the country is so gravely divided that it has lost the ability to govern itself.

After Thai Military Declares Martial Law, Protesters Continue Their Rallies

International New York Times | 20 May 2014

Thai troops guarded a checkpoint near a pro-government encampment in suburban Bangkok on Tuesday, but in many neighborhoods, not a soldier could be seen. Credit Damir Sagolj/Reuters

BANGKOK — Questions intensified about the intentions of Thailand’s military on Wednesday, a day after the head of the army declared martial law and curbed media freedoms but allowed protesters to continue their demonstrations — which they did with enthusiasm.

It was at least the 12th time the military has intervened in Thailand since the country switched from an absolute monarchy to a democracy eight decades ago. It was the first military intervention in Thailand’s latest political convulsions, which began six months ago and have paralyzed the government.

In the first few hours, nobody knew exactly what to make of the declaration, which gives the military broad powers to disperse and arrest protesters, censor the news media and control many government functions.

Military vehicles and armed soldiers took positions on Bangkok streets, some television stations closed, and the military issued a warning against provocative comments on social media.

Yet, in many neighborhoods, not a soldier could be seen. Workplaces and schools remained open, people shopped, the stock market closed the day 1 percent lower and traffic backed up as it would have on any other workday. Tourists could be seen snapping photographs with smiling soldiers.

Women pose for a photo with Thai Army soldiers standing guard on a city street after martial law was declared on Tuesday in Bangkok. Credit Rufus Cox/Getty Images

Thousands of Thais determined to show their opposition toward the governing party assembled along a broad avenue, dancing and cheering in the oppressive heat.

“Please protest with joy!” said Sathit Wongnongtoey, a former member of Parliament whose voice boomed over them. “Our protest will get even more intense — 24 hours a day!”

Pro-government demonstrators also continued their rallies on the outskirts of Bangkok.

Thitinan Pongsudhirak, one of the foremost experts on Thai politics, said, “It’s technically martial law, but it doesn’t feel like it.”

Yet the business-as-usual scenes on the streets of Bangkok masked what analysts described as a high-stakes intervention in Thai politics by a military that has a long, checkered past of overthrowing governments and ruling despotically.

Martial law was imposed without any notification to the caretaker government, according to Chaturon Chaisang, the education minister, who questioned the military’s motives.

Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, the army chief, a brash and outspoken career soldier who for months had publicly expressed reluctance to become involved in the political crisis, cast himself on Tuesday as a mediator who would summon all parties and forge an agreement. “That’s why I declared martial law; otherwise, no one would listen,” he said.

General Prayuth denied that the action was a military coup. But he was evasive about how long martial law would be in force. “Don’t ask me how long this will last,” he said. “No one wants to implement it for too long. I want all sides to seek a solution quickly.”

He deflected reporters’ questions about whether he would answer to the caretaker government.

General Prayuth faces a daunting challenge: to cajole some form of reconciliation in a society split between the old-money elites in Bangkok who are backing the antigovernment demonstrators and a populist governing party with a power base in the provinces, led by a nouveau riche tycoon, Thaksin Shinawatra.

The last military coup was in 2006, and it overthrew the same political movement that dominates the country today. But analysts say the current impasse is more intractable than anything the military has taken on in the past. 

Thailand, a leading economy of Southeast Asia, has been without a functioning government since December. And with the eyes of the world watching, the country is so gravely divided that it has lost the ability to govern itself.

“The army is taking a big risk here,” Mr. Thitinan said. “They will have to bang heads to make a compromise happen. They will be pulled in different directions. If they are seen as sliding toward one side, things could turn nasty very quickly.”

Foreign reaction was largely critical. Human Rights Watch called it a “de facto coup.”

“The military has pulled a 100-year-old law off the shelf that makes the civilian administration subordinate to the military, effectively rendering the executive, legislative and judicial branches powerless,” Brad Adams, the director of the organization’s Asia division, said in a statement.

The Thai military sought to convince the public that the army had acted in the country’s best interests. A message Tuesday morning on a military-controlled television station read: “We urge people not to panic. Please carry on your daily activities as usual. The imposition of martial law is not a coup d’état.”

It remained unclear late Tuesday which side would benefit from the military’s intervention.

If the military decides to force an election — and ensures that the opposition does not obstruct it — the governing party would probably be seen as the ultimate beneficiary. But if the military postpones elections, it will strengthen the hand of the Bangkok establishment.

The United States urged respect for “democratic principles” in a statement released hours after the announcement of martial law. “We expect the Army to honor its commitment to make this a temporary action to prevent violence, and to not undermine democratic institutions,” the statement said.

Japan, long one of Thailand’s largest investors, said it had “grave concerns about the situation in Thailand.”

General Prayuth was prickly in responding to questions.

When reporters repeated a question about whether and when elections would take place, he snapped, “I suggest you go visit a doctor and do something about your ear.”