SINGAPORE, 20 September 2006 — For the first time since democracy and civilian rule was restored to Thailand in 1992, troops backed by tanks took control of the premier’s office in Bangkok yesterday. Witnesses outside Government House in central Bangkok said forces loyal to military commander Lt. Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin had taken control of the building in a bloodless coup.

Gen. Sonthi met late yesterday with the king after declaring that he had staged a coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Gen. Sonthi and the leaders of the navy and the air force met for more than two hours with the highly influential King Bhumibol Adulyadej at his palace immediately after announcing the coup, a palace official said.

After the meeting, Gen. Sonthi and the other military leaders went to the military headquarters without making any comment.

An announcement flashed on all public television channels said police and military forces loyal to King Bhumibol Adulyadej had taken control of Bangkok “to maintain law and order”. Listeners were told that the troops belonged to the “Council of Political Reform.”

An announcement on national television, signed by Gen. Sondhi, said martial law had been declared across Thailand and the Constitution revoked. He ordered all troops to report to their duty stations and not leave without permission from their commanders.

Earlier, Sondhi’s troops circled Thaksin’s offices with tanks, seizing control of television stations and declaring a provisional authority loyal to the king.

The announcement declared that a “Council of Administrative Reform” with the king as head of state had seized power in Bangkok and nearby provinces without any resistance.

“The armed forces commander and the national police commander have successfully taken over Bangkok and the surrounding area in order to maintain peace and order. There has been no struggle,” the announcement said. “We ask for the cooperation of the public and ask your pardon for the inconvenience.”

The coup was the first military intervention in the Thai political scene since 1992 when an attempt by Prime Minister Suchinda Kraprayoon, a military general, to retain power was countered by mass street demonstrations and Suchinda’s ouster.

After the incident, the military vowed to remain in the barracks in contrast to earlier decades when military coups were a staple of Thai politics.

An army general, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin had used the military to take over power from the prime minister. The general said troops were moved from the western province of Kanchanaburi to stage the coup.

Gen. Sondhi is known to be close to Thailand’s constitutional monarch.

Army spokesman Col. Akara Chitroj told reporters that Deputy Prime Minister Chitchai Wannasathit had been removed from his post.

“The government is no longer administering the country,” he said.

“I think Thaksin will not return to Thailand for the time being,” he said, without elaborating what would happen if Thaksin returned.

Akara didn’t elaborate on Chitchai’s fate, but the general said the coup makers arrested him along with Defense Minister Thammarak Isaragura na Ayuthaya — two close loyalists of Thaksin.

In a vain attempt to stave off the coup, Thaksin had ordered Sondhi to report to Chitchai immediately, effectively dismissing him from his military duties. Thaksin told of his move when he declared a state of emergency in Bangkok at 9:15 p.m., when he spoke on TV Channel 9 by audio from New York, where he was attending the UN General Assembly. At least 14 tanks surrounded Government House, Thaksin’s office.

The coup went largely unnoticed in Thailand’s popular tourist districts. But word raced among street vendors hawking T-shirts who packed up their carts quickly and started heading home. Hundreds of people gathered at Government House taking photos and video of themselves with the tanks, among them Sasiprapha Chantawong, a student at Thammasat University.

“I don’t agree with the coup, but now that they’ve done it, I support it because Thaksin has refused to resign from his position,” Sasiprapha said. “Allowing Thaksin to carry on will ruin the country more than this. The reputation of the country may be somewhat damaged, but it’s better than letting Thaksin stay in power.”

The move came a day before a major rally — the first in several months — was to be staged in Bangkok by a anti-Thaksin coalition that has been seeking his resignation for alleged corruption and abuse of power.

Mass street protests demanding Thaksin’s ouster began late last year, resulting in a political crisis that has dragged on for months. In recent days, Thaksin had hinted that he might leave the political scene.

Recently, Thaksin alienated a segment of the military by claiming senior officers had tried to assassinate him in a failed bombing attempt. He also attempted to remove officers loyal to Sondhi from key positions.

— Additional input from AP.