More coup rumours rattle Bangkok, army urges calm

Bangkok, Jan 5: The New Year bombs that killed three people in the Thai capital were part of a concerted bid to undermine the post-coup government, the army chief said today after rumours of another military putsch swept the jittery city.

''It is a movement to disrupt the national security, the society and the economy,'' Sonthi Boonyaratglin, who staged a September 19 coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, said on army-run Channel 5 television.

Late yesterday, as rumours of major movements of about 2,000 troops at 300 spots around Bangkok sped through its 9 million inhabitants, Sonthi denied any plots to unseat the post-coup administration and the Council for National Security (CNS), as the coup command is now called.

As a measure of the panic, one theory was that the CNS was staging a coup against itself to boost its prestige and status after a problem-strewn three months in charge, which culminated in the unprecedented New Year's Eve bombings.

''These losers are doing everything they can to discredit the September 19 coup. They are doing everything to show that the country is in chaos and the CNS can't restore peace as we have promised,'' Sonthi said.

''They are trying to tell the people that the CNS and the government have no credibility.'' The streets were normal during the morning rush-hour, but his appeal for calm looked unlikely to ease the concerns of investors, who dumped Thai stocks for the third straight day.

''Sentiment has been poor, with a fairly slim chance of seeing a rebound anytime soon. People are scared and panicky.

There has been so much bad news there has been broad panic selling,'' Chaiyaporn Nompitakcharoen of Bualuang Securities said.

By 1015 hrs, the Thai bourse, Asia's worst performer of 2006, had fallen 2.3 per cent. That followed a 4.5 per cent fall in the first two trading days of 2007 amid fears the bombs, which wounded 38 people, presaged a year of violent political upheaval.

NO EVIDENCE

Despite the government's insistence that politicians ''who have lost power'' were behind the blasts, a claim most Thais are taking as implicating ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the authorities appear to have no concrete evidence. Sonthi even admitted today that the masterminds would never be caught, as they would have already cut their ties with their operators on the ground.

''I can't identify who they are yet, but the main focus is on the people who have lost political benefits,'' he said.'' Army-installed Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont told the country again today to brace itself for a repeat of the bomb attacks, which other ministers said looked to be the work of dissident police and soldiers.

''Based on our intelligence, we'd like to ask the people to be on alert and help us monitor the situation for a while,'' Surayud told reporters after meeting Sonthi and other coup leaders.

''I am not sure for how long, but at least we have to monitor public places for one or two months. Then we will evaluate the situation,'' he said.

Surayud said Sonthi promised to inform the public in advance when troops had to be moved next time to avoid coup rumours.

The government continues to rule out foreign terror groups and Muslim militants who have been fighting Bangkok's rule in the far south for three years, despite some similarities in style.

Thaksin, a former police lieutenant-colonel who is now in exile in Beijing, has denied any involvement in the blasts, which prompted the United States, Britain and Australia to issue travel advisories for Bangkok.

Residents in the Thai capital appeared to be keeping their heads down, too. The Bangkok Post said fast-food chains were reporting sharp increase in take-away orders because people were staying at home.

REUTERS

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