Associated Press
The Thai military declared martial law nationwide early this morning after launching a coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Coup leaders also suspended the nation's constitution, parliament, Cabinet and one of its highest courts.
Earlier, troops encircled Thaksin's Bangkok offices with tanks, seized control of television stations and declared a provisional authority loyal to the king.
Coup leaders ordered all soldiers to report to their barracks and banned unauthorized troop movements.
An announcement on national television and radio stations declared that a "Council of Administrative Reform" with King Bhumibol Adulyadej as head of state had seized power in Bangkok and nearby provinces without any resistance.
"The armed forces commander and the national police commander have successfully taken over Bangkok and the surrounding area in order to maintain peace and order. There has been no struggle," the announcement said.
"We ask for the cooperation of the public and ask your pardon for the inconvenience."
An army general, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said that Army Commander-in-Chief General Sondhi Boonyaratkalin had used the military to take over power from the prime minister. He said troops were moved from the western province of Kanchanaburi to stage the coup.
He said the coup makers arrested Deputy Prime Minister Chitchai Wannasathit and Defense Minister Thammarak Isaragura na Ayuthaya - two clo
se loyalists of Thaksin - and that Chitchai agreed to resign.
In a vain attempt to stave off the coup, Thaksin had ordered Sondhi to report to Chitchai immediately, effectively dismissing him from his military duties.
Thaksin told of his move when he declared a state of emergency in Bangkok at 9.15pm, when he spoke on TV Channel 9 by audio from New York, where he was attending a meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
The coup went largely unnoticed in Thailand's popular tourist districts, where foreigners packed beer bars and cabarets oblivious to the activity about three kilometers away.
But word raced among street vendors hawking T-shirts, who packed up their carts and started heading home.
The move came a day before a major rally - the first in several months - was to be staged in Bangkok by an anti- Thaksin coalition which has been seeking his resignation for alleged corruption and abuse of power.
Mass street protests demanding Thaksin's ouster began late last year, resulting in a political crisis that has dragged on for months. In recent days, Thaksin had hinted that he might leave the political scene.
Speaking earlier from New York, Thaksin declared a state of emergency.
He said he was ordering the transfer of the nation's army chief to work in the prime minister's office, effectively suspending him from his military duties.
Several hundred soldiers were deployed at keys points in Bangkok, including government installations and major intersections, witnesses said.
A dozen soldiers patrolled around the Erawan Hotel, a major tourist facility, in the heart of the business district.
In Washington, the State Department said it had seen various reports of military movements, as well as reported declarations of a state of emergency in Bangkok by the prime minister.
"We are monitoring developments closely, but the situation at the moment is unclear," Kenneth Bailes, a spokesman, said. "We look to the Thai people to resolve their political differences in a peaceful manner and in accord with the principles of democracy and the rule of law."
Army-owned TV channel 5 interrupted regular broadcasts with patriotic music and showed pictures of the king.
The cable television station of the Nation newspaper reported that tanks were parked at the Rachadamnoen Road and Royal Plaza close to the Royal Palace and government offices.
Local radio station Ruam Duay Chuay Kan interrupted its programming just as a reporter was about to give information from Government House