Thai military takes over in coup -- again Troops escorted the political party leaders from the meeting; a lawyer for the Red Shirts later confirmed theyd been detained. That left Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, the head of the Asian nations military, in charge. The military released a statement saying Prayuth now has the powers to act as Prime Minister until a new one takes office. How exactly the government will operate is in question, given that the military also has thrown out the 2007 constitution, except for Section 2, which acknowledges that the king is the head of state. The last six months have been marked by protests, both by those backing the government and those against. There has been deadly violence in the streets. Schools will be closed nationwide between Friday and Sunday, the de facto military government ordered. A curfew is in place for between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. (11 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET) And all state-run, satellite and cable TV providers have been ordered to carry only the signal of the armys television channel; CNN is among those networks that have been taken off the air. In a speech hours after the meeting with political party leaders, Prayuth explained that these actions were necessary to restore order and push through needed reforms. He said there will be security provided for foreigners, including vacationers and diplomats. As to Thai citizens, Prayuth urged them to go about their business as usual -- including civil servants and officials, who should report to work. And in many ways, this is normal for Thailand. Thursdays sudden transfer of power is the 12th time the military has taken over since Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932. Its the second coup for Pete Kraisittipong, a lifelong Bangkok resident and CNN iReporter. While there are noticeable differences -- like closed convenience stores -- he said most people dont seem too taken aback but the sudden, if hardly unprecedented, political shift. People associate this as the silent coup. They just go home and dont go out after 10, he said. ... People just live their normal lives.
Posted on: Fri, 23 May 2014 13:42:53 +0000
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