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Thai military imposes martial law
Sydney Morning Herald - May 20, 2014
Army commanders insisted they were not staging a coup but it remained unclear what degree of control the military would take to end six months of sometimes violent unrest, or whether it would favour one side.
The government, crippled by six months of protests and the forced resignation of prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra earlier this month, said it remained in power after the military cited a century-old law to impose martial law in the early hours of Tuesday.
"The army intends to bring peace to the beloved country of all Thais as soon as possible," said army commander General Prayuth Chan-ocha. "We would like to urge people from every group to stop their movement in order to quickly find a sustainable solution for the country."
The army set up what it called a peacekeeping command centre with sweeping authority, including the power to ban political gatherings, detain people without charge for seven days and to hold special military courts. General Prayuth said people's movement was allowed across the country and no curfew had been imposed.
Armed soldiers surrounded both anti-government and pro-government camp sites in Bangkok and ordered people to remain where they were and not march anywhere to prevent clashes, and ordered anti-government protesters to leave Government House, the country's seat of power, where they had been holding meetings and press conferences.
Soldiers set up road blocks, sandbagged positions and secured key intersections and government buildings.
General Prayuth ordered all government agencies except the army, navy and air force to return to their offices and their normal duties, and the army issued a statement that said "all provisions of any law inconsistent with Martial Law shall be suspended and replaced by provisions of Martial Law".
Army commanders called the leaders of government agencies and provincial governors for talks while cabinet ministers held their own emergency meeting.
Army commanders declared the media could not report anything that was "detrimental to national security". Ten television and radio stations were taken off air and programming on others was periodically interrupted by formal military announcements.
The army's move prompted Australia to "express concern" and called for elections as soon as possible. A spokesman for Department of Foreign Affairs said: "Australia hopes an election in which all parties agree to participate can be held as soon as practicable."
Australia's smartraveller.gov.au advisory has been updated to alert Australians that martial law is in place, but it does not urge reconsideration of travel. Throughout the crisis many Australians have ignored or been unaware of advice to stay away from protest rallies and sites and were often seen among protesters.
The number of tourists visiting the country has dropped sharply since protesters took to the streets last November in a campaign to topple the government.
Thailand's Justice Minister Chaikasem Nitisiri said military commanders had not consulted the government about imposing martial law but played down the move, saying the army was "only taking over security".
Some government supporters expressed concern that a "creeping coup" was under way to depose the government that took power after a landslide victory in 2011.
The army declared its peacekeeping command centre would replace a government unit in charge of handling the crisis that has dragged on for six months, leaving 29 people dead and hundreds injured.
Leader of the pro-government Red Shirt movement Jatuporn Prompan said his followers could accept the implementation of martial law but said they "won't tolerate a coup or other non-constitutional means" to grab power.
Anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, who is wanted on treason charges, had threatened a "final battle" in the coming days to topple the government and had co-opted union leaders to threaten strikes.
The army moved after a meeting between the government and Senate on Monday failed to break the impasse. Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan refused to step down to pave the way for an interim government as demanded by establishment-appointed senators and anti-government protesters, saying he has "full authority" to push ahead with new elections.
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, said the imposition of martial law may be seen by the anti-government movement as support for their efforts to dissolve the government.
"It is crucial for the army to be even-handed with the anti-government and pro-government groups or we will be looking at an intensification of the turmoil," he said. Thailand's military has staged 18 coups or attempted coups since the 1930s.
In broad terms, the conflict pits two groups of Thai elites against each other, one backed by Bangkok's middle class and royalist establishment and the other backed by rural masses who support the family of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who lives in exile to avoid a jail sentence for corruption.
Yingluck Shinawatra, Mr Thaksin's younger sister, was forced to resign as prime minister earlier this month by judges of the country's Constitutional Court. Her supporters claimed the ruling was orchestrated by powerful figures in Bangkok.
Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/thai-military-imposes-martial-law-20140520-zrj2w.html.
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