Military stages coup in Thailand
The Thai military said it had seized power in Bangkok last night in a coup against Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister.
A military spokesman said General Sondhi Boonyaratkalin, the army commander-in-chief who is said to be close to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the country's revered monarch, would serve as acting prime minister. The stock market and banks were to be closed today.
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The spokesman said the 1997 constitution would be revoked and the interim government would oversee a process of constitutional reform before holding fresh elections.
The dramatic developments marked the culmination of a year of political turmoil reflecting deep divisions in Thai society over the leadership of Mr Thaksin, a billionaire telecommunications tycoon who is revered by the rural poor but widely disliked by urban residents.
With Mr Thaksin in New York for the UN General Assembly, tanks surrounded Government House, took control of television stations and announced martial law - the latest in a series of military interventions in Thai political life but the first in 15 years.
Initially, a military spokesman said a "Council of Administrative Reform", led by the commander-in-chief of the army and commander of the police, had taken control of Bangkok and surrounding provinces to "keep order in the country".
He said they had met no resistance, and the coup appeared to be bloodless.
From New York - where he was supposed to be attending a UN summit - Mr Thaksin, who won a landslide re-election victory in 2005 declared a state of emergency in Bangkok after rumours of an imminent coup swept the city. He ordered troops "not to move illegally". The UN said Mr Thaksin had cancelled a planned speech.
泰国发生政变 军方称已接管政权
泰国陆军总司令领导的军队宣布，在针对陷入困境的泰国总理他信?西那瓦(Thaksin Shinawatra)发动的政变中，军方昨夜已夺取了国家政权。
这是泰国15年来首次发生政变。在政变中，坦克和军队包围了他信办公室所在的大楼。政变军队还夺取了电视台的控制权，占据了曼谷全城所有的重要地点。此前一整天，即将发生军事政变的流言已经传遍了曼谷。
晚上11点左右，一位不明身份的人士在简短的电视声明中宣布，由陆军总司令和警察总司令领导的“国家管理改革委员会”，已在没有遭到抵抗的情况下控制了曼谷及周边省份，以“维持国家秩序”。
此前，正在纽约出席联合国大会的泰国看守政府总理他信宣布泰国进入紧急状态，并命令泰国军队“不要非法移动”。
在政变军队发表电视声明后，一名泰国政府发言人在纽约坚称，此次政变“不可能成功”。
泰国发生政变后，美欧均表示关切，并呼吁有关各方和平解决分歧，“尽快恢复民主秩序”。
