Thai army chief hosts meeting between political rivals

FE Team | Published: May 22, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

BANGKOK, May 21 (AFP):  Thailand's military hosted ground-breaking talks Wednesday between warring political rivals after the army chief imposed martial law to prevent the deeply divided kingdom degenerating into another "Ukraine or Egypt".
The opposing camps and other top officials met for more than two hours under heavy guard in Bangkok in what one hardline supporter of the elected government called a "good" atmosphere.
There was no breakthrough at the talks chaired by army leader General Prayut Chan-O-Cha, who invoked martial law Tuesday, and another meeting was called for Thursday at 2 pm (0700 GMT).
"Everybody agreed to consider other groups' suggestions to find a joint solution for our country," said army spokeswoman Sirichan Ngathong, adding that 40 people attended.
"It's the first time that they talked to each other in person," she added.
Prayut brought the two sides together as US-led pressure grew for civilian control to be restored amid concern that the move by the military, which has intervened repeatedly in politics down the decades, posed a grave threat to democracy in Southeast Asia's largest economy.
The meeting included top officials of the ruling and opposition parties and of the election commission and Senate, as well as the heads of the pro- and anti-government protest camps.
Caretaker Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan, who replaced Yingluck Shinawatra after a controversial court ruling ousted her this month, did not attend but was represented by five cabinet ministers, a government official told AFP.
Niwattumrong has called for fresh elections on August 3.
But the opposition wants vaguely defined reforms first to tackle graft and has vowed to stay on the streets until it has eradicated the influence of the "regime" it says is led from abroad by Yingluck's self-exiled elder brother Thaksin Shinawatra, also a former prime minister.
Prayut, 60, has said he invoked martial law to prevent political tensions spiralling out of control following months of deadly anti-government protests, and insists he intends to broker a solution, but critics have branded his actions a de facto coup.
Thailand has been wracked by nearly seven months of streets protests that have left 28 people dead and hundreds wounded.
In a new sign of its weakening hold on power, the caretaker cabinet has been barred by the army from accessing the emergency headquarters the cabinet had been using at a defence ministry office in the capital.
Bangkok was calm Wednesday, with unfazed Thais going about their business and the city's bustling street life carrying on amid a noticeably lighter military presence compared to the day before, when armed troops were deployed.
But martial law gives the military wide power to ban public gatherings, restrict people's movements, conduct searches, impose curfews and detain suspects for up to seven days.