Two days after declaring martial law and saying there was no coup, Army Chief Prayuth Chan-Ocha announced on national television alongside senior military officials that he was seizing control in order to restore peace. He announced a daily nationwide curfew from 10:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. and banned political protests.
“To restore peace back to the country in a short time and to reform the country’s politics, economy and society, the Thai military, army, navy, air force and police have seized power from May 22 onward,” Prayuth said. “All people should remain calm and live their lives as normal. All government officials continue to work in line with their regulations and what they have done before.”
The coup could provide short-term certainty to markets after months of street protests and upheaval that led to the removal on May 7 of then-caretaker premier Yingluck Shinawatra by the Constitutional Court. The military’s intervention may not resolve the deep polarization that has taken hold in Thailand over the past decade between the largely rural-based base of Yingluck’s brother Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a 2006 coup, and his royalist opponents.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-22/thai-military-chief-announces-coup-after-imposing-martial-law.html
