– ‘Thais must remain calm’ –
“All Thais must remain calm and government officials must work as normal,” he said in the brief announcement around 5 pm (1000 GMT), flanked by four of his top officers.
Rumours of an imminent coup had gripped Thailand since Tuesday, when Prayut declared martial law, saying he had acted to prevent deadly political tensions spiralling out of control.
The announcement came shortly after the opposing camps and other top political actors had gathered for the second straight day of conciliation talks at a heavily guarded military facility in the capital Bangkok.
It was not immediately clear what happened during the closed-door negotiations between the bitterly divided political foes.
Prayut had ordered participants to bridge their differences for the good of the nation, saying he would not allow Thailand to become another “Ukraine or Egypt.”
“I was concerned with the situation, and could not let it continue without a solution,” Prayut said earlier in opening remarks to the political talks Thursday.
“What I am doing in my security capacity – if I upset anyone, I apologise but it is necessary.”
Critics of Prayut’s martial law declaration had warned it was a prelude to a military coup by the army, which has intervened repeatedly in politics throughout history.
Before Thursday, Thailand’s democratic development had repeatedly been curbed by 18 actual or attempted coups since 1932.
Martial law had already given the military wide powers to ban public gatherings, restrict movements, and detain people.
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