Troop deployment stifles coup protests in Thailand

Thailand’s military government sent thousands of troops and police into central Bangkok yesterday, stifling any mass dissent against the army’s coup on May 22 and limiting protesters to small gatherings held mostly around shopping malls.

The military toppled the remnants of former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s administration after months of protests forced ministries to close, hurt business confidence and caused the economy to shrink. Yingluck herself was ordered to step down two weeks before the coup when a court found her guilty of abuse of power.

A force of 5,700 police and soldiers was deployed in central Bangkok yesterday, and rapid deployment units were on hand to stop protests against the coup that might spring up elsewhere, deputy police chief Somyot Poompanmoung said yesterday.