The 2006 Thailand coup d'état took place on Tuesday 19 September 2006, when the Royal Thai Army staged a coup against the government of caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The coup, which was Thailand's first in fifteen years, followed a year-long political crisis involving Thaksin and political opponents and occurred less than a month before nation-wide House elections were originally scheduled to be held. The military cancelled the upcoming elections, suspended the Constitution, dissolved Parliament, banned protests and all political activities, suppressed and censored the media, declared martial law, and arrested Cabinet members.

The coup was bloodless, with no casualties reported. International reactions ranged from criticism by countries such as Australia to expressions of neutrality from countries such as China. The United States, which considers Thailand a major non-NATO ally, said it was "disappointed," and that the coup had "no justification."

The new rulers lead by general Sonthi Boonyaratglin and organised in a Council for Democratic Reform (CDR), issued a statement on 21 September setting out their reasons for taking power and giving a commitment to restore democratic government within one year. However, the CDR also announced that after elections and the establishment of a democratic government, the council would be transformed into a permanent Council of National Security whose future role in Thai politics was not explained. The junta later drafted an interim charter and appointed retired General Surayud Chulanont as Premier. Martial law was lifted in 41 of Thailand's 76 provinces on 26 January 2007 but remained in place in another 35 provinces

Copyright © 2003-2010 Sunsearch Thailand, บริษัท สวรรค์ ทราเวล จำกัด
TAT license: 14/00938 Fax: +66 (0) 32 531 039 Phone: +66 (0)85 094 3666