Military coup 'really shocks' Pak Lah
Malaysiakini
Sep 20, 2006

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has expressed shock over the military coup in Thailand, and expressed the hope that the country will soon be ruled by a democratically elected government.

"I am really shocked, I didn't expect a coup would have taken place in Thailand," the premier was quoted as saying by Bernama.

Abdullah said this to Malaysian journalists covering his working visit to New York for the 61st United Nations General Assembly.

Noting that resorting to such a means to change any government would not go down well with many people, he said that an election would be a better proposition.

However, Abdullah pointed out that those responsible in the Thai coup had mentioned that democracy would return as soon as possible.

"That is an acknowledgement that we hope can be implemented as soon as possible, and if possible, an election that has been planned can be carried out at an appropriate time," he said.

Thailand's Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin staged a coup d'etat in the Thai capital, with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra away in New York to attend the general assembly.

Sonthi declared over army radio that Thaksin had been overthrown by the "Democratic Reform Council" because there was a need to control the political crisis for the benefit of the country.

"We want this to happen peacefully and we will return democracy as soon as possible," the announcement said.

Abdullah said he had intended to meet Thaksin to find out more about what had happened but this did not materialise as he (Abdullah) was too busy with his programme in New York.

Malaysians safe 

In a related development, the Malaysian Embassy in Thailand said Malaysians with family members or friends in Thailand should not worry about their safety as everything remained calm and under control following the military coup last night.

Its Ambassador Shaarani Ibrahim said the coup was carried out without any bloodshed and the authorities seemed to be in full control of the situation.

"There is nothing to be worried about. We are monitoring the situation and will keep informing our citizens here," he said when contacted by Bernama.

Shaarani also advised Malaysians working and residing in Thailand to closely monitor the situation and contact the embassy if they needed any clarification.

"Just follow the statements being issued by the authorities. If there are any doubts, they can call us," he said.

Shaarani said Wisma Putra and embassy officials here had received numerous calls and SMS from concerned Malaysians asking about the situation in Thailand, including those planning to visit the country.