Military coup in Bangkok: after prolonged stalemate, the army takes over government and reforms
Bangkok
(AsiaNews ) - The Thai army chief, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, has declared a
military coup and suspended the constitution, confirming that the Army has taken
control of the government of the country. In
a speech broadcast nationwide, the commander stressed that the military "will return order" to the country and "will launch" long overdue political
reforms blocked by a
stalemate between the executive and the opposition, involving Yellow Shirt
protesters closer to the Democratic Party and the Red Shirts faithful to the
Shinawatra family.
The
army coup comes after two days of talks and negotiations between the various
political factions broke down without any result. Soldiers
have closed down the buildings where the meetings were taking place and removed
the leaders of the respective political parties. There
are unconfirmed reports that the various leaders of the Red and Yellow factions
have been "stopped" or "arrested", but there is no certain information about
their whereabouts .
Thailand
has been swept by a deep political crisis for months, which on May 20 pushed
the military to declare martial law and impose censorship on the media.
As
this article is being posted online, the army is sending additional troops and
armored vehicles to the places seen as key protest areas, to disperse the crowd
of protesters who have been camped out on the streets and symbolic areas of the
capital for days. The
military has also imposed a curfew from 10 pm to 5 am.
Catholic
sources for AsiaNews in Bangkok, speaking
on condition of anonymity, report that the Thai population "is used to these
situations," and " half expected the arrival of the coup". After
months of stalling people "had hoped the military would intervene to break
the deadlock". Rumors
of a coup in the higher ranks of the
Armed Forces "was in the air". The source continues that the officers
"allowed things to proceed without intervening until it became clear that
nobody had the will or intention to reach an agreement." The
problems will not be solved by a coup, said the source , but for a few months
"there will be a little 'breathing space. Nevertheless, the real conflict
will go ahead while the real problems remain unsolved".
The
political and institutional crisis in the second largest Asian economy worsened
in December, when the Prime Minister Shinawatra dissolved parliament and called
for early elections. Detractors accused her of being a "
puppet" in the hands of her brother Thaksin, a multibillionaire -in-exile
to escape a two-year jail sentence for corruption. In early May, a court
ordered the removal of the Prime Minister and nine ministers for abuse of
power; Shinawatra is also under investigation for her subsidy scheme for rice
production which has caused a billion dollar hole in the state budget .
Opponents want political reforms and new elections "to end the Thaksin
regime". However, since 2001, the Shinawatra family has consistently
dominated polls drawing on broad popular support in the north and northeast.
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20/09/2006
