BANGKOK - Thailand`s army leader has taken over the powers of the prime minister, after the military revoked the constitution and imposed martial law in Bangkok, a spokesman for the coup leaders said Tuesday.
General Sonthi Boonyaratglin signed a statement late Tuesday announcing that he had formed a "Council for Political Reform" and ousted controversial Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
"As the country has no prime minister, all legal powers authorized by law to the prime minister must be transfered to the leader of the Council," said the statement read over national television.
Earlier, a spokesman for the coup leaders said that the military had suspended the constitution and abolished the cabinet, parliament and one of the nation`s highest courts.
"In order to maintain law and order, the Council for Political Reform has declared, first, that the constitution of 1997 has been terminated," Major General Prapas Sakuntanak said on national television.
"Second, the parliament -- both the House of Representatives and the Senate -- as well as the cabinet, have been terminated along with the Constitutional Court.
"All other courts except the Constitutional Court still have their jurisdiction and can continue to function," he added.
The military also imposed martial law on the capital, revoking an emergency decree ordered by Thaksin, and ordered all soldiers to report to their commanders.
"The Council for Political Reform declares martial law and revokes emergency rule in the Bangkok metropolitan area as of 9:05 pm (1605 GMT) on September 19," he said.
Thaksin had declared emergency rule in Bangkok just hours earlier from New York, where he was attending the UN General Assembly.
09/19/2006 19:11 GMT