Thai coup leader says he'll be acting PM

[maddezmom]

BANGKOK, Thailand - The army chief who ousted Thailand's prime minister in a bloodless coup said Wednesday that a new, temporary constitution will enacted within two weeks and a general election will be held in October 2007.

Army chief Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin told a news conference that he would act as prime minister for two weeks until a new leader "who is neutral and upholds democracy" is found. The new government would not hold on to power for more than a year, he said.

In the country's first coup in 15 years, Sondhi led a rapid, well-orchestrated overthrow while Thaksin Shinawatra was in New York at the U.N. General Assembly. Not a shot was fired during the nighttime operation, which started late Tuesday.

"I am the one who decided to stage the coup. No one supported me," Sondhi said, referring to Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The new regime put the country under martial law and declared a provisional authority loyal to the Thai king, ordering government offices, banks, schools and the stock market closed for the day, and seizing television and radio stations

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060920/ap_on_re_as/thailand

[saigon68]

1. One way to "Democracy"

[xchrom]

2. no sense in going to all that trouble to have a coup

and not having ANY power.

throwing a coup is hard work after all.

[papau]

3. When rich abuse their ownership of telecom-Thai Army steps in? US media &

telecom are not much more than a GOP voice for the rich and corporate, caving to government demands for spying without court order on citizens - hmmmm...

Thaksin family's 49 per cent stake in Thailand's biggest telecoms company was sold last January to Temasek, Singapore's state investment group - a sale that is said to have broke a law that heavily restricts foreign ownership of property and many service industries, but a sale that was done with the approval of the Government of former PM Thaksin.

Thais resents the foreign ownership and control - perhaps we should resent the abuse by the local rich of their control that is killing the Bill of Rights without a word from the US media.