20 May 2014

Editorial: Thai Military Declares Martial Law, Denies Coup


By Zachary Keck

The Thai military has declared martial law, deployed in the streets of Bangkok and seized media outlets.

The Thai military declared martial law at 3 a.m. on Tuesday, even as it denied it was orchestrating a coup.
According to numerous press reports, the Thai military declared martial law on Tuesday in what it said was an attempt to restore law and order after six months of protests in the severely divided Southeast Asian nation.
“We are concerned this violence could harm the country’s security in general. Then, in order to restore law and order to the country, we have declared martial law,” Army Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha said, Reuters reported. “I’m asking all those activist groups to stop all activities and cooperate with us in seeking a way out of this crisis.”
The army has been deployed throughout the capital city of Bangkok and it has reportedly seized some media outlets and forbidden the rest from reporting on anything that would jeopardize national security. The caretaker government is reportedly still in charge of running the country. 

Read the full story at The Diplomat