Thailand Under Military Control

The Southeast Asian nation of Thailand is now under military control after a coup last Thursday. The military officials announced on national television the removal of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, whose position has now been filled by General Prayuth Chan-ocha.

Prayuth has closed schools nationwide between Friday and Sunday, and a curfew is in place between 10 p.m. and 5 p.m. Prayuth and other military officials have also taken control of all satellite and cable television providers within Thailand, and have ordered them to carry only the signal of the army’s television channel.

The recent coup was a somewhat expected military action after months of unrest and protest, particularly among Thailand’s urban middle class population. This transfer of power is no huge surprise to the Thai people, who have witnessed 12 government overthrows by the national military since the country’s founding in 1932.

American officials have been unsuccessfully attempting to contact Thai military officials, hoping to persuade them “to immediately restore democracy and civilian rule,” U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told CNN.