BANGKOK, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej has endorsed the military coup that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, state television reported Thursday.
The leader of Tuesday's bloodless coup while Thaksin was at the United Nations in New York was led by Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin, whom the king reportedly knows well, although Sonthi has said the king had no involvement in the takeover, the BBC reported.
Sonthi has banned all meetings and other activities by political parties and gatherings of more than five people are also banned. He said this week he would name a prime minister-designate and said it would take about a year to get a new constitution drafted. He said the goal was for elections to be held in about a year's time, the Bangkok Post reported.
"Now, we're searching for a qualified person to be the new prime minister. We want a neutral one who advocates democracy with the constitutional monarchy," Sonthi said at a news conference.
