Fate of PM's men unknown ; wife in Singapore
Many politicians and those with links to caretaker prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra were spread far and wide on Tuesday night as the news of the coup broke in Bangkok.
First lady Pojaman reportedly flew to Singapore on Monday and it is not known whether Panthongtae, the family's only son, followed his mother on Tuesday night.
The whereabouts of the PM's daughters Paethongtae and Pinthongta were not known.
Thaksin is in New York at a hotel, where he has reportedly been watching the United Nations General Assembly and keeping abreast of developments here.
Many Cabinet members and other people deemed hostile by the "Council of Administrative Reform" have been detained.
Deputy prime minister Chidchai Vanasatidya and Supreme Commander Ruengroj Mahasaranont and proThaksin television host Dusit Siriwan are among them. Head of the Mass Communications Organisation of Thailand Mingkwan Saengsuwan was apprehended by anti-Thaksin troops at Channel 9 compound after it aired a statement of Thaksin, from New York, announcing a state of emergency and relieving Army commander Sonthi Boonyaratglin from his post.
Deputy Thai Rak Thai leader and caretaker Agriculture Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan reportedly flew to Paris with her family.
Defence Minister General Thamarak Isarangura na Ayutthaya reportedly escaped arrest narrowly and has fled upcountry.
PM's secretary general Prommin Lertsuridej reportedly made an unplanned landing in the Phillippines during a trip abroad while Bank of Thailand governor MR Pridiyathorn Devekula was in Singapore.
Deputy Thai Rak Thai Party leader Somsak Thepsuthin said he was shocked by last night's coup and never thought it could really happen. A number of TRT MPs may meet today at the party headquarters.
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/20...es_30014082.php
EU calls for 'democratic order' in Thailand, tourists warned
Paris - European governments, airlines and travel companies expressed concern Tuesday at the military coup in Thailand, with the European Union demanding an immediate return to "democratic order."
Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, said Thailand needed to "revert to democratic order without delay."
"It is highly regrettable that democratic institutions seem to have been taken over by military force," he said in a statement.
The EU appeal came after Thailand's army chief said he had seized control in a coup and ousted controversial Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is now in New York.
France urged some 6,000 French citizens resident in Bangkok to "stay indoors," according to the foreign ministry here.
"We are following the situation closely," the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that hotels in Bangkok had been contacted to pass on the information to French guests.
Herman van Gelderen, spokesman for Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot, said the minister was "very worried" but could not comment further for want of information.
The Netherlands main airline, KLM, said it had made no changes to its flights to Bangkok for the moment, as the situation in the Thai capital appeared to be calm.
Britons traveling to Bangkok or who are already there should monitor all available information and avoid large crowds and demonstrations, the British Foreign Office said.
France's national Travel Agents union said it had set up a crisis committee and was in contact with the foreign and tourism ministries in Paris.
Rene-Marc Chikli, chairman of the Association of French Tour Operators said some 5,000 French tourists were currently on package holidays in the southeast Asian country, famous for its hill treks, nightlife and beaches.
"The situation is calm," he stressed. "Tour operators have made contact with hotels to check that tourists are safe."
The Scandinavian airline SAS said it would maintain regular services to Bangkok. "On the basis of the information we have we can do this quite safely," Jens Langergaard of SAS-Denmark told AFP.
He noted that SAS had served Thailand in times of crisis before and had not encountered any problems.
A spokesman for Finnair told the Finnish news agency FNB that the company was "constantly monitoring the situation", adding: "For now everything is operating normally."
Thailand's armed forces said Tuesday they had ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a bloodless coup and imposed martial law to restore order after months of political turmoil.
Troops and tanks surrounded the offices of Thaksin, who was out of the country at the United Nations, while military leaders said they had suspended the constitution and the government.
Agence France Presse
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/20...es_30014083.php
