Thailand's army is now running the country. Two days after declaring martial law – and saying it wasn't staging a coup – Thailand's army chief now says the military changed its mind.
Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha announced the coup d'etat on national television, saying the military is taking over to give Thailand a chance to "return to normal." The country has been locked in conflict since at least November; its prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, was removed from office by a court earlier this month.
"In order for the situation to return to normal quickly and for society to love and be at peace again ... and to reform the structure of the political, economic and social structure, the military needs to take control of power," Prayuth said, according to Reuters.
Some of Thailand's broadcast TV stations have now ceased transmissions, reporter Michael Sullivan says in a report for our Newscast unit, adding that others are running loops of the general's statement.
Citing Prayuth, The Bangkok Post reports that the country is now being run by "a national peace-keeping council."
The newspaper adds that the move came after representatives of the seven groups that had been trying to work out a plan to rule the country failed to reach an agreement.
One order that has gone out to the general public is that they should observe a curfew, from 10 o'clock each night to 5 the next morning.
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