BANGKOK, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- The general that led Thailand's bloodless coup said Wednesday a constitution would be drafted within two weeks and elections will be held within a year.
Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratkalin denied the military wanted a permanent hold on power, the BBC reported.
"We have two weeks. After two weeks, we will step out," he said.
Tanks and soldiers rolled into the capital Tuesday night and martial law was imposed as Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was in New York at the annual U.N. heads of state conference.
Wednesday, Thaksin flew to London, where he has a home, the Bangkok Post reported.
Coup leaders maintained a black-out of major international news networks in the country and demanded "cooperation" from local media and announced censorship capabilities.
In a Wednesday news conference, Sonthi said "fellow countryman" Thaksin would be welcome to return to his homeland, but warned he could face criminal charges for corruption.
