THAILAND: Thailand's military leaders edged closer to naming a civilian interim prime minister yesterday as fears of a counter-coup backing deposed leader Thaksin Shinawatra faded and an opposition rally mustered only a small group of activists.
Current favourite to take over the reins before the military allows free elections is president of the Supreme Administrative Court, Ackaratorn Chularat, whose first job would be to draft a new constitution.
"He should have the best expertise in law because our goal is to amend the constitution," said airforce chief Chalit Phukpasuka, one of the military leaders who took power in Tuesday's bloodless putsch.
Military leaders plan to appoint a civilian prime minister within two weeks and then step down. They have said elections would take place by October next year. Human rights organisations and governments around the world have condemned the curbs on civil liberties, although most Thais in the capital support the country's first military takeover in 15 years.
There is still a strong military presence in downtown Bangkok but less than earlier in the week.
Few were taking seriously rumours of a possible counter-coup by Mr Thaksin's supporters. Armoured Humvees remained near an intersection in the shopping district and groups of young women lined up to take photos of each other with the soldiers, who tied yellow ribbons to their machine guns to symbolise loyalty to the king.
Asked for their views, most residents said they disliked Mr Thaksin but reckoned the coup was the best way to resolve Thailand's deepening political crisis.
Opposition to the coup is mostly coming from students and activists fearful that civil liberties are being eroded. A small group of protesters bearing signs saying: "No to dictatorship", "Restore democracy" and "No to Thaksin, No to Coup" gathered outside a shopping mall 100 metres from where the Humvees sat. The demonstration was small but frantic, as activists alternated between silent sitting protests and waving banners for the world's press, who outnumbered the protesters by five to one.
Teaching assistant Patchanee Kamnak, wearing a black T-shirt as a sign of opposition to the coup, insisted the demonstration was bigger than it looked, but she said protesters were spreading themselves out because the interim government has banned political gatherings."We want our democracy back. The coup d'etat is regression. We should be able to vote Thaksin out and we want political reform."
Rattasit Ratkiatwong, a 21-year-old student said martial law made him worried. "I don't like Thaksin but the coup is worse. Thaksin meddled with the media, but the military has encircled it."
As well as barring political gatherings of more than five people, the government has also banned the distribution of information critical of the coup on websites or on television, apparently to avoid the spread of rumours of a counter-coup.
Proudly sporting a Karl Marx badge, Pokpongla Wansiri called for the speedy removal of martial law. "We demand that the coup leaders should return power as fast as possible and lift their prohibitions of the media. They have violated our freedom of expression," he said.
One passer-by, wearing a yellow T-shirt bearing the emblem of the royal family, said he thought the demonstrators should be locked up. "I support the military, they are cleaning up the mess Thaksin made," he said.
The military leadership is keen to minimise the international impact of the putsch on the hugely important tourism industry and also on the inward foreign investment needed to keep the economy simmering.
The old constitution is widely viewed as a flawed document which Thaksin was able to exploit to add to his fortune. A corruption investigation is to be launched into Mr Thaksin's business and tax affairs, which will also take a look at his relatives and political colleagues.