Retired army commander General Sorayud Chulanont was expected to be named interim prime minister today following the announcement of a temporary constitution which reserved considerable powers for Thailand’s military coup makers.

Coup leaders have chosen a former army commander and close adviser to Thailand’s powerful monarch to lead the country until promised elections next year, the auditor general said today.

Thailand’s military rulers said today that they wrote a temporary constitution appointing themselves advisers to any interim government, and hinted they might replace ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra with an ex-military man.

Thailand’s new military leaders today moved to tighten their grip on power, restricting political activities and taking over legislative powers, as former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra broke his silence on his ousting, saying he would take a rest.

An exiled Muslim rebel leader welcomed Thailand’s military overthrow of prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra today, saying the coup could help resolve a bloody Islamic uprising in the country’s south.

The army commander who seized Thailand’s government in a rapid, bloodless coup pledged today to hold elections by October 2007 while hinting that the ousted premier, Thaksin Shinawatra, may face prosecution for wrongdoing.

The Thai military launched a coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra tonight, circling his offices with tanks, seizing control of television stations and declaring a provisional authority loyal to the king.

It’s time for the Thai government to drop its refusal to negotiate with leaders of a bloody Muslim insurgency in the country’s south, the powerful army chief said today, a day after 22 bombs exploded at banks, killing one and wounding 27.