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The general behind the coup

AFP, Bangkok
The Thai general who took power in a coup is a staunch royalist with a penchant for wading ruthlessly into the country’s political turmoil -- and justifying his actions as a defence of the nation and its revered monarchy.
Stern, pugnacious and known for bluntly stating his opinions, the 60-year-old army chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha was due to retire this September from an office he has held since 2010.
But as he imposed martial law across the kingdom on Tuesday, he hinted at his intention to occupy centre-stage for as long as the nation's political crisis persisted.
The warning took on substance just two days later after talks between the nation's
bitter political rivals ended in Prayut declaring a dramatic coup - with all of the parties whisked away to an unknown location in military trucks.
Prayut, who announced the coup in a televised statement, cited political violence which has seen 28 people killed and hundreds more wounded over nearly seven months of protest.
He had said he would not allow Thailand to become another "Ukraine or Egypt".
Thailand's army has staged 19 successful or attempted coups since 1932 and as army chief Prayut wields enormous political power within the country.
The general is seen as a staunch opponent ofThaksin Shinawatra and a scourge of the “Red Shirt" supporters of the self-exiled former telecoms magnate, who was ousted as prime minister by a military coup in 2006 that triggered years of political chaos.
Experts say Prayut will be lauded as a saviour by royalists and Thaksin's establishment enemies.
After taking power, Prayut insisted the coup was his "responsibility" alone despite speculation of the involvement of other behind-the-scenes players.
Traditionally coups in Thailand are made with the approval of the royal palace, experts say, although it is unclear if that is the case in the current overthrow.
Born on March 21, 1954, in northeastern Thailand's Nakhon Ratchasima province -the “Red Shirt" heartland, ironically - Prayut rose from military college to become commander of the Queen's Guards in 1980.
He is seen as close and intensely loyal to Queen Sirikit, who has gradually receded from the public eye in recent years following illness.
Prayut is often described as the architect of a May 2010 army crackdown on a months-long Red Shirt rally in Bangkok. The crackdown left scores dead.
"He would have no qualms about shooting down Red Shirts" again, said Paul Chambers, director of research at the Institute of Southeast Asian Affairs at Chiang Mai University.
Prayut also supported the coup to depose Thaksin in 2006, according to a US diplomatic note released by the Wikileaks website, an act which saw Thailand tumble into an eight-year political quagmire from which it is yet to emerge.