country's military launched a coup d'etat,
encircling the government compound with tanks, seizing control of
television status and declaring a provisional authority loyal to
the king.
An announcement on Thai TV channel 5 declared that a "Council of
Administrative Reform" with King Bhumibol Adulyadej as head of
state had seized power in Bangkok and nearby provinces with no
resistance.
A convoy of tanks rigged with loudspeakers and sirens rolled
through a busy commercial district warning people off the streets
for their own safety.
A senior military official, speaking on condition of anonymity,
said that Army Commander-in-Chief Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin had
used the military to seize power from the prime minister.
At least 14 tanks surrounded Government House, Mr. Thaksin's
office. Mr. Thaksin was in New York at the UN General Assembly and
declared a state of emergency.
"The prime minister with the approval of the Cabinet declares
serious emergency law in Bangkok from now on," Thaksin said on
Channel 9 from New York. In what appeared to be a futile gesture,
he ordered the transfer of the nation's army chief to work in the
prime minister's office, effectively sacking him.
Several hundred soldiers were deployed at keys points around
Bangkok, including government installations and major
intersections, witnesses said. A dozen soldiers patrolled around
Erawan Hotel, a major tourist facility, at the heart of the
capital's business district.
Army-owned TV channel 5 interrupted regular broadcasts with
patriotic music and showed pictures of the king with many other
radio and TV stations suspending all programming. Local radio
station Ruam Duay Chuay Kan interrupted its programming just as a
reporter was about to give information from Government House.
The Nation newspaper's cable television station
reported that tanks were parked at the Rachadamnoen Road and Royal
Plaza close to the Royal Palace and government
offices.
(China Daily September 20, 2006)
