Thailand's military coup leaders will choose a new prime minister within two weeks and step back from power, army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin said today.
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| A tank stands outside Government House in Bangkok September 19, 2006. |
Speaking less than 24 hours after leading a bloodless coup to oust billionaire Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Sonthi also said it would take a year to produce a new constitution leading to a fresh general election.
The military leadership was poring over civilian candidates who loved "democracy and constitutional monarchy" to replace Mr Thaksin, who flew to London on Wednesday from New York where he had been attending the UN General Assembly.
"We have two weeks. After two weeks, we step out," said Gen Sonthi, whose military "Political Reform Council" was legitimised by a royal proclamation.
"The general public is requested to remain calm and all civil servants and state officials to follow instructions issued by General Sonthi Boonyaratglin," the proclamation declared.
The military, which says it acted because there was no other way out of a protracted political crisis, had taken over because "consistent conciliatory efforts have been pursued to no effect in restoring calm", it said.
Gen Sonthi told a news conference the new cabinet would form a special committee to draw up a new constitution and submit it to a referendum, after which new elections could be held.
"It will take a year to draft a new constitution," he said.
Political reform is considered essential by Mr Thaksin's foes to allow what they say are supposed to be independent state agencies such as the election commission to be purged of his allies.
Not a shot was fired in the coup and the streets of Bangkok were quiet with very little military presence except around Government House and nearby army headquarters.
"The situation in Thailand is very calm. There is no threat to tourists," a Thomas Cook spokesman said in Germany of a country which draws about 12 million visitors a year.
Concerns about a conflict or even a counter-coup by Mr Thaksin's supporters appeared to evaporate and Sonthi invited the ousted leader to return, promising his assets would not be touched.
" Mr Thaksin is a Thai and a fellow countryman and there will be no problem should he decide to return. We are like brothers," said Sonthi, mostly Buddhist Thailand's first Muslim army chief.
National Police Chief Kowit Wattana said Mr Thaksin would not face any new probes, but he would have to answer cases already filed. These include charges of election fraud and allegations that he insulted revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Mr Thaksin has said nothing in public since he tried to thwart the coup with a televised statement from New York yesterday.
Leaders around the world expressed shock and disappointment at the sudden overthrow of Mr Thaksin, whose huge popularity in the countryside gave him two landslide election wins.
The United States, the European Union, Australia and New Zealand condemned as undemocratic Thailand's first coup in 15 years but its 18th since it became a constitutional monarchy in 1932.