UNITED NATIONS - Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra cancelled plans to make a speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, following the coup attempt in Bangkok, the UN announced.
No official reason was given for the withdrawal. A UN spokeswoman, Marie Okabe, said only that the Thai mission had announced that no speech would be made.
Thaksin had originally planned to speak to the General Assembly on Wednesday. But as reports of the coup filtered through, the time was brought forward to Tuesday evening.
The prime minister has been following events from a New York hotel where he had been preparing to make his speech.
Thailand's armed forces said Tuesday they had ousted Thaksin in a bloodless coup and imposed martial law to restore order after months of political turmoil.
Troops poured into the streets and tanks surrounded the offices of Thaksin while he was out of the country. Military leaders said they had suspended the constitution and the government.
09/19/2006 20:19 GMT