Thailand's Prime Minister
Declares State of Emergency
A WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE NEWS ROUNDUP
September 19, 2006 11:58 a.m.
Thailand's caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has called a state of emergency as coup rumors swept Bangkok.
Earlier, an Army-owned television station suspended its regular programming. Cable News Network, citing eyewitnesses, reported that about 10 tanks were heading into central Bangkok near the government area. Several hundred soldiers were deployed at government installations and major intersections in the capital of Bangkok, according to an Associated Press reporter.
Mr. Thaksin went on a government-owned TV station to declare the state of emergency. "The prime minister with the approval of the cabinet declares unbeserious emergency law in Bangkok from now on,'' Mr. Thaksin said from New York, where he was attending the U.N. General Assembly.
Mr. Thaksin said he was ordering the transfer of the nation's army chief to work in the prime minister's office, effectively suspending him from his military duties. More details were expected shortly.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal Monday, Mr. Thaksin dismissed any possibility of a military takeover in his country, adding that a recent assassination attempt-- while possibly linked to members of the Thai military - - was "not a coup."
"I know there are those who really support me and those who are against me," he said. But he suggested that any opposition from the military was confined to rogue elements in its ranks or older generals that don't represent the wishes of the broader Thai armed forces.
He also dismissed the possibility that Thailand's revered king or his advisers are playing any meaningful role in the country's political drama.
"His Majesty is not really involved in politics. We should not bring him into politics," he said. Some analysts believe that Thailand's king has given his tacit endorsement to military coups in Thailand in past decades.
Early Tuesday, Mr. Thaksin said that he may step down as leader of the country after upcoming elections, but he will remain at the helm of his party, despite calls for him to give up the post.
Mr. Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party has twice won landslide election victories, in 2001 and 2005 and is expected to win the next vote, bolstered by their widespread support in the country's rural areas. But the prime minister has faced calls to step down amid allegations of corruption and abuse of power.
Massive rallies earlier this year forced Mr. Thaksin to dissolve parliament and call for a snap election in April. The poll was boycotted by opposition parties and later annulled by Thailand's top courts, leaving the country without a working legislature. New elections are scheduled for Oct. 15 but were likely to be postponed until at least November.
More bombings and arson attacks occurred Monday in violence-wracked southern Thailand, where a Muslim insurgency has killed more than 1,700 people since 2004.
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20-09-2006, 12:03 AM
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