Thailand's army declares martial law, troops take over TV stations, acting PM still in office

Updated

Thailand's army has declared martial law in an announcement on military TV, but insists it is not staging a coup.

The announcement said martial law had been invoked "to restore peace and order for people from all sides" and added that "the public do not need to panic but can still live their lives as normal".

The Thai government said it was not consulted in advance of the military declaration, and said acting prime minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan remained in power.

"Everything is normal except the military is responsible for all national security issues," the prime minister's chief security adviser Paradon Pattanatabut told the AFP news agency.

The caretaker government was due to meet today to discuss the army's declaration.

"The prime minister has called an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss the situation. The location will be in a safe house and cannot be disclosed," Suranand Vejjajiva, an aide to the prime minister, told reporters.

The ABC's South East Asia correspondent Samantha Hawley said the Thai military had moved to take control of key areas of the capital Bangkok.

Army spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvari said the martial law had no impact on the caretaker government, which is still in office.

"This martial law is just to restore peace and stability," he told Reuters.

"It has nothing to do with the government, the government is still functioning as normal."

A general who declined to be identified told Reuters that troops were patrolling in Bangkok and had secured television stations.

"We declared a state of emergency, it's not a coup. Because of the situation, it's not stable, they kill each other every day," he said.

He said media organisations had been occupied because "we need cooperation from them to announce to the people 'do not panic, this is not a coup'."

The Thai army suspended broadcasts from several television channels including those linked to the kingdom's bitterly opposed political sides.

The channels were suspended "in order that people will get the correct information and not distort information to deepen the conflict," according to a written order broadcast simultaneously on all television channels.

Army chief General Prayut Chan-O-Cha ordered the censorship of the media in the interests of "national security" in a signed statement delivered to every television station.

Death toll mounted during months of protests

Pro-government activists known as the Red Shirts held a rally in Bangkok, but they were quickly surrounded by soldiers.

A security adviser to the prime minister said the troops were trying to persuade the demonstrators to go home.

Months of anti-government protests in Thailand have left 28 people dead and hundreds wounded, and the country's political crisis intensified earlier this month when prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra was thrown out of office.

Hawley said in recent days the rhetoric from the anti-government protest leader has been increasing.

"He'd been saying that they have had enough, they're going to use force, I guess, to take control of the country," she told ABC News 24.

"So it could be related to the rhetoric coming from there.

"We've also seen the red shirts, the government supporters, rallying on the outskirts of Bangkok. So tensions certainly have been rising in recent weeks, particularly since the PM was removed from office."

Bangkok quiet as Thais wake up to news, says Australian cameraman

Bangkok-based Australian cameraman Matt Jasper told ABC News 24 there was no sense of alarm throughout the morning.

"It can turn on a dime. I mean, I would personally expect it to be probably quiet today, while both sides sort of reassess where they're at with the army," Jasper said.

"But the army wouldn't have done this unless there was a reason, I would have thought."

Despite reports the military had arrived at televisions stations, Jasper said broadcasts have not been interrupted.

"They're all operating pretty much as normal, although there are messages every now and again just suggesting it's to restore peace, it's not a coup, but everything seems to be running as normal," he said.

Former Australia-Asia diplomat Richard Broinowski is in Bangkok and said things seemed to be quiet.

"I think the army is being very cautious... I get the impression they're trying not to be heavy-handed. What they are trying to do is separate the Red Shirts and the Yellow Shirts [and keep them] from attacking each other," he said.

But he said he cannot see an "easy breakthrough in the political stalemate" in Thailand.

"The Red Shirts and the Yellow Shirts aren't going to give up their confrontation and the more this happens the more likely things are to spin out of control," he said.

"Sections of the army don't want there to be a coup. There are sections of the army that support the Red Shirts, others the Yellow Shirts.

"We have a situation that is very slowly beginning to spin out of control."

Thailand's long history of coups

Thailand's powerful military has launched or attempted 18 coups in 81 years of fragile democracy, but in recent years it had sought to ease fears that yet another coup was imminent.

But last weekend army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha warned his forces were ready to use force to deal with any future violence.

"I want to warn every group, especially those using violence and war weapons against innocent civilians, to stop now," he said.

"If this goes on the military may be needed to come out and restore peace and order."

Last week, Thailand's election commission called for national polls planned for July to be postponed because of the political unrest escalating in the kingdom.

The appeal came after three anti-government protesters were killed and 23 wounded in a gun and grenade attack on their protest site in Bangkok.

Former prime minister Ms Yingluck was ousted by a Thai court for abuse of power earlier this month after six months of protests against her government.

A caretaker government was installed but that did little to curb the protests.

Thailand has been riven by political divisions since 2006, when Ms Yingluck's older brother Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a military coup after frictions with the country's royalist establishment.

Thaksin-led or aligned parties have won every election since 2001, but four prime ministers have been removed by coups or court rulings.

On Tuesday morning Mr Thaksin said the army's declaration had been expected and he hoped that no-one would undermine democracy.

"The declaration of martial law was expected for those who have followed the political situation," he said in a message posted on his official Twitter account.

"I hope that no side will violate human rights and damage the democratic process more than it has already been."

Australian travellers urged to be cautious

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said its current travel advice for Australians in Thailand is to show a "high degree of caution".

The department urges them to avoid all protests, protest sites and political events, as it seeks further details about the situation in the capital.

"Thailand has Australia's goodwill and support as it tries to find ways to settle its political difficulties," DFAT said in a statement.

Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey said the Australian Government is concerned about what is happening there.

"We urge Australians to contact Australian diplomatic officials in Thailand and to be in contact with families, and to take good care and to heed the travel warnings provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs," he said.

ABC/Wires

Topics: world-politics, unrest-conflict-and-war, thailand, asia

First posted