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Thaksin Shinawatra could face prosecution

Coup leader claims endorsement from the King

BANGKOK: The army commander who seized Thailand's government on Wednesday in a quick, bloodless coup pledged to hold elections by October 2007, and received a ringing endorsement from the country's revered King.

``In order to create peace in the country, the King appoints Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratkalin as head of the council of administrative reform,'' according to the announcement on state-run television.

``All people should remain peaceful and civil servants should listen to order from Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkglin from now on.''

Asked if there would be moves to confiscate Mr. Thaksin's vast assets, Gen. Sondhi said at a news conference that ``those who have committed wrongdoings have to be prosecuted according to the law.'' He did not elaborate. But an announcement later on state-run television said the newly formed Council of Administrative Reform had sacked the state audit commissioners and given additional powers to Auditor General Jaruvan Maintaka to investigative government corruption, which could lead to the confiscation of Mr. Thaksin's assets.

The Nation newspaper in Bangkok said several senior government officials and others close to Mr. Thaksin had been arrested, their fates unknown. It said they included Deputy Prime Minister Chitchai Wannasathit and Supreme Military Commander Gen. Ruengroj Maharsaranond.

Agriculture Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan, one of Mr. Thaksin's closest political associates, fled to Paris with her family, it said. The U.S. State Department said it was uneasy about the takeover and hoped ``the Thai people will resolve their political differences in accord with democratic principles and the rule of law.''

Gen. Sondhi (59), known to be close to the constitutional monarch, is a Muslim in a Buddhist-dominated nation. — AP

Neighbours watching

P.S. Suryanarayana reports from Singapore:

Thailand's neighbours have reacted to the coup there with varying degrees of concern. A cautionary note has also been sounded that the situation would need to be monitored closely before any political response could be considered.

Weighing on the minds of the East Asian leaders was Thailand's political status as a major member of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and geographical location as a neighbour of junta-ruled Myanmar.

Contacted over the telephone, ASEAN Secretary General Ong Keng Yong told The Hindu that the main issues were the "unpredictability" and the "uncertainties" associated with the "sudden change of government." Asked whether the coup was not embarrassing to ASEAN, which was already facing the challenge of persuading the Myanmar junta to move towards a democratic order, Mr. Ong said the focus was Thailand's stability rather than the democracy debate.

"Reassuring" to ASEAN was the pledge by the rulers in Thailand that its foreign policy would remain unchanged. The coup leaders said they would not withdraw the ASEAN candidate, a civilian leader of Thailand, from the contest for the post of United Nations Secretary General.

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