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| Thai coup leader to install new PM in two weeks | | |
Thailand's military coup leaders will choose a new prime minister within two weeks and step back from power, army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin said on Wednesday.
Speaking less than 24 hours after he led a bloodless coup to oust billionaire Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Sonthi also said it would take a year to produce a new constitution leading to a fresh general election.
The military leadership was poring over civilian candidates who loved "democracy and constitutional monarchy" to replace Thaksin, who flew to London on Wednesday from New York where he had been attending the U.N. General Assembly.
"We have two weeks. After two weeks, we step out," Sonthi told a news conference, speaking as head of an interim "Political Reform Council" run by the military.
The new cabinet would form a special committee to draw up a new constitution over a year and submit it to a referendum, after which new elections could be held, he said.
"It will take a year to draft a new constitution," he said.
Political reform is considered essential by Thaksin's foes to allow what they say are supposed to be independent state agencies such as the election commission to be purged of his allies.
Not a shot was fired in the coup and the streets of Bangkok were quiet on Wednesday with very little military presence except around Government House and nearby army headquarters.
Concerns about a conflict or even a counter-coup by Thaksin's supporters were dampened by news that Thaksin's main deputy, Chidchai Vanasatidya, had been "invited to stay" at Army Headquarters.
Thaksin was welcome to return to his homeland and his assets would not be seized, Sonthi said.
"Thaksin is a Thai and a fellow countryman and there will be no problem should he decide to return. We are like brothers," Sonthi said.
National Police Chief Kowit Wattana said Thaksin would not face any new probes, but he would have to answer to cases already filed with police. These include charges of election fraud and allegations that he insulted the King.
Thaksin, who has said nothing in public since he tried to thwart the coup with a televised statement from New York on Tuesday night, was to arrive later on Wednesday in London where one of his daughters is studying.
Leaders around the world expressed shock and disappointment at the sudden overthrow of Thaksin, whose huge popularity in the countryside gave him two landslide election wins.
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