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Thailand’s military junta has reportedly chosen a former army commander as the country’s interim prime minister. 63-year-old Surayud Chulanont, a highly regarded retired general, is the man who has been appointed, according to the state broadcaster. But military sources say no announcement will be made until the new constitution has been adopted which is expected to be this weekend. The military ousted elected prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra ten days ago in a bloodless coup while he was attending the UN General Assembly in New York. He is now in London and has not indicated whether or not he may try to return to Thailand. Meanwhile, the United States has imposed sanctions on Thailand and called for a swift end to martial law.

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If you’re traveling to Thailand any sooner, you don’t have to worry. Read the news below and find out why.

• Thai capital, tourists unfazed by coup. Some don’t even know what’s happening despite the buzz on TV, newspaper and the Internet. Afterall, if you’re going vacation somewhere, you don’t turn on the TV or surf the Internet, right?
• Thais cheery over military coup.
• Q&A: Thailand’s coup impact.
• Why Nicolas Cage didn’t get Superman role? – because he’s a super coward.

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

Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin also hinted that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra may face prosecution.

Sondhi said he would act as prime minister for two weeks until a new leader is chosen by the Council of Administrative Reform, that an interim constitution would be drafted within that time, and that Thailand’s foreign policy and international agreements would remain unchanged.

The United States expressed disapproval of the coup, calling for a swift restoration of democracy.

“We’re disappointed in the coup,” White House press secretary Tony Snow told reporters on Air Force One as Bush returned to Washington from New York after meetings with world leaders and an address to the U.N. General Assembly.

“We hope those who mounted it make good and make good swiftly on their (promise) to restore democracy,” Snow said.

Australia called the coup a “great disappointment,” while Japan urged the quick restoration of democracy. The European Union condemned the military takeover, while Washington expressed concern about it. The United States, Britain and other nations also warned their citizens in Thailand to exercise caution.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej appointed Sondhi as head of the council “in order to create peace in the country,” according to an announcement on state-run television.

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(Via Yahoo! News)

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BANGKOK, Thailand – In the dead of night and without firing a shot, Thailand’s military overthrew popularly elected Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Tuesday amid mounting criticism that he had undermined democracy.

The sudden, well-orchestrated coup — the first in 15 years and a throwback to an unsettled era in Thailand — was likely to spark both enthusiasm and criticism at home and abroad. The military said it would soon return power to a democratic government but did not say when.

Striking when Thaksin was in New York at the U.N. General Assembly, army commander Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin sent tanks and troops into the drizzly, nighttime streets of Bangkok. The military ringed Thaksin’s offices, seized control of television stations and declared a provisional authority loyal to the king.

In his first public appearance since seizing power, Sondhi Wednesday asked for the public’s support and declared the coup was necessary to end serious conflicts within Thai society that Thaksin had created.

Delivering a brief television address in front of giant portraits of Thailand’s king and queen, Sondhi said the coup leaders had no intention of retaining power. He was flanked by chiefs of the three armed services and the head of the national police.

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(Via Yahoo! News)

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