Photos: Thailand's Army Declares Martial Law

Thailand has been engulfed in a decade-long power struggle between deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the royalist establishment, which has seen the country brought to the brink of recession. More pics after cut....




At the beginning of May prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin's sister, was dismissed along with nine ministers after being found guilty of abuse of power.

Thailand has been in the grip of protests since Yingluck's government passed an amnesty bill in November, which allowed Thaksin to return home and not go to jail over a corruption conviction.

The country's military has seen 18 actual or attempted military takeovers since the introduction of a constitutional monarchy in 1932.


Protests followed Yingluck's move to grant amnesty to her brother and have created huge political instability in the country.

Government buildings have been occupied, opposition politicians have resigned, and attempts to hold another election in the country have been blocked.

Many of the anti-government protests have been led by Suthep Thaugsuban, a former politician who has become the secretary-general of the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC).


As well as the PDRC protests, groups supporting the Shinawatra government have also taken to the streets.

So while violence, protests, and confusion continue on Thailand's streets the martial law move by the army is an attempt to 'restore peace and order for people from all sides'. The army's statement added: 'The public do not need to panic but can still live their lives as normal.'

The six months of political instability have hit Thailand's economy. South-East Asia's second biggest economy shrank 2.1% in the first quarter of the year


There were attempts to hold elections in February, but these were disrupted by Suthep's group as around 10,000 polling stations were prevented from opening. This action affected millions of people and the election commission said reruns would be held in obstructed areas in April.


Then in March a Constitutional Court annulled the February election and new elections were announced for 20 July.

 
It remains to be seen whether this move by the military will provide the stable platform that will allow the country to make the necessary political changes to try and bring stability back to Thailand.