King said to endorse Thai coup
Print Edition
THAI coup leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha said yesterday he had been formally endorsed by the king as head of a military council that will run the country, and warned he would use force if political protests flare up again.
Prayuth seized poweron May 22, saying the army would restore order after seven months of sometimes deadly street demonstrations. The military has taken into custody scores of politicians, activists and others.
“Will we go back to where we were before? If you want to do that, I will need to use force and impose the law strictly,” Prayuth said in a statement he read on television. “You will have to forgive any tough measures as they are necessary.”
He did not say how long the army would stay in power, although he said he hoped to hold elections soon.
The royal endorsement is significant in Thailand, where the monarchy is the most important institution.
Prayuth said he would set up a council of advisers but gave no details on the form of a government that will run the country under his junta, the National Council for Peace and Order.
“The country needs a prime minister,” he said.
The military ousted the remnants of a government led by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra until she was removed by a court on May 7 for abuse of power.
Since taking power it has thrown out the constitution, dissolved the Senate and is censoring the media.
Yesterday, several hundred protesters gathered at Bangkok’s Victory Monument.
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