Army's Martial law in Thailand surprise to gov't

Wisdom Quarterly; CNN

BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) - The Thai army declared martial law throughout the country Tuesday in a surprise move that an aide to the embattled Prime Minister said the government didn't know about beforehand.

 

"They took this action unilaterally. The government is having a special meeting regarding this. We have to watch and see if the army chief honors his declaration of impartiality," the aide said, describing the situation as "half a coup d'etat."

 

Lt. Gen. Nipat Thonglek told CNN the move was not a coup.

 

"The Army aims to maintain peace, order and public safety for all groups and all parties," a ticker running on the army's television channel said. "People are urged not to panic, and can carry on their business as usual. Declaring martial law is not a coup d'etat."

 

Martial law went into effect at 3:00 am on Tuesday, the ticker said. More + VIDEO

STOP Bangkok (Los Angeles protest)

Ashley Wells, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; KPFK.org

Thai anti-government protesters gather in Bangkok (Wason Wanichakorn/AP)

   

Bangkok (Sakchai Lalit/AP/news.yahoo.com)

Thailand is demanding the ouster of its corrupt first female prime minister (Yingluck Shinawatra, 45), sister of corrupt billionaire and former P.M. Thaksin Shinawatra (who is in self-imposed exile, trying to make a comeback without having to face political corruption charges in majority Buddhist Thailand). As part of the campaign pitting radical Red Shirts and reactionary Yellow Shirts in the Thai capital, Los Angelenos are joining the fray just outside UCLA at the Westwood Federal Building at 2:00 today, Jan. 13, 2014, in solidarity with Thai protesters.

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Bangkok braces for protest shutdown

Keeping a Free-Land free (thai)

(AP) Thailand braced for a new wave of mass unrest Monday as anti-government demonstrators blocked major roads to "shut down" Bangkok in a bid to thwart February elections and overthrow the nation's democratically elected prime minister. The intensified protests, which could last weeks or more, raise the stakes in a long-running crisis... More