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The Thai army says that it is imposing martial law amid political crisis "to preserve law and order".
The army has also granted itself wide-ranging powers to enforce its decision.
The military, which last took power in 2006, stated that the move which gives the army control of nationwide security was not a coup.
Martial law comes after a long-running political crisis, and months of escalating tensions between the government and the opposition.
Source: BBC News
Of course, the military is declaring that this is not a coup and suggests they are not taking sides, but history suggests they will zealously back the Bangkok elites over the Thaksin loyalists. This is likely connected to the move by the predominantly unelected Senate to depose the current Thaksin loyalist Prime Minister (who took office after the elected Prime Minister, Thaksin's sister, was banned from office by the the elitist national courts earlier this month) and replace him with an unelected PM loyal to the Bangkok elites. In such a scenario the Thaksin loyalists on the street, the Red Shirts, have essentially threatened to start a civil war.