Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy
Encyclopedia
The Council for National Security or, in brief, CNS , formerly known as the Council for Democratic Reform or, in brief, CDR , also translated as the Council for Democratic Reform under the Constitutional Monarchy, was the name of the military regime that governed Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

 following the 2006 pronunciamiento
Pronunciamiento
A pronunciamiento is a form of military rebellion or coup d'état peculiar to Spain and the Spanish American republics, particularly in the 19th century...

 ousting Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Thailand
The Prime Minister of Thailand is the head of government of Thailand. The Prime Minister is also the chairman of the Cabinet of Thailand. The post has existed since the Revolution of 1932, when the country became a constitutional monarchy....

 Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician, who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup....

.

It was led by Army Commander General Sonthi Boonyaratglin
Sonthi Boonyaratglin
General Sonthi Boonyaratglin is former Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army and former head of the Council for National Security, the military junta that ruled the kingdom. He is the first Muslim in charge of the mostly Buddhist army...

, who claimed powers equivalent to Prime Minister, before appointing Surayud Chulanont
Surayud Chulanont
General Surayud Chulanont is a Thai political figure. He was the Prime Minister of Thailand and head of Thailand's Interim Government between 2006 and 2008...

 as Prime Minister of Thailand
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

. Under the CNS-drafted interim constitution
2006 Interim Constitution of Thailand
The 2006 Interim Charter of Thailand was drafted by the Council for Democratic Reform after it seized power from the government of Thaksin Shinawatra in the 2006 Thailand coup...

, the Council continues to maintain considerable power, particularly over the drafting of a permanent constitution.

Name

The military junta that overthrew the government of Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician, who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup....

 originally called itself the Council for Democratic Reform under the Constitutional Monarchy. This was originally translated in several ways in news reports, including
  • Administrative Reform Council (ARC)
  • Democratic Reform Council
  • Political Reform Council
  • Committee of Political Reformation Under Democracy
  • Military Council for Political Reform
  • Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy
  • Administrative Reform Group under the Democratic System with the King as Head of State.


On Thursday 21 of September, the junta spokesperson asked the local press to report its name in full (with "...under the Constitutional Monarchy"), and noted that "The name is important in relaying a right message and its shortened version might be misleading". Both before and after this, most news reports used a shorter name.

The junta later changed its English name to simply "Council for Democratic Reform" in order to remove misunderstanding and false interpretation about the role of the monarchy.

Article 34 of the 2006 Interim Constitution
2006 Interim Constitution of Thailand
The 2006 Interim Charter of Thailand was drafted by the Council for Democratic Reform after it seized power from the government of Thaksin Shinawatra in the 2006 Thailand coup...

 changed the name of the junta to the Council for National Security.

Membership and key positions

Sonthi received the appointment and blessing of king Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej is the current King of Thailand. He is known as Rama IX...

, who is quoted as saying, "So as to maintain peace and order in the nation, His Majesty the King has graciously granted a Royal Command appointing General Sonthi Boonyaratglin as Leader of the Council for Democratic Reform. The people is requested to remain calm while all public servants are to follow Orders issued by General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, henceforth onwards." The junta consists of the leaders of all branches of the Thai military and police:
  • Army Commander General Sonthi Boonyaratglin
    Sonthi Boonyaratglin
    General Sonthi Boonyaratglin is former Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army and former head of the Council for National Security, the military junta that ruled the kingdom. He is the first Muslim in charge of the mostly Buddhist army...

    , named Chief of the Council for Democratic Reform
    Chief of the Administrative Reform Council
    The President of the Council for National Security in Thailand is the head of the Council for National Security. Formerly The Chief of the Administrative Reform Council. This is the name of the current military regime governing the Kingdom of Thailand following the 2006 coup d'état ousting Prime...

  • Navy Commander Admiral Sathiraphan Keyanon
    Sathiraphan Keyanon
    Admiral Sathiraphan Keyanon is a Thai naval officer, Commander of the Royal Thai Navy, and a deputy in the military junta that overthrew the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a 2006 military coup...

    , named first deputy chief of CDR
  • Air Force Commander Air Chief Marshal
    Air Chief Marshal
    Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...

     Chalit Pookpasuk
    Chalit Pookpasuk
    Air Chief Marshal Chalit Pookpasuk was Thai air force officer, Commander of the Royal Thai Air Force, and acting chairman of Council for National Security, the junta that overthrew the government of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in the 2006 coup d'état.-Biography:Chalit graduated from...

    , named second deputy chief of CDR
  • Police Commissioner-General Pol Lt Gen Kowit Wattana
    Kowit Wattana
    Kowit Wattana is a Thai Police General and politician. From 2004 to 2007 he was the Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police. In 2008, he was Minister of the Interior, and since 2011 he has been Deputy Prime Minister under Yingluck Shinawatra...

    , named third deputy chief of CDR. Kowit was ousted from both his Police Commissioner-General and his junta leadership position in 5 February 2007, due to his investigation of junta involvement in the 2007 Bangkok bombings.
  • National Security Council Secretary-General Gen Winai Phatthiyakul, named Secretary-General of the CDR
  • Supreme Commander General Ruangroj Mahasaranon
    Ruangroj Mahasaranon
    General Ruangroj Mahasaranon is the Supreme Commander General of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. Following the 2006 Thailand coup d'état, ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra attempted to put Ruangroj in power until Thaksin returned. However, Ruangroj was later named the Chief Advisor to the...

    , named Chief Adviser to the CDR


A week after the coup, Sonthi's former classmate Gen Boonsrang Naimpradit was promoted from Deputy Supreme Commander to the post of Supreme Commander, replacing Ruangroj Mahasaranon
Ruangroj Mahasaranon
General Ruangroj Mahasaranon is the Supreme Commander General of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. Following the 2006 Thailand coup d'état, ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra attempted to put Ruangroj in power until Thaksin returned. However, Ruangroj was later named the Chief Advisor to the...

. Junta Secretary General, Winai Phattiyakul, was promoted to the post of Permanent Secretary for Defence.

Gen Sonthi also promoted his fellow classmates and lieutenants in the coup, 1st Army Region Commander Lt-Gen Anupong Paochinda
Anupong Paochinda
General Anupong Paochinda is a former Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Army. He held the position from 2007 until his retirement on 30 September 2010....

 and 3rd Army Region Commander Lt-Gen Saprang Kalayanamitr
Saprang Kalayanamitr
General Saprang Kalayanamitr is a retired officer of the Royal Thai Army, Assistant Secretary-General of the Council for National Security, Commander of the junta's 14,000-man anti-protest force, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Airports of Thailand , and also Chairman of the Boards of TOT...

, to the post of Assistant Army Commander.

On 22 September, the Council gave Police General Kowit Wattana
Kowit Wattana
Kowit Wattana is a Thai Police General and politician. From 2004 to 2007 he was the Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police. In 2008, he was Minister of the Interior, and since 2011 he has been Deputy Prime Minister under Yingluck Shinawatra...

 absolute power over all police matters. He was also made Chair of a new National Police Commission, the membership of which had not yet been announced. The Commission will be assigned to amend the 2004 National Police Bill over the next year; the Bill had been originally been approved by the elected Parliament. Under the pre-coup legal framework, the Premier had been responsible for Chairing the Commission.

A later restructuring reflected power shifts among the junta, particularly an increase in the power of the army and a decrease in the power of the police and navy. Police chief Kowit Watana, who, after the coup, had reshuffle senior police personnel to weaken the power base of Thaksin Shinawatra, was demoted from junta Deputy Chief to merely a member. Navy Commander Admiral Sathiraphan Keyanond, who had been second in command of the junta, was also demoted to being merely a member.

Political motivations and objectives

In a statement on 21 September, the Council stated its reasons for taking power, and gave a commitment to restore democratic government within one year. The statement described the coup as a “brief intervention in order to restore peace, unity, and justice in the country.”

The reasons given for the coup were:


The statement continued: “The Council’s intervention has no other aim than to strengthen democracy through democratic reforms, including the holding of generally-accepted free and fair elections. Leaving the country under protracted political uncertainty, on the other hand, would eventually erode people’s trust and confidence in the very foundations of democracy.”

Decisions and future

The junta pledged to appoint a civilian government, step aside, reinstate human rights, hold elections within a year, and not change key Thaksin-government policies like universal healthcare and microcredit village funds. The junta later appointed retired General Surayud Chulanont
Surayud Chulanont
General Surayud Chulanont is a Thai political figure. He was the Prime Minister of Thailand and head of Thailand's Interim Government between 2006 and 2008...

 as Premier, changed its name to the Council for National Security and institutionalized its power in the Interim Constitution
2006 Interim Constitution of Thailand
The 2006 Interim Charter of Thailand was drafted by the Council for Democratic Reform after it seized power from the government of Thaksin Shinawatra in the 2006 Thailand coup...

, lifted their ban on political gatherings (but only for "constructive debates"), and moved the date of elections to 17 months. The CNS spent the months after the coup finishing off the destruction of deposed Premier Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician, who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup....

.

Timeline for establishment of civilian government

The Council’s statement included a timetable for the restoration of civilian government and elections. “A provisional constitution will be in place within two weeks, and eventually a civilian government will be formed,” it said. “The mechanisms for democratic reform will soon be reinstated. A legislative body, responsible for legislation and the drafting of the new constitution, will be established. This process, which will lead to general elections, should be completed within one year. See Thailand 2006 interim civilian government

Following the general election the junta would be dissolved and replaced by a Council of National Security "It's necessary to keep the council so that there is no loophole for the executive branch", General Sonthi Boonyaratglin told AFP

Removal from the civil service

The junta initiated the removal from the civil service of people appointed by the Thaksin government as well as Thaksin's former Class 10 classmates at the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School
Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School, Thailand
The Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School or AFAPS is a Thai military academy, providing an education equivalent to the last three years of senior high school . It is under the command of the Education Department of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters...

. Military officers to be transferred to inactive posts included assistant army chief Gen Pornchai Kranlert, First Army Corps commander Lt-Gen Jirasit Kesakomol, First Army Division chief Maj-Gen Prin Suwandhat, Commander of the First Army Area Lt General Anupong Paochinda, Maj General Prin Suwanathat, Lt General Jirasit Kesakomol, Maj General Ruangsak Thongdee, Maj General Sanit Phrommas, and Maj General Manas Paorik. General Lertrat Rattavanich, seen as close to the Thaksin government, was promoted to a ceremonial post of Defence Inspector General.

Labor Ministry Permanent Secretary Somchai Wongsawat, brother-in-law of Thaksin Shinawatra, was arrested and is being detained on the second floor of the Army Headquarters building.

Also transferred were 18 senior police officers which the junta claimed could pose a threat to national security if they were to remain in their current posts. These included Special Branch Police chief Pol Lt-Gen Thaworn Chanyim, Immigration Police chief Pol Lt-Gen Suwat Thamrongsrisakul, Region 4 chief Pol Lt-Gen Sathaporn Duangkaew, Central Investigation Bureau chief Pol Lt-Gen Montri Chamroon, Crime Suppression Division chief Pol Maj-Gen Winai Thongsong, 191 Police chief Pol Maj-Gen Sumeth Ruangsawat, Metropolitan Police Division 5 chief Pol Maj-Gen Kosin Hinthao, Metropolitan Police Division 7 chief Pol Maj-Gen Boonsong Panichattra, and Special Branch Police Division 3 chief Pol Maj-Gen Atthakrit Thareechat. Pol Maj-Gen Atthakrit Thareechat is currently providing security for Thaksin in London.

Surasit Sangkhapong, director of the Government Lottery Office and an aide of Thaksin resigned to allow Auditor-General Jaruvan Maintaka
Jaruvan Maintaka
Khun Ying Jaruvan Maintaka is the current Auditor-General of the Kingdom of Thailand. She refused to resign her position after the Constitutional Court of Thailand ruled that her nomination was illegal. She is well known for her public criticism of deposed Premier Thaksin Shinawatra...

 to conduct an investigation into an allegation of irregularity.

Governors of provinces seen as Thai Rak Thai
Thai Rak Thai
The Thai Rak Thai Party was a Thai political party that was officially banned on May 30, 2007, by the Constitutional Court of Thailand due to violations of electoral laws during the 2006 legislative elections. From 2001 to 2006, it was the ruling party under Prime Minister and its founder Thaksin...

 political strongholds transferred to smaller provinces or appointed to the inactive posts in the Interior Ministry. This included the governors of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Khon Kaen, Buri Ram, Phatthalung, Satun, Surin, Kamphaeng Phet, Sukhothai, and Samut Prakan. Interior Minister Aree Wongarya denied that the moves were politically motivated. However, the reshuffle was widely seen as an attempt to demote those with links to the deposed government. Interior Ministry permanent secretary Phongphayome Wasaphooti also noted that the transfers were done in order to "reduce the influences attached to their Thai Rak Thai
Thai Rak Thai
The Thai Rak Thai Party was a Thai political party that was officially banned on May 30, 2007, by the Constitutional Court of Thailand due to violations of electoral laws during the 2006 legislative elections. From 2001 to 2006, it was the ruling party under Prime Minister and its founder Thaksin...

-initiated CEO governorships. The transfers are aimed at enabling the [Surayud] government to function more easily."

Many senior government officials were transferred by the junta "for the sake of achieving reconciliation", meaning that they were alleged to have had links to the deposed regime. 10 senior officials at the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department were transferred.

Appointment of advisors

The junta ordered 58 prominent civilians to serve as its advisers. However, most of the appointees denied any knowledge of the appointments, with some saying they couldn't serve. "I have said that the coup is wrong, how can I serve as its advisory board?" asked Chaiwat Satha-anand of the Faculty of Political Science of Chulalongkorn University
Chulalongkorn University
Chulalongkorn University is the oldest university in Thailand and is the country's highest ranked university. It now has nineteen faculties and institutes. Regarded as the best and most selective university in Thailand, it consistently attracts top students from around the country...

. Pratheep Ungsongtham Hata, who was appointed to the reconciliation panel, also boycotted the CDR's advisory board, noting that as a democracy advocate, she could not work with the CDR, which took by unconstitutional means. Pibhob Dhongchai, a leader of the defunct anti-Thaksin People's Alliance for Democracy
People's Alliance for Democracy
The People's Alliance for Democracy also called the National Liberation Alliance - กลุ่มพันธมิตรกู้ชาติ, Thai Patriots Network or the Yellow Shirts - เสื้อเหลือง - was originally a coalition of protesters against Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Prime Minister of Thailand. Its leaders include...

, said he could not participate in the reconciliation panel because he was a member of the National Economic and Social Advisory Council, and already had a channel to advise the government.

Pasuk Pongpaichit, an anti-Thaksin economist who had also been appointed, denied that she could not serve as an advisor, using as her excuse an impending extended trip to Japan. When asked by the press why the junta had not informed the appointees of their appointments, the CDR spokesman Lt-Gen Palangoon Klaharn said: "It is not necessary. Some matters are urgent. It is an honour to help the country. I believe that those who have been named will not reject the appointment because we haven't damaged their reputation."

Advisors were appointed in 4 key areas:
  • Economics. Headed by Bank of Thailand
    Bank of Thailand
    - History :The Bank of Thailand was first set up as the Thai National Banking Bureau. The Bank of Thailand Act was promulgated on 28 April 1942 vesting upon the Bank of Thailand the responsibility for all central banking functions...

     Governor Pridiyathorn Devakula
    Pridiyathorn Devakula
    Mom Rajawongse Pridiyathorn Devakula served as Minister of Finance in Thailand's interim civilian government. Before being named to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, Pridiyathorn had served as Governor of the Bank of Thailand since 2001...

    , this group had 19 members, including Ammar Siamwalla
    Ammar Siamwalla
    Ammar Siamwalla is one of Thailand's most prominent economists. His ancestors were Indians who immigrated and founded a local stationary business, .- Education :...

     and Chalongphob Susangkarn (Thailand Development Research Institute
    Thailand Development Research Institute
    The Thailand Development Research Institute is a non-profit non-government Thai policy think tank focused social and economic development issues...

    ), Kosit Pampiemras (Bangkok Bank
    Bangkok Bank
    Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited , is a Thai commercial bank, with approximately US$64.6 billion in total assets. Its branch network includes over 1000 branches within Thailand, with 25 international branches or representative offices in 13 economies, spanning ASEAN and major economic countries,...

    ), Khunying Jada Wattanasiritham (Siam Commercial Bank
    Siam Commercial Bank
    Siam Commercial Bank is a bank from Thailand, based in Bangkok.- History :Established by Royal Charter in 1907, Siam Commercial Bank PCL was Thailand's first bank. At the time of its establishment, the only banks in the country were branch offices of foreign banks...

    ), Piyasvasti Amranand
    Piyasvasti Amranand
    Piyasvasti Amranand was Thailand's Energy Minister between 9 October 2006 and 6 February 2008. He is former Secretary-General of the Thai National Energy Policy Office, Chairman of Kasikorn Asset Management and Chairman of Panel of Advisors for CEO of Kasikornbank...

     (Kasikorn Asset Management), Pasuk Phongpaichit
    Pasuk Phongpaichit
    Pasuk Phongpaichit is a Thai economist. A professor at Chulalongkorn University, she is the author of several books on corruption in Thailand.Dr Pasuk graduated from Monash University in Australia, and received her PhD at Cambridge University in England...

     (Chulalongkorn University
    Chulalongkorn University
    Chulalongkorn University is the oldest university in Thailand and is the country's highest ranked university. It now has nineteen faculties and institutes. Regarded as the best and most selective university in Thailand, it consistently attracts top students from around the country...

    ), Ajva Taulananda (Charoen Pokphand
    Charoen Pokphand
    The Charoen Pokphand Group is a transnational conglomerate that consists of three core businesses that operate in the agribusiness and food, retail and distribution, and the telecommunications industries with investment in 15 countries. Founded in 1921, the CP Group currently employs over 280,000...

    ), Veerathai Santipraphop, and Sivaporn Darandaranda.

  • Ethics, good governance, corruption prevention. Headed by the National Institute of Development Administration's
    National Institute of Development Administration
    National Institute of Development Administration is Thailand's most prestigious graduate university under the Commission on Higher Education, the Ministry of Education...

     Churee Vichitvadakan, this group had 13 members, including Dejudom Krairit, Sungsidh Piriyarangsan and Suraphol Nitikraiphoj.

  • Reconciliation and justice. Headed by Community Organizations Development Institute Chairpman Phaibool Wattanasiritham, this group had 26 members, including Gothom Arya, Chaiwat Sathaanand, Theeraphat Serirangsan, Phiphop Thongchai, Pratheep Ungsongtham Hata, Srisak Valiphodom, Urichai Wangkaew and Sophon Supaphong.

  • Foreign affairs. Headed by former Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Ministry Vitaya Vejjajiva and made up of former diplomants including Tej Bunnag, Krit Karnchana-kunchorn, Nit Pibulsongkram and Phisarn Manawaphat.

Investigation of the deposed government

The junta assigned several agencies to investigate the deposed government.
  • An Assets Examination Committee, established to investigate corruption allegations involving projects approved by the deposed government, including the CTX bomb-scanner controversy. Jaruvan Maintaka
    Jaruvan Maintaka
    Khun Ying Jaruvan Maintaka is the current Auditor-General of the Kingdom of Thailand. She refused to resign her position after the Constitutional Court of Thailand ruled that her nomination was illegal. She is well known for her public criticism of deposed Premier Thaksin Shinawatra...

    , Auditor-General, threatened to resign from the Committee if it did not investigate all cases of alleged irregularity, including the personal wealth of former Cabinet ministers as well as "policy corruption", where policies were approved to allegedly benefit personal interests. Specifically, she wanted the Committee to investigate the sale of Shin Corporation to Temasek Holdings
    Thaksin Shinawatra $1.88 billion deal controversy
    The 2006 sale of the Shinawatra family's share of Shin Corporation to Temasek Holdings caused great controversy in Thailand. The sale was in response to long-standing criticisms that the Shinawatra family's holdings created a conflict of interest for Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra...

    . The AEC later received an hour-long weekly spot to produce a reality show describing its work.
  • The National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC), which was ordered to rush its investigation into corruption allegations involving politicians. The Commission members were appointed by the CDR and consisted of several vocal critics of Thaksin Shinawatra
    Thaksin Shinawatra
    Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician, who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup....

    .
  • The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which would continue to investigate the sale of Shin Corporation
    Shin Corporation
    Shin Corporation is one of the largest conglomerates in Thailand.- History :It was founded in 1983 as Shinawatra Computer by Thaksin Shinawatra, former Prime Minister of Thailand, and took on its current name in 1999, by using the first four letters of his last name...

    .


After less than a week, the Assets Examination Committee was dissolved and several of its members were incorporated into a new 12-member committee with greater powers to freeze the assets of members of the Thaksin government accused of corruption. The new committee had a much wider scope that the original Committee, and was able to respond to the demands of Jaruvan Maintaka. The committee was empowered to investigate any projects or acts by members of the Thaksin government and others who were suspected of irregularities, including tax evasion. The chairman of the old committee, Sawat Chotephanich, was demoted in the new committee; he later resigned, reportedly in protest. The remaining members of the new committee included several figures who had been publicly critical of the Thaksin government, including Kaewsan Atibhoti
Kaewsan Atibhoti
Kaewsan Atibhoti is a Thai politician, former Senator for Bangkok, and unsuccessful nominee for Election Commissioner. Prior to his political career, he was a law lecturer at Thammasat University. Kaewsan was a vocal critic of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and spoke at several...

, Jaruvan Maintaka
Jaruvan Maintaka
Khun Ying Jaruvan Maintaka is the current Auditor-General of the Kingdom of Thailand. She refused to resign her position after the Constitutional Court of Thailand ruled that her nomination was illegal. She is well known for her public criticism of deposed Premier Thaksin Shinawatra...

, Nam Yimyaem
Nam Yimyaem
Nam Yimyaem is a retired judge of the Supreme Court of Thailand, former deputy Supreme Court President, and currently chairperson of a committee investigating the assets of deposed Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.-April 2006 election:...

, and Sak Korsaengreung. Nam Yimyaem was later appointed chair of the committee.

A separate decree (No. 31) gave the NCCC the authority to freeze the assets of politicians who failed to report their financial status by a deadline or intentionally reported false information. Another decree (No. 27) increased the penalty for political party executives whose parties had been ordered dissolved, from simply banning them from forming or becoming executives of a new party, to stripping them of their electoral rights for five years.

Interim charter

The junta released a draft interim charter on 27 September 2006, to much criticism. Structurally, the draft interim charter is similar to the 1991 Constitution, the 1976 Constitution, and the 1959 Charter, in that it sets up an extremely powerful executive branch which would appoint the entire legislature. The CDR, which would be transformed into a Council for National Security (CNS), would appoint the head of the executive branch, the entire legislature, and the drafters of a permanent constitution. Criticism focused on the fact that:
  • The junta would appoint the Prime Minister and would sit in Cabinet meetings
  • The junta would appoint the entire legislature
  • The junta would appoint a 2,000 person National Assembly, which would appoint 200 candidates for a Constitution Assembly, which would appoint 100 members of a Constitution Assembly, which would select 25 members. The junta would directly appoint another 10 people to join the 25 in to writing a permanent constitution.

Military restructuring

Sonthi Boonyaratglin announced that the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC) and the Civilian-Police-Military Task Force (CPM) 43 would be revived. Sonthi said the Army-led multi-agency Southern Border Provinces Peace Building Command would be dissolved and its troops would come under the CPM 43, which would operate in parallel with the SBPAC. The SBPAC and CPM 43 had been dissolved in mid-2001 by former Premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Prior to that, CPM 43 was under the directive of the SBPAC. Sonthi also made himself head of the Internal Security Operations Command
Internal Security Operations Command
The Internal Security Operations Command is a unit of the Thai military devoted to national security issues. It was responsible for suppression of leftist groups during the 1970s and 1980s during which it was implicated in numerous atrocities against activists and civilians. The modern ISOC was...

 (ISOC). Previously, the ISOC had been headed by the Prime Minister.

The junta also extended for another three months the Thaksin government's emergency decree to combat the south Thailand insurgency
South Thailand insurgency
An ethnic separatist insurgency is taking place in Southern Thailand, predominantly in the Malay Pattani region, made up of the three southernmost provinces of Thailand. Violence has increasingly spilling over into other provinces...

. The emergency decree empowers state authorities to search and arrest suspected insurgents without warrants.

Sonthi and other senior junta leaders flew to Chiang Mai on a Air Force C-130 on 3 November 2006 to visit a prominent fortune-teller and perform a religious ceremony to ward off bad luck over their staging of the Sept 19 coup.

State enterprise board appointments

Junta leaders appointed themselves to the Boards of Directors of several state enterprises.
  • Chalit Phukphasuk was appointed to the boards of Airports of Thailand (AoT) and the Thai Airways International
    Thai Airways International
    Thai Airways International Public Company Limited is the national flag carrier and largest airline of Thailand. Formed in 1988, the airline's headquarters are located in Chatuchak District, Bangkok, and operates out of Suvarnabhumi Airport. Thai is a founding member of the Star Alliance. Thai is a...

  • Saprang Kalyanamitr was appointed to the AoT and TOT boards.
  • Sathiraphan Keyanont was appointmented to the Chair of the Port Authority of Thailand board

Human rights restrictions

The junta censored the media and the internet, enforced martial law, and established a 14,000-strong military unit to control public protests. An interview with the late Nuamthong Phaiwan
Nuamthong Phaiwan
Nuamthong Phaiwan was a Bangkok, Thailand taxi-driver who drove his taxi into a tank in protest after the military coup of 2006. He was later found hanging from a pedestrian footbridge. Officials found a suicide note and later ruled his death a suicide...

 broadcast by television channel iTV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

 came to an abrupt end after the Director of Army-owned Channel 5 called the station to warn them against the broadcast. Additional troops were dispatched to keep order at the station.

The junta's fifth announcement authorized the Ministry of Information and Technology to block websites critical of the coup and web boards discussing the coup. Anonymous proxy servers through which Thai internet users could access a blocked webpage were also blocked, as were websites from BBC 1, BBC 2, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...

, Yahoo News, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...

, The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...

, Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...

, Amazon.co.uk, and Yale University Press
Yale University Press
Yale University Press is a book publisher founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day. It became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but remains financially and operationally autonomous....

 containing articles about King Bhumibhol Adulyadej.

The junta maintained martial law after the coup, even though junta vice-chairman Chalit Phukbhasuk claimed that there were no intelligence reports of unusual activities by supporters of deposed Premier Thaksin.

The junta was accused of intimidating Thai Rak Thai
Thai Rak Thai
The Thai Rak Thai Party was a Thai political party that was officially banned on May 30, 2007, by the Constitutional Court of Thailand due to violations of electoral laws during the 2006 legislative elections. From 2001 to 2006, it was the ruling party under Prime Minister and its founder Thaksin...

 politicians and pressuring them to cease political activities. They also threatened that the party would be dissolved. The junta claimed that they were simply seeking cooperation from politicians.

In late December 2006, Surayud's Cabinet approved 556 million baht for the formation of a 14,000-strong special operations force with a mandate to control anti-junta protests. The fund allocation came from a request by the CNS. The rapid deployment force began operations on 1 December 2006. Surayud refused to explain why his Cabinet approved funding of the force after it had already started, which was contrary to PM's Office directives. Government spokesman Yongyuth Mayalarp promised that the force would be dissolved in 30 September 2007, along with the CNS. The funds would be diverted from the Defense Ministry and Police Office, but if those two agencies lacked funding, they would be diverted from the government's reserve fund for emergency situations. Yongyuth revealed that no Cabinet members questioned the use of the fund. General Saprang Kallayanamit, assistant Secretary-General of the CNS, was appointed Commander of the force.

In January, CNS secretary-general General Winai Phattiyakul, explicitly ordered media executives to prevent their employees from mentioning Thaksin and the Thai Rak Thai
Thai Rak Thai
The Thai Rak Thai Party was a Thai political party that was officially banned on May 30, 2007, by the Constitutional Court of Thailand due to violations of electoral laws during the 2006 legislative elections. From 2001 to 2006, it was the ruling party under Prime Minister and its founder Thaksin...

 party. "If they don't listen, you can kick them out of your station or, if you can't use your judgment, I will use mine to help you run your station", he said to 100 media executives.

Drafting of a new constitution

The junta appointed a Constitution Drafting Committee and sponsored a leading anti-Thaksin critic, Prasong Soonsiri, to lead the Committee.

Anti-protest units

In 27 December 2006, it was revealed that the Cabinet had approved over half a billion baht worth of funding for a 14,000-man secret anti-protest special operations force, of which General Saprang was Commander. The so-called CNS Special Operations Center, funded with 556 million baht diverted from the Defense Ministry, Police Office, and government emergency reserve fund, had been secretly established by the CNS on 1 December 2006 in order to crack down on anti-junta protestors.

In May 2007, it was revealed that the First Army Commander Prayuth Chan-ocha had been placed in charge of a secret army unit with a 319.1 million baht budget for mobilizing mass support for the junta. Lt. Gen. Prayuth claimed that he had acted in line with army policy, and that his activities were to serve communities, and not to seek political gain.

Miscellaneous controversy

Two members of the CNS claiming to be junta secretary-general Winai Phattiyakul's close aids were arrested for trying to solicit 40 million baht for in return seat on the Cabinet. Winai denied knowing the two men.

CNS leader Sonthi approved a 12 million baht top-secret budget for a public relations campaign to discredit Thaksin Shinawatra. The request for the money was submitted on 24 Jan 2007. Chianchuang Kalayanamitr, younger brother of CNS Deputy Secretary-General Saprang Kalayanamitr
Saprang Kalayanamitr
General Saprang Kalayanamitr is a retired officer of the Royal Thai Army, Assistant Secretary-General of the Council for National Security, Commander of the junta's 14,000-man anti-protest force, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Airports of Thailand , and also Chairman of the Boards of TOT...

, was hired as head of the publicity team. Politicians hired as part of the CNS campaign included Chat Pattana party leader Korn Dabbaransi, Democrats Korn Chatikavanij
Korn Chatikavanij
Korn Chatikavanij is a Thai Democrat Party politician and former investment banker. He was Finance Minister under Abhisit Vejjajiva.-Early life:...

, Alongkorn Palabutr and Korbsak Sabavasu, Prapat Panya-chatraksa, a key Thai Rak Thai member who defected to the Chat Thai party, plus ex-senator Kraisak Choonhavan
Kraisak Choonhavan
Kraisak Choonhavan is a Thai politician. He was a member of the Senate for Nakhon Ratchasima Province from 2000 till 2006.Born as son of former prime minister General Chatichai Choonhavan and Than Phu Ying Bunruen Choonhavan, Kraisak received a Bachelor Degree in International Relations at the...

. Academics hired by the CNS included Wuttipong Piebjriya-wat, Sophon Supapong
Sophon Supapong
Sophon Supapong is a former Senator for Bangkok in the National Assembly of Thailand and the former President of Bangchak Petroleum.In 2005, Sophon accused the United States of being the mastermind behind bombings in the South Thailand insurgency...

, Narong Phet-prasert, and Somkiat Osotspa. However, Sophon denied he had anything to do with the campaign.

The CNS produced a 75 episode television documentary to promote its causes. The documentaries, titled "Phrungnee Tong Dee Kwa" (Tomorrow Must Be Better), were reported to cost at least 20 million baht to produce and broadcast. General Anupong Phaochinda, assistant CNS secretary-general, defended the CNS from allegations of irregularities surrounding the documentaries.

Prior to the Constitutional Tribunal's 20 May 2007 ruling on the dissolution of the Thai Rak Thai
Thai Rak Thai
The Thai Rak Thai Party was a Thai political party that was officially banned on May 30, 2007, by the Constitutional Court of Thailand due to violations of electoral laws during the 2006 legislative elections. From 2001 to 2006, it was the ruling party under Prime Minister and its founder Thaksin...

 and Democrat Parties
Democrat Party (Thailand)
The Democrat Party is Thailand's oldest political party and was the main coalition government party of the 23rd House of Representatives of Thailand. The Democrat Party's current leader is Abhisit Vejjajiva, incumbent opposition leader and former Prime Minister. The party upholds a conservative...

, the CNS sent tens of millions of SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...

 messages to mobile phone users throughout Thailand discouraging them from attending protests.

Public reactions to the CNS

  • An opinion poll conducted by the Assumption University's Abac Poll Research Centre across the country from October 24–28 showed that more than 60% of the respondents said they thought the current government was more moral than the previous one and 43% believed the Surayud government was less biased towards capitalist business interests than its predecessor. Other responses put Surayud before Thaksin in regards to reliability, honesty, morality, image abroad and ability to quickly resolve problems. Surayud and Thaskin were on a par regarding solving people's troubles.

  • On December 10, 2006 (Constitution Day), between 1,000 and 3,000 protesters turned out to a rally organised by half a dozen groups, including the September 19 Network Against the Coup and the Confederation for Democracy. The protesters demanded the departure of the Council for National Security (CNS) and the interim government led by Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, the immediate lifting of martial law throughout the country, the repromulgation of the 1997 constitution
    1997 Constitution of Thailand
    For legal and historical context, see the Constitutions of Thailand articlethumb|275px|Bangkok's [[Democracy Monument, Bangkok|Democracy Monument]]: a representation of the 1932 Constitution sits on top of two golden offering bowls above a turret....

    , and general elections. Prominent protestors included Weng Tojirakarn, Sant Hathirat and former senator Prateep Ungsongtham-Hata. Smaller protests were also held in Thammasat University
    Thammasat University
    Thammasat University , or in brief TU , is Thailand's second oldest university. Officially established on 27 June 1934, the university was originally named by founder Pridi Banomyong, University of Moral Science and Politics , reflecting the political fervor of the time...

    by the White Dove 2006 group and opposite the Supreme Court. There was a large police and military presence. Police intercepted and detained many people heading into Bangkok to attend the protests.

External links

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