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Thailand coup: Military junta continues crackdown by ordering another 35 political figures to report to military council Thailand coup: Clashes as military junta tightens its grip
(about 9 hours later)
Thailand’s military has continued its post-coup political crackdown by ordering 35 more political figures to report to them by Saturday afternoon. Protesters in Thailand confronted troops face to face and demanded they “go back” as anger over the army’s seizing of power and the declaration of a coup sparked heated protests in different parts of the country today.
Amongst those to have been summoned by Thai military are politicians, political activists and, for the first time, a number of outspoken academics. In Bangkok, hundreds of anti-coup demonstrators rallied and a small number of them clashed with heavily armed troops, who dragged a number of the protesters away. There were also demonstrations in the northern city of Chiang Mai.
Thai military spokesman Colonel Werachon Sukhondhadhpatipak said that those that were on the military’s new list had until 13:00 local time (06:00 GMT) to report to the army or risk “decisive action” from the law enforcement. Meanwhile, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, head of the armed forces, announced that he was scrapping the Senate, the upper house of Thailand’s parliament, and assuming all law-making responsibility. He also transferred the national police chief, the head of a special investigation unit and a senior bureaucrat in the defence ministry to so-called “inactive posts”.
The move by the Thai military, which began their coup on Thursday after talks between Thailand’s the government and anti-government groups broke down, comes one day after more than 100 politicians, including the recently deposed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, were asked to report to the military council. At the same time, the junta ordered that 35 activists, academics and journalists report to the military, taking the number of people the army wishes to detain to more than 180. Among those being held are former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra and members of her family.
Shinawatra was detained with a number of cabinet members and spent Friday night in the custody of the military in an unknown location. The steady tightening of the junta’s grip has been widely condemned internationally. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, is the latest to add her voice to the groundswell of criticism, urging Thailand to “ensure respect for human rights and a prompt restoration of the rule of law in the country”.
According to the military junta, Shinawatra, along with the other detainees, will be kept in custody for a week to give the ruling military “time to think.” Most of those who have been detained were linked to the government of Yingluck Shinawatra or a political movement associated with it, or were dissidents and activists. A senior journalist, Pravit Rojanaphruk, of The Nation newspaper, was also ordered to give himself up.
Speaking on Saturday, military spokesman Col. Weerachon Sukondhapatipak said that all of the detained were being well-treated and the aim of the military was to encourage a political compromise. A spokesman for the military, Colonel Weerachon Sukondhapatipak, claimed the various politicians and leaders who have been held were being well treated and said that the military’s aim was to achieve a political compromise. He said that those who did not appear when summoned would become a matter for “law enforcement”.
He said: "This is a bid for everybody who is involved in the conflict to calm down and have time to think," adding: "We don't intend to limit their freedom but it is to relieve the pressure." The sign on the right reads ‘No coup’ “This is in a bid for everybody who is involved in the conflict to calm down and have time to think,” he said, according to the Associated Press. “We don’t intend to limit their freedom, but it is to relieve the pressure.”
On Thursday, the tough-talking army chief Prayut Chan-ocha ordered the military to intervene after talks between the two politically opposed groups reached a standstill. Meanwhile, the junta said Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej had sent a letter confirming that he in turn had received two letters informing him of developments. There was no mention as to whether the 86-year-old monarch, who has widespread support, had said anything else. In the past, the king has been used to legitimise previous coups.
Six of Thailand’s most senior military officers were appointed to run the country’s interim government, while provincial commanders would supervise local government. Curiously, the junta found time to alter its name, informing reporters that it should no longer be referred to as the National Peace and Order Maintaining Council, but rather the National Peace and Order Council. Colonel Sukondhapatipak said it had taken this step to correct its previously incorrect grammar and to help its international image.
The actions by the military followed months of political disquiet, which were intensified when Shinawatra was ordered to step down as PM this month after being found guilty of abusing her political power. The move is unlikely to do that. With the junta’s grip becoming firmer, the international community has repeated its criticism of the army’s move and updated travel advice for its citizens. The United States has urged Americans to reconsider all non-essential travel to Thailand, while the United Kingdom advised visitors to “exercise extreme caution”.
The decision by the military to detain many of the country’s leading political figures comes after anti-coup protesters took to the streets of Bangkok for a second day to voice their concern at the military’s decision to step in. A man is lead away after police cordon off a road Despite the threat to them, protesters have continued to demonstrate against the coup. On Saturday afternoon, scores of them marched past the city’s Saphan Kwai overhead train station, carrying banners and chanting. “We want to get our rights back – for voting,” said one of the protesters, Kanokorn Kongmoul, who was riding on the back of a motorbike. “We want to get to Democracy Monument. We will break through the troops.”
  As it was they were pushed back by the police and soldiers, and forced to take an alternative route to the monument, the site of another demonstration later that evening. There, up to 500 protesters gathered, chanting as they circled the monument, which was built to mark the coup in 1932 that led to Thailand being a constitutional monarchy, rather than an absolute monarchy.
Despite the military junta imposing curfews in the capital, hundreds of people walked on the capital’s centre to hurl abuse at soldiers and hold up signs that read “we will never lick the dictatorship’s boots.” Among those holding up signs and placards, several of them showing images of Kim Jong-un, was a 79-year-old woman called Sunee. She said that she was 20 when she first experienced a coup and had seen many since then. She said she did not want Thailand to become like North Korea. “We want Prayuth Chan-ocha to get out. We want the coup government to get out,” she said. “Prayuth has betrayed the country and he should get out.”
According to reports from those at the protests, no physical clashes had occurred but several protesters had been taken away by the army. As Thailand’s coup gained strength, so campaigners sought to highlight the role of those countries who have supported the nation’s military over the years. On Saturday, it was announced that the US was suspending £2.1m in military aid to Thailand from its overall aid package of £6.2m. Campaigners in Britain said that over the last six years, the UK government had licensed sales of more than £40m worth of military equipment. 
The decision to step in by the army has received criticism from the international community. Police seal off a road  
On Friday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said there was “no justification” for the coup and that the US State Department would be stopping $14 million (£8.3 million) worth of aid to the country until “civilian rule was restored” and “democracy was returned.” “It is shocking that despite continuing unrest in Thailand, the UK government lists Thailand as a priority market for arms exports,” said Henry McLaughlin, of the Campaign Against the Arms Trade. “The government must stop promoting arms to countries such as Thailand which have ongoing internal conflict. UK-supplied weapons only reinforce a military response to the country’s problems.”
The current coup is the thirteenth seen by Thailand since it became a constitutional monarchy in 1932. Thailand has suffered from turmoil since a coup in 2006 which ousted then premier Thaksin Shinawatra, a telecommunications tycoon and the brother of Yingluck Shinawatra. Since then several governments associated with Thaksin Shinawatra have been elected, only to be ousted by constitutional courts. Bangkok has for the past six months been rocked by anti-government protests that had sought the removal of Yingluck Shinawatra. The protesters had rejected elections until a series of unspecified reforms were carried out. They wanted to reduce the franchise and have an appointed premier.
In 2006 Yingluck Shinawatra’s brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, was ousted by the military as PM in the last coup. Meanwhile, supporters of the government, along with members of the Red Shirt movement which have largely supported Mr Shinawatra, said the anti-government protesters threatened to destroy Thailand’s status as a democratic country. Many believe an associated factor is a behind the scenes scrambling for position ahead of the royal succession that will take place when Thailand’s 86-year-old king dies.
The current unrest started last year, when anti-government protesters began a campaign to oust Yingluck Shinawatra. What happens next remains unclear. It does seem apparent that General Chan-ocha is seeking to purge all people associated with MrShinawatra. The situation is tense, confusing and could quickly get uglier. What is obvious is that General Chan-ocha has all the power. On Friday, he met senior officials and told them that reforms must come before any elections. Six senior military officers have been appointed to run the country.
An election was held in February, but after mass disruption it was annulled by the country’s judiciary. According to reports, the army chief told the meeting: “We must have economic, social and political reforms before elections. If the situation is peaceful, we are ready to return power to the people.”