26/06/2014 10:32
Thai general denies military coup was planned
A senior Thai general has told the BBC that last month's military coup had not been planned in advance.
It comes after an opposition leader claimed the army had been discussing overthrowing the government for years.
Lt Gen Chatchalerm Chalermsukh also said those detained by the military since the coup were being treated well.
And he said controversial former PM Thaksin Shinawatra and his family could still return to Thai politics.
The military seized power in the south-east Asian nation on 22 May, saying it wanted to return stability to Thailand after months of political and social unrest.
It has promised a return to democracy, but only after it has carried out sweeping reforms of the political system.
Coup leaders, led by army commander Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, said they intervened at the last minute to stop the country sliding into a more dangerous and violent political conflict.
However in a recent interview one of the main supporters of the coup, protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, said he had discussed overthrowing the government with Gen Prayuth many times in recent years.
"So far as I know there was no advanced planning," Gen Chatchalerm told the BBC's Jonathan Head.
"If it were planned that would be illegitimate. If you are wondering why this happened so smoothly, that was because forces were already deployed in the city [Bangkok]. So when we declared martial law, there were already joint military and police forces in place in the area, " said the general, who is army deputy chief of staff and a member of the National Council for Peace and Order that now governs Thailand.