Thai PM to leave New York after coup

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 20: Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will leave New York for an undisclosed location, a senior Thai official said, hours after the armed forces seized control of Bangkok in a coup.

Thaksin, who declared a state of emergency from New York in an apparently unsuccessful attempt to thwart the putsch, canceled a speech to the United Nations General Assembly scheduled for 7 pm (0430 IST) today.

A senior Thai official said Thaksin and his delegation would leave New York but did not say where they were going. A spokesman said earlier that Thaksin was considering whether to return to Thailand.

The Thai army sent tanks and troops to take control of Government House and announced it had suspended the constitution and dismissed the prime minister, a media magnate who had been accused by political opponents of corruption.

The United States urged a peaceful and democratic resolution to the political situation but did not take sides.

REUTERS