Thai junta: Has helm indefinitely

King backs it, military claims

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

BANGKOK — Thailand’s military junta said Monday that it would stay in power “indefinitely” and that its rule had been endorsed by King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the monarch of nearly seven decades who has semidivine status in the country.

Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, who overthrew the elected government Thursday, said during a news conference that the military would create a “genuine democracy,” but he gave no time frame for doing so. “It will depend on the situation,” he said, before hastily leaving a podium.

Amid small but daily protests against the coup, Prayuth warned that the junta would become “more strict” if resistance continued.

An endorsement by the king, who is 86 years old and ailing, is crucial for the coup leaders. After Thailand’s previous coup, in 2006, the top general was photographed prostrating himself before the king.

The king is above criticism both by tradition and law; insulting him, the queen or the crown prince is punishable by up to 15 years in prison under a law that has been broadly interpreted by the authorities in recent years. The military said over the weekend that all lese-majeste, or offense against the sovereign, cases would now be heard in military courts.

The king has not been seen in public since Thursday’s coup, and no member of the royal family has spoken publicly about the military takeover. The Royal Gazette, which lists official government decisions, carried the announcement of Prayuth’s royal appointment.

“In order to maintain the peace and order of the nation and the reconciliation of the people, there shall be a royal command to officially endorse the appointment of General Prayuth Chan-ocha as the leader of the National Council for Peace and Order to administrate the country from here onward,” the announcement said.

The National Council for Peace and Order is the name the junta has chosen for itself.

Prayuth, who wore a formal white uniform for his appearance on Monday, was flanked by top officers of the armed forces who stood in front of emblems of the military and the official seal of Thailand’s monarchy.

Prayuth spoke in vague terms about “measures to make sure there are no further problems.”

But he also offered signs that the military was overwhelmed with the administration of the country. He urged all sides “not to make any more requests.”

The government installed by the military after the last coup in 2006 was widely criticized as a failure, and some commentators have expressed concern that the military will not be able to handle the management of a country of 67 million.

“People may wonder if we are competent or not,” Prayuth said Monday. “I would say, with determination, I can do everything.”

The junta on Monday released from detention the leaders of the protest movement that had sought to overthrow the former government through street protests. The coup has been seen as a victory for the protest leaders, who had blocked elections that they were almost certain to lose and who had repeatedly pleaded for the military’s intervention.

Among those released was Suthep Thaugsuban, the main protest leader, who was taken by soldiers to the attorney general’s office to hear formal charges of rebellion. It was unclear whether the attorney general would follow through with the charges.

A Section on 05/27/2014