Yingluck Meets Military leaders Regardin Thailand Coup
The Ousted Thai leader Yingluck
Shinawatra has appeared at a military facility in Bangkok, a day after the army
took power in a coup.
Ms Yingluck is one of more than 100
political figures summoned by the army.
The army has banned 155 prominent
politicians and activists from leaving the country without permission.
On Thursday the military suspended
the constitution, banned gatherings and detained politicians, saying order was
needed after months of turmoil.
On Friday afternoon it appeared Ms
Yingluck had left the facility where she had been summoned and was going to
another military location, the BBC's Jonah Fisher reports from Bangkok.
It was not clear if she was still
being detained, our correspondent says.
The leaders of both her Pheu Thai
party and the opposition Democrats were released from military detention
overnight, he adds.
However, protest leaders are thought
to still be in detention and some pro-government MPs have now gone into hiding.
A vehicle believed to be carrying
ousted leader Yingluck Shinwatra arrived at an army installation on Friday
The coup, which followed months of
anti-government protests, has drawn widespread international criticism.
It came two days after the army
declared martial law.
It is not clear how long the army
intends to stay in power.
Military leader Gen Prayuth
Chan-Ocha is seen a strong royalist and may be concerned over the royal
succession after the ailing King Bhumibol.
Correspondents say it would not be a
surprise to see the generals holding on to power until the next monarch is on
the throne.
Analysis from the BBC's Jonathan
Head in Bangkok
After seven months the tents, stages
and all the paraphernalia of protest are coming down in Bangkok's old quarter.
With their goal of a military coup achieved, the weary anti-government movement
can declare victory and go home. Armed soldiers now patrol their rally sites,
next to the monument that commemorates the birth of Thai democracy 82 years
ago.
That democracy is now in ruins. When
the army mounted a coup eight years ago it did so almost apologetically and
promised a speedy return to democratic rule. This coup wears a grimmer face,
and there have been no such promises. Instead, land border crossings are being
scrutinised to prevent potential resistance leaders escaping. Those the
military fears most have been ordered to give themselves up or face arrest.
Dozens are being held incommunicado.
No one knows yet what General
Prayuth's real intentions are. He has good reason to worry about resistance.
The pro-government Red-Shirt movement is far better organised than eight years
ago, and could still be financed by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's
deep pockets.
The army has been overseeing the
clearing of pro-government protest camps, so far without serious clashes
How Thai media has been affected
according to BBC Monitoring
In the first 16 hours of junta rule,
military authorities have issued two orders and 19 announcements. Each is read
several times over radio and TV stations, which otherwise are blacked out, and
playing only traditional music used for junta takeovers. Periodically, army
spokesmen appear in short segments reading out official announcements.
No Thai television stations are
broadcasting any regular programming. International news channels including CNN
and the BBC are also blocked. Other communications, including print media, the
internet, landline and mobile phones, have not been affected so far.
Thais, meanwhile, spent the night
under a curfew which ran from 22:00 to 05:00. Bangkok was reported to be
largely peaceful.
'Work as normal'
Gen Prayuth - who has appointed
himself the new prime minister - said troops were taking power "in order
for the country to return to normal quickly".
"All Thais must remain calm and
government officials must work as normal," he said in a televised address.
The military has issued a bulletin
spelling out the key points of the takeover:
Key coup conditions
- Curfew nationwide from 22:00 to 05:00
- Gen Prayuth to head ruling National Peace and Order Maintaining Council
- Senate and courts to continue operating
- 2007 constitution suspended except for chapter on monarchy
- Political gatherings of more than five people banned, with penalties of up to a one-year jail term, 10,000 baht ($300; £180) fine, or both
- Social media platforms could be blocked if they carry material with provocative content
Thailand's coup explained - in 60
seconds
Thailand's armed forces, which have
staged at least 12 coups since the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932, acted
after months of political deadlock.
Thailand has faced a power struggle
since Ms Yingluck's brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, was ousted by the military as
PM in 2006.
Mr Thaksin and Ms Yingluck have
strong support in rural areas but are opposed by many in the middle class and
urban elite.
The latest unrest began last year,
when anti-government protesters embarked on a campaign to oust Ms Yingluck's
government.
A court ordered her removal for alleged
abuse of power this month
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