By Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand's army declared martial law nationwide on Tuesday to restore order after six months of street protests that have left the country without a proper functioning government, but insisted the surprise intervention was not a military coup. While troops patrolled parts of Bangkok and army spokesmen took to the airwaves, the caretaker government led by supporters of self-exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra said it was still running the country. Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha said the military had stepped in to restore order and build investor confidence, and warned that troops would take action against anyone who used weapons and harmed civilians. "We ask all sides to come and talk to find a way out for the country," Prayuth told reporters after meeting directors of government agencies and other high-ranking officials.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/thai-army-chief-urges-rivals-talk-declaring-martial-140207358–sector.html

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 20th, 2014 at 9:02 am and is filed under World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.