Thai general who got royal blessing: Protesters beware

The general who seized control of Thailand in a coup last week warned protesters of a crackdown after announcing he had received the king’s blessing to head the ruling military junta. In his first press conference, army chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha said elections would be held as “soon as possible” but had no timetable for returning the nation of 67 million people to civilian rule. Prayut said his military junta would stop any recurrence of the months of political protests and violence. The army’s power grab triggered a small but growing backlash with scores of people gathering at Victory Monument in Bangkok late Monday. “Thailand has had too many coups already,” said one of the protesters. The junta curbed civil liberties, abrogated most of the constitution, imposed a nightly curfew and restricted the media. US Ambassador to Thailand Kristie Kenney tweeted, “Hoping to watch @CNN in Thailand? This is what you will see. #Blocked.”

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