As the army seeks to tighten its grip on power, Thailand’s ex-Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra and some members of her family have been detained.
Ms Yingluck and scores of politicians from the deposed government had been told to report to a Bangkok army base.
She was kept for several hours and then driven to an undisclosed location.
Army Chief General, Prayuth Chanocha also met key officials, telling them reform must come before any elections.
Senior government officials and the caretaker prime minister arrived at an army facility in Bangkok on Friday; after Thailand’s military leaders summoned them to a meeting.
Military leaders also summoned ousted Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, to the meeting; a day after Army Chief, Prayuth Chanocha seized power in a bloodless coup and said he wanted to restore order following months of turmoil.
Prayuth launched his coup after the various factions refused to give ground in a struggle for power between the royalist establishment and a populist government that had raised fears of serious violence and damaged Thailand’s economy.
Soldiers detained politicians from both sides when Prayuth announced the military takeover, which drew swift international condemnation, after talks he was presiding over broke down.
The U.S. Department of State Spokesperson, Jen Psaki, in his condemnation said: “At this point what we are doing is we are reviewing our military and other assistance to the government of Thailand. We’ve taken preliminary steps to suspend military engagement and assistance while we consider the facts on the ground.
“This is a standard part of the process that would take place. So right now there is a comprehensive review of that going on. The State Department and USAID provide approximately 10 million dollars annually in bilateral assistance to Thailand only a portion of which is assistance to the Thai government.”
The military censored the media, dispersed rival protesters in Bangkok and imposed a nationwide 10P.M. to 5A.M. curfew.
