Sonthi affirms partial end of martial law

(dpa) - Thailand has officially lifted martial law in 41 of its 76 provinces, including Bangkok, junta leader General Sonthi Boonyaratkalin said on Friday.

After a spate of bombings in the capital on New Year's Eve, that killed three people and injured another 42, many speculated that martial law would be kept in place indefinitely.

The lifting of martial law was one of the "benchmarks" set by the European Union as a return to democracy in Thailand after the coup.

In an interview with CNN, Gen Sonthi revealed that the royal decree endorsing the partial lifting of martial law had recently come down His Majesty the King. The interview was recorded earlier and broadcast after 7 p.m. on Friday, Thailand time.

The military-apppointed cabinet last Nov 28 passed a bill calling for the partial lifting of marital law but the decree had to await the signature of the King before being put into effect.

Martial law was imposed after the Thai military staged a coup d'etat last Sept 19, to oust former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

CNN interviewed Gen Sonthi on Friday after irking the Thai junta, which calls itself the Council for National Security (CNS), by interviewing former premier Thaksin, who has been in exile since the coup, last week for its Talk Asia show.

Local broadcasts of the Thaksin interview on CNN were blocked, in keeping with the junta's instructions to Thai TV stations and radio to avoid publicising the former premier's interviews to avoid national disunity.

The CNS, after the coup, promised to draft a new constitution and hold a general election within a year. They appear to be keeping to their timeframe.

Thailand News : Breaking News
Bangkok Post
Friday January 26, 2007