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Thai government 'summoned'

May 23, 2014

The new military junta in Thailand has summoned the country's deposed leaders to a meeting a day after seizing power in a bloodless coup. Several countries have condemned the takeover.

https://p.dw.com/p/1C4wI
Armed Thai soldiers walk inside an encampment of pro-government "red shirt" supporters in Nakhon Pathom province on the outskirts of Bangkok May 22, 2014. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom
Image: REUTERS

Leaders of Thailand's military coup on Friday summoned members of the country's ousted government to a meeting, one day after army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha seized control in what he says is a bid to restore order following months of unrest.

The military said it was summoning the high-profile figures to an army compound in Bangkok "to keep peace and order and solve the country's problems." Those called to the meeting include the ousted acting prime minister and several members of the influential Shinawatra family.

Some 155 prominent figures, including former government leaders, were banned from leaving the country without permission, the military added.

General Prayuth seized power on Thursday in what is the country's second coup in eight years, suspending the constitution and the Cabinet, banning gatherings of more than five people and imposing an overnight curfew. The coup came after the military had imposed martial law on Tuesday.

The military says it acted to halt months of deadly political turmoil that have seen anti-government protesters calling for the removal of the Shinawatra family, which they see as having a corrupting influence on Thai politics.

Former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who was sacked by the Constitutional Court earlier this month for nepotism, was among those summoned on Friday. She has obeyed the call and reported to the coup leaders in Bangkok.

The capital was calm on Friday, with no reports of overnight violence.

International condemnation

Washington, Europe, UN chief Ban Ki-moon, Japan and Australia have all condemned the coup, with the US saying there was "no justification" for the takeover."

Thailand has been wracked by a nearly decade-long political crisis following a military coup in 2006 that deposed Yingluck's billionaire elder brother Thaksin Shinawatra, who was accused of corruption and abuse of power. Since then, a power bloc centered on Thaksin's family has vied for supremacy with a Bangkok-based royalist camp closely associated with the military.

The latest crisis has left 28 people dead and more than 800 wounded since November.

tj/dr (AP, AFP, Reuters)