'No coup plans' say Thai leaders
Thailand’s leaders dismissed rumours of a new coup, seeking to calm the situation following September’s military takeover and a string of New Year’s Eve bombings in Bangkok.
The coup rumours have been spreading throughout the capital, with some speculating that supporters of the former regime could try to retake power and others talking about a possible move by the military against the civilian government it installed less than four months ago.
Further fuelling fears, interim prime minister Surayud Chulanont yesterday briefed the legislature about the bombings – which killed three people and wounded more than 40 – and warned that the country should be prepared for more violence.
Army commander General Sondhi Boonyaratkalin, who led the takeover in September and now heads the military’s Council for National Security, called the reports of another coup “impossible” in an interview on Thai television.
Captain Yongyuth Maiyalarb, a spokesman for the interim government, said members of the military council told him they had received no reports that another coup was imminent, or of unusual troop movement that could signal a counter coup.
There has been a marked increase in the number of troops on the streets of Bangkok and at airports, and bus and train stations, since the Sunday night bombings.
It remains unknown who was behind the attacks, although the military has suggested that supporters of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra have been trying to destabilise the country in a bid to take back power. Thaksin has denied involvement.
There has also been speculation that the military may be dissatisfied with the performance of the interim civilian government it installed after the coup, and may prefer to take complete power for itself rather than work behind the scenes.
Sondhi denied the military council was responsible for the bombings.
“I have risked myself to do what the people wished. Why should I do that?” he said in a TV interview. “I love my people and my country.”
The interim government, which is supposed to relinquish power after an election expected later this year, has drawn criticism for failing to solve several major problems, including an Islamic insurgency in the south and the rising value of Thailand’s currency, which has hurt exports.
The failure to restore peace in the south and the Bangkok bombings raised fears that the insurgency may be spreading north from the country’s three southernmost, Muslim-dominated provinces. Nearly 2,000 people have died from violence in the past three years.
Surayud acknowledged yesterday that his government received intelligence in advance about two of the bombing targets, but said he didn’t know who the culprits were.
Speaking to the interim legislature, he said there was only “a very small chance” that the blasts were linked to the southern violence.
“It is related more to people with ill intentions, and those who want to cause violence who are in our area, which is Bangkok,” he said.
Surayud said authorities should be ready for future attacks, though he did not indicate any specific threat: “This isn’t happening only now, but we have to be prepared to face a new threat that could harm people’s lives in the future.”
