Thai army chief summons ousted PM, rival political figures for talks

10 years ago | Posted in: Latest Politics News | 998 Views

Thailand’s army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha has summoned ousted PM Yingluck Shinawatra and her cabinet along with dozens of prominent political figures to a meeting on Friday, one day after his military seized power in a bloodless coup.

Prayuth declared himself the acting Prime Minister on Thursday night, according to the Bangkok Post. His military took control of the country after various factions refused to negotiate in a power struggle between the royalist establishment and a populist government.

Politicians from both sides were briefly detained after the talks broke down and the coup was announced. Prayuth will head the military council that takes charge of Thailand.

Thailand’s army has suspended the constitution, TV and radio stations were ordered to broadcast only army material.

Meanwhile, rival protesters in Bangkok have been dispersed, and a nationwide curfew is in effect from 10 pm to 5 am (1500 to 2200 GMT).

Yingluck and 22 members of her cabinet have arrived to a meeting at an army facility at 10 am (0300 GMT) on Friday, on the military’s request, according to Reuters.

In addition to the notifications for the ousted government members, AFP reported that the military has also summoned “100 prominent figures from both sides of the political divide.”

Yingluck – forced to step down by a court on May 7 while her caretaker government held power – is the sister of Thaksin Shinawatra, a billionaire telecommunications magnate who won support of the nation’s poor by opposing the royalist establishment, mainly by denouncing its alleged corruption and nepotism. Thaksin himself was ousted as premier in a 2006 military coup… see more

source: RT

Tags: , ,

Share it.

Leave a Reply

Related Posts