Thai coup leader pledges elections in a year

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.

General Sondhi Boonyaratkalin led a precision takeover overnight without firing a shot, sending soldiers and tanks to major intersections and surrounding government buildings while the popularly elected Thaksin, accused of corruption and undermining democratic institutions, was in New York.