Date:07/01/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/01/07/stories/2007010702731200.htm

International

Thailand coup leader denies split in junta

P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE: General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, Chairman of Thailand's Council for National Security, has asserted that there is "unity" at the highest echelons of the ruling military junta.

Gen. Sonthi's televised affirmation is designed to scotch the speculation about an imminent counter-coup as a sequel to the New Year-eve bomb blasts in the Thai capital, Bangkok.

Security alert

Gen. Sonthi had seized power in a bloodless coup on September 19 last year.

The military rulers, including Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, on Saturday ordered a renewed security alert, even as the search continued for those behind the latest serial blasts in Bangkok. At least three were killed and those injured included some foreigners.

A dominant line of investigation centres on the suspicions about some civilians and/or uniformed personnel loyal to deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The theory is that they could have engineered the explosions to try and discredit the junta and create, more importantly, a political backlash against it.

Mr. Thaksin, still in exile, is widely believed to retain influence over a few sections of the military and police personnel.

He had, at an early stage of his career, served in a secondary position in the military-police hierarchy.

Another theory, which the junta has discounted, is that the "Muslim insurgents" of southern Thailand might have planned the Bangkok blasts to try and penetrate the heartland of the majority-Buddhist country.

After staging the coup last year, Gen. Sonthi, a Muslim, had pledged to address the "insurgency" as one of his high priorities.

So, he cannot now afford to be seen as having allowed those "insurgents" some extra space, according to regional diplomats and observers.