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 While troops patrolled parts of Bangkok and army spokesmen took to
the airwaves, the caretaker government led by supporters of
self-exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra said it was still
running the country.
Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha said the military had stepped
in to restore order and build investor confidence, and warned that
troops would take action against anyone who used weapons and harmed
civilians.
"We ask all sides to come and talk to find a way out for the
country," Prayuth told reporters after meeting directors of
government agencies and other high-ranking officials.
Military officials said they were not interfering with the caretaker
government, but ministers were not informed of the army's plan
before an announcement on television at 3 a.m. (4 p.m. EDT on
Monday) and Prayuth said martial law would be maintained until peace
and order had been restored.
Twenty-eight people have been killed and 700 injured since the
anti-government protests began in November last year.
The crisis is the latest installment of a near-decade-long power
struggle between former telecoms tycoon Thaksin and the royalist
establishment that has brought the country to the brink of recession
and even raised fears of civil war.
NO MARCHES
Both pro- and anti-government protesters are camped out at different
places in the capital and, to prevent clashes, the army told them
they had to stay put and could not march.
The army also called on media not to broadcast material that would
affect national security and ordered 10 satellite TV channels,
including both pro- and anti-government stations, to stop
broadcasting.
The caretaker government, wary of the army given its past
interventions on the side of the establishment, said it welcomed the
move to restore order and that it remained in office.
"The army's actions must be under the framework of the
constitution," caretaker Prime Minister Niwatthamrong
Boonsongphaisan said in a statement.
Thailand has been stuck in political limbo since Prime Minister
Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin's younger sister, and nine of her
ministers were dismissed on May 7 after a court found them guilty of
abuse of power.
The military, which put down a pro-Thaksin protest movement in 2010,
has staged numerous coups since Thailand became a constitutional
monarchy in 1932. The last one was in 2006 to oust Thaksin, who has
lived abroad since 2008 but wields political influence and commands
huge support among the poor.
Anti-government protesters want a "neutral" prime minister appointed
to oversee electoral reforms aimed at ending Thaksin's influence.
The government views an early general election it would likely win
as the best way forward.
"PHANTOM COUP"
Thaksin said anyone following political developments could have
expected martial law.
"I hope that no side will violate human rights and damage the
democratic process more than it has already been," he said in a rare
message posted on his Twitter account (@ThaksinLive).
The army tried to mediate in the crisis late last year, bringing
together then premier Yingluck and anti-government protest leader
Suthep Thaugsuban. It has played down fears of a coup, stressing
that politicians must resolve the dispute.
But Human Rights Watch called Tuesday's army action a "de facto
coup" while a political analyst said it was a "phantom coup".
"There was no consultation with the government and I think the
military will slowly expand its powers and test the waters," said
Kan Yuenyong at the Siam Intelligence Unit think-tank.
"For this to be a success the army needs to act like a neutral force
and not be seen to side with the anti-government protesters. It
needs to offer an election date and start a political reform process
at the same time."
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Martial law gives the military broad powers over civilian
authorities, but a full coup would likely incur costs in terms of
greater damage to investor confidence and U.S. sanctions.
The United States, which cut aid to its military ally after the 2006
coup, said it was monitoring the situation closely.
"We expect the army to honor its commitment to make this a temporary
action to prevent violence, and to not undermine democratic
institutions," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a
statement. Prayuth had warned last week, after three people were
killed in an attack on anti-government protesters, that troops might
have to be used if violence continued.
"The army chief was moving towards imposition of martial law ever
since his announcement last week," said a senior army official, who
spoke on condition of anonymity. "He now feels that the police
cannot handle security and is alarmed by grenade attacks and other
incidents and the fact neither side looks like it will back down."
Troops initially stopped some traffic from entering Bangkok, took up
positions at some intersections and secured television stations but
life went on as normal in most of the city.
"NO COUP YET"
The baht fell against the dollar in early trade but steadied later
and dealers suspected that was due to intervention by the central
bank. At 5 a.m. EDT the baht was quoted at 32.53 per dollar after
earlier trading at a low of around 32.64.
The stock market was down 1.1 percent in late trade.
Six months of turmoil has dragged down Southeast Asia's
second-biggest economy, which shrank 2.1 percent in the first
quarter of the year.
 Andrew Colquhoun, Head of Asia-Pacific Sovereigns at ratings agency
Fitch, said martial law was not necessarily negative for Thailand's
government debt, and might help break the deadlock.
"The key factors for the ratings are whether Thailand can avert more
serious and bloody political disorder, and whether we see a return
to a fully functioning government that is able to make policy and
pass a budget for the next fiscal year starting in October," he
said.
Opposition supporters disrupted a February 2 election which was
later declared void by the Constitutional Court. The protesters
reject any vote before electoral reforms and the Election Commission
has said it does not think a poll tentatively scheduled for July 20
can go ahead.
The leader of Thaksin's pro-government "red shirt" loyalists, who
are rallying in Bangkok's western outskirts, appealed for calm but
warned of trouble if the government was ousted.
"Our stance is the same. (We) will not accept a neutral prime
minister. If soldiers appoint a prime minister then we will escalate
our rally," Jatuporn Prompan told a news conference. "Stay calm,
there has been no coup yet."
Anti-government protesters said they too had not changed their
demands for the caretaker government to go.
(Reporting by Bangkok Bureau; Writing by Robert Birsel; Editing by
Alan Raybould and Alex Richardson)
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