Army chief warns critics of junta won’t be tolerated

Bangkok – Thailand’s new military leader says that the junta will hold power ‘‘indefinitely,’’ and has warned citizens not to instigate chaos or criticise his rule.

‘‘It’s no use,’’ General Prayuth Chan-ocha said in a testy news conference yesterday that ended with him leaving the stage mid-question.

Four days after his military seized power in a bloodless coup, Prayuth received his most important mark of legitimacy, an endorsement from Thailand’s beloved but ailing 86-year-old king.

No member of the monarchy has spoken publicly about the coup, and King Bhumibol Adulyadej did not appear at Monday’s ceremony.

Still, the stamp of approval carries broad implications in a country where the king has ruled for nearly seven decades and where secondguessing his decisions amounts to treason.

Prayuth has proved both repressive and swift, suspending the constitution, eliminating the Senate, installing a curfew and detaining more than 200 political leaders, academics and journalists.

The moves have drawn criticism from foreign governments and further subverted what was a weak democracy.

Prayuth said he intended to rebuild a democratic system, but the timetable would ‘‘depend on the situation’’. The military had full control over the government, he said.

Prayuth grabbed power at a delicate time, with the country politically divided and many people fearful of escalating violence.

A majority in the north of the country supports the ousted government, which had been led for most of the past three years by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Her older brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, lives in selfimposed exile in Dubai but still acts as patriarch for Thailand’s largest political party. There’s only one figure in Thailand who trumps Thaksin – the king. Though he is rarely seen in public, the king has the status of a semi-deity, his gold-framed picture placed in front of buildings and in restaurants, his good deeds taking the form of tall tales.

Since the coup, there have been daily protests of several hundred people – a violation of martial law, which prohibits gatherings of more than five.

Prayuth issued a harsh warning yesterday, saying the military would use force if necessary.

Photo: REUTERS Safe passage: A couple with a baby get into a military vehicle as soldiers, deployed to control protesters against military rule, help them out of a protest area in Bangkok.

In control: Thai Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha at a press conference at army headquarters in Bangkok.