The Thai army banned political party meetings and "political activities" today after ousting Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a coup two days ago.
"To ensure the constitutional monarchy is functioning after reforms have been completed, the Council for Democratic Reform Under Constitutional Monarchy has ordered political parties to halt all meetings and political activities," it said. The army gave no timeframe for the ban.
In the same order, read out on television, the coup leaders banned the formation of new parties. No more details were given.
Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva
Thailand is technically under martial law since Tuesday night's putsch, and an earlier order banned political gatherings of more than five people as well as the free distribution of information critical of the coup on websites.
"It was anticipated," Korn Chatikavanij, a senior member of the opposition Democrat Party. "It's not really possible to organise activities with fewer than five people." He added: "We respect the council's need for stability and we will abide by it."
The military said it was forced to stage Tuesday's coup because there was no other way out of a protracted political crisis that pitted Mr Shinawatra against the old guard and street campaigners.
The coup leaders said they would craft a constitution within a year to repair flaws, which Mr Shinawatra was accused of exploiting to wield near-dictatorial powers, and then hold an election.
Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Democrat leader, called for elections in six months and urged the generals to lift restrictions on individual rights.
"We are encouraged that they don't want to hold onto power and that their job is to put the country back on the democratic path," he said. "But they have to prove it and prove it as soon as possible."
Thailand was largely back at work after the military declared Wednesday a holiday. Bangkok traffic was back to the familiar near-gridlock, while coup leaders worked on fulfilling a promise of a civilian prime minister in two weeks.
The stock market ended the day down 1.42 per cent after falling as much as 4.2 per cent in the first minutes, a far less steep drop than had been feared.
Traders said a royal proclamation legitimising the military government went a long way to reassuring investors after Thailand's first coup in 15 years but its 18th since it became a constitutional monarchy in 1932.
Mr Shinawatra appeared to accept his fate after arriving in London from New York, where he was at the UN General Assembly.
He was welcome to return to Thailand, coup leaders said, although the police chief made clear he would have to face charges already filed, including charges of election fraud.