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BANGKOK - Thailand has abandoned plans to lift martial law ahead of a regional summit to be attended by US President George W Bush this week because it has been assured the subject will not come up.
Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said on Tuesday US Ambassador Ralph Boyce had told him the martial law in place since a September 19 coup would not be discussed at the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) organisation in Vietnam.
"I don't think keeping the martial law will have any impact on Thailand at Apec according to my discussion with the US ambassador," Surayud told reporters after a cabinet meeting.
The leaders of the coup that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra have cited unspecified "undercurrents" for keeping martial law despite the absence of any serious opposition to the putsch.
They appear to be referring to grumbling from supporters of Thaksin, winner of two landslide elections now living in exile in London. Thaksin, in Hong Kong on Tuesday, declined to say whether he would return to Bangkok any time soon.
Last week, Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas said martial law, denounced by the European Union and the United States, could be lifted before the Hanoi summit started on Novmeber 17.
But Suryud said on Tuesday he needed more information from the Council for National Security (CNS), as the coup leaders now call themselves, before deciding whether to lift the law.
Nor, Surayud said, was he in a hurry to remove powers which have not been enforced in a country where the coup was greeted generally with relief at the end of months of political deadlock and street demonstrations against Thaksin.
"This is not an emergency topic," he said.
"On national security issues, we need time to consider carefully. We need more information from the CNS because we don't have adequate information to decide on this alone."
- REUTERS
