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The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO; ; ; abbreviated (; )) was the
military junta A military junta () is a system of government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''Junta (governing body), junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the Junta (Peninsular War), national and local junta organized by t ...
that ruled
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
from its
coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
on 22 May 2014 to 16 July 2019. On 20 May 2014, the military declared
martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...
nationwide in an attempt to stop the country's escalating
political crisis A cabinet crisis, government crisis or political crisis refers to a situation where an incumbent government is unable to form or function, is toppled through an uprising, or collapses. Political crises may correspond with, cause or be caused by an ...
, and to force the democratically elected government out of office. On 22 May, the military removed the
Yingluck Shinawatra Yingluck Shinawatra (, , ; born 21 June 1967) is a Thai businesswoman, politician and a member of the Pheu Thai Party who was the 28th prime minister of Thailand from 2011 to 2014. Yingluck was Thailand's first female prime minister and its yo ...
government and formed the NCPO to take control of the country. The junta censored the broadcasting system in Thailand, suspended most of
the constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...
(except for the article concerning the country's king), and detained members of the Thai cabinet. The NCPO was formally dissolved following the swearing-in of the new cabinet on 16 July 2019. Critics like former Thai ambassador Pithaya Pookaman charge that the NCPO "...is practically still very much intact. Its arbitrary power ... transferred to the existing
Internal Security Operations Command Internal Security Operations Command (; ) or ISOC (; ) is the internal security agency and political arm of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. It was responsible for the suppression of leftist groups from the 1960s to the 1980s. During this period it ...
chaired by the prime minister."


Name

The original
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...
name assumed by the junta was "National Peace and Order Maintaining Council" or "NPOMC". The name was later changed to "National Council for Peace and Order" or "NCPO" on 24 May 2014.


Membership and authority

On 22 May 2014, the NCPO announced its composition and stated that its leader would exercise all powers and duties which the laws invest in the prime minister and the cabinet, until a new prime minister was elected or appointed. On 23 May, the NCPO announced that short and long-term national administrative policies would be determined by its leader. It assigned its members to government ministries and agencies. On 24 May 2014, the NCPO dissolved the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
and vested legislative power in its leader. It also ordered the judicial branch to operate under its directives. Later that day, it transferred Police General Adul Saengsingkaew, who was the Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police and also its deputy leader, to an inactive post in the Office of the Prime Minister. Adul was replaced by Police General Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit. On 26 May, King
Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej (5 December 192713 October 2016), titled Rama IX, was King of Thailand from 1946 until Death and funeral of Bhumibol Adulyadej, his death in 2016. His reign of 70 years and 126 days is the longest of any List of Thai mo ...
endorsed the coup, formally appointing General
Prayut Chan-o-cha Prayut Chan-o-cha (sometimes spelled Prayuth Chan-ocha; , ; born 21 March 1954) is a former Thai politician, army officer and dictator who became the 29th prime minister of Thailand after seizing power in the 2014 Thai coup d'état, 2014 coup ...
to "take charge of public administration" as of 24 May.


Board of consultants

On 26 May 2014, the NCPO announced the formation of its Board of Consultants:


Political motivations and objectives

The stated objective of the coup and NCPO was to restore order to Thailand and to enact political reforms. Specifically, Thailand's military junta promised to clean up corruption, reduce political tensions, transform the Thai economy, solve the issues in Thailand's educational system and infrastructure, and equitably allocate state funding regionally. Since then, Thailand's military has failed to demonstrate it is a neutral, prudent economic manager that refrains from mixing business and politics. Top army brass appear to be inexplicably wealthy. The generals have been accused of larding Thai companies with junta cronies, of boosting defense budgets, and of making little progress on economic reform.


Attitude adjustment

Since taking over, the NCPO has made full use of martial law to prosecute opponents, ban political activity, and censor the media. More than 1,000 people, including academics, political bloggers, activists and politicians, have been detained or sent for "attitude adjustment" at military installations. There are allegations of torture. Prosecutions under the country's strict lèse majesté laws, which protect the monarchy from insult, have risen sharply. In its annual report in January 2015,
Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...
said military rule had sent human rights in Thailand into "a freefall". The victims said that they were taken out of their house and detained in the military base. Renowned dissents such as
Yingluck Shinawatra Yingluck Shinawatra (, , ; born 21 June 1967) is a Thai businesswoman, politician and a member of the Pheu Thai Party who was the 28th prime minister of Thailand from 2011 to 2014. Yingluck was Thailand's first female prime minister and its yo ...
,
Watana Muangsook Watana Muangsook (; born on 28 May 1957) is a Thai politician. He has held the positions of Minister of Social Development and Human Security, Minister of Industry, Minister of Commerce and Deputy Minister of Commerce in the government of Thail ...
,
Pravit Rojanaphruk Pravit Rojanaphruk (; ) (born 1967) is a Thai journalist who works as a senior staff writer for ' ('fresh news'). He formerly wrote a regular column for ''The Nation'', an English-language newspaper in Thailand, but was pressured to resign due t ...
, and Karun Hosakul were abused by the NCPO since the coup. Deputy Prime Minister
Prawit Wongsuwan Prawit Wongsuwon (, , ; born 11 August 1945) is a Thai politician and retired army officer who served as the First deputy prime minister from 2014 to 2023, Minister of Defence from 2008 to 2011 during the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejj ...
told reporters that "If they speak so 100 times, they will be summoned 100 times." Prawit added that "attitude adjustment" can last between three and seven days.


State influence on Buddhism

From 2015,
Buddhism in Thailand Buddhism in Thailand is largely of the Theravada school, which is followed by roughly 93.4 percent of the population. Thailand has the second largest Buddhist population in the world, after China, with approximately 64 million Buddhists. Buddh ...
came under significantly higher state control during Prayut's premiership. Following the coup, the NCPO set up a
National Reform Council The National Reform Council (NRC; ; ) was a committee established under the 2014 interim constitution of Thailand, enacted by Thailand's ruling military junta, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), from 2014 to 2015. The committee was e ...
with a religious committee led by former Thai senator Paiboon Nititawan and former monk
Mano Laohavanich Mano Laohavanich ( ; monastic name Mettanando Bhikkhu) is a Thai politician, former professor of Buddhism at Thammasat University, and former Buddhist monk. He is most famous for his public statements against Wat Phra Dhammakaya, the largest Buddh ...
. The calls for reform were led by one of Prayut's close allies, activist monk Phra Buddha Issara, known for leading the violent protests in Bangkok that led to the coup. In 2016, the NCPO proposed requiring temples to open their finances to the public and requiring monks to carry smart cards to identify their legal and religious backgrounds. The measures were aimed at increasing transparency and efficiency in the management of temples and registration of monks, and were endorsed by the Sangha Supreme Council. The new constitution promulgated in 2017 indicates that the state shall support Buddhism and other religions as well as in disseminating the teachings of Theravada Buddhism. Prayut later stalled a decision by the
Sangha Supreme Council The Sangha Supreme Council (; ) is the governing body of the Buddhist order ( Sangha) of Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asi ...
by refusing to submit the nomination for
Supreme Patriarch Sangharaja (Pāli: ''sangha'' religious community + ''raja'' ruler, king, or prince) is the title given in many Theravada Buddhist countries to a senior monk who is the titular head either of a monastic fraternity ( nikaya), or of the ''Sangha'' t ...
of Somdet Chuang, a
Maha Nikaya The Mahā Nikāya (literal translation: "great order") is one of the two principal monastic orders, or fraternities, of modern Thai, Laotian and Cambodian Buddhism. The term is used to refer to any Theravada monks not within the Dhammayuttika N ...
monk who was next in line for the position. The appointment was stalled until a law passed that allowed the Thai government to bypass the Sangha Supreme Council and appoint the Supreme Patriarch directly. This led to the appointment of a monk from the
Dhammayuttika Nikaya Dhammayuttika Nikāya (Pali; ; ; , ), or Dhammayut Order (), is an order of Theravada Buddhist ''bhikkhus'' (monks) in Thailand, Cambodia, and Burma, with significant branches in the Western world. Its name is derived from Pali ''dhamma'' ("teac ...
instead by
King Rama X Vajiralongkorn (born 28 July 1952) is King of Thailand. He is the tenth Thai monarch of the Chakri dynasty since ascending the throne in 2016 with the regnal name Rama X. The only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) and Queen Sirik ...
, who chose the name out of one of five given to him by Prayut. In 2017, Prayut used article 44 to replace the head of the
National Office of Buddhism The National Office of Buddhism ( Abrv: NOB; , ) is an agency of the central government of Thailand. It is a ministry-independent department-level government agency, reporting directly to the prime minister. The National Office of Buddhism is r ...
with a Department of Special Investigation (DSI) official. However, in August 2017, Prayut removed him from the post after religious groups called on the government to fire him because of his reform plans, which were viewed as damaging the image of monks. Phra Buddha Issara said the junta gave in to pressure too easily given government promises to fight
corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...
. In May 2018, the NCPO launched simultaneous raids of four different temples to arrest several monks shortly after a crackdown on protesters on the anniversary of the coup. To the surprise of many officials, one of the monks arrested was Phra Buddha Issara, known for his ties to Prayut. The right-wing monk was arrested for charges brought against him in 2014, including alleged robbery and detaining officials, however, his most serious charge was a charge of unauthorized use of the royal seal filed in 2017. Police did not state why he was just then being arrested for charges filed as far back as four years ago; one activist stated he believed it was because of an order from an undisclosed influential figure. Former Senator Paiboon, who led the NCPO's tightening control of Buddhism, also expressed surprise at the arrest. All of the monks arrested in the May raids were
defrocked Defrocking, unfrocking, degradation, or laicization of clergy is the removal of their rights to exercise the functions of the ordained ministry. It may be grounded on criminal convictions, disciplinary problems, or disagreements over doctrine or ...
shortly after being taken into custody, and detained before trial.


Decisions and future

The NCPO repealed the
2007 Constitution 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has symbolic associations in religion, mythology, supers ...
, save the second chapter which deals with the
King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
. In addition, it formally ordered the dissolution of the caretaker government, while the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
was dissolved. Other state agencies, including the courts and the independent organs, remain operative. The NCPO imposed a curfew throughout the country, ordering people to stay indoors from 22:00 to 05:00. It laid down a ban on political gatherings and directed all protesters to disperse. It also ordered all educational institutes, both public and private, to close from 23 to 25 May 2014.


Compensation

On 2 August 2014, a law was issued to determine monthly salaries and other monetary benefits for NCPO staff. General Prayut was granted 125,590
baht The baht (; , ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). Prior to decimalisation, the baht was divided into eight ''fueang'' (, ), each of eight ''at'' (, ). The ...
per month. Each of the other NCPO members was granted salaries of 119,920 baht (US$3,362) per month. These salaries are in addition to the benefits they are already entitled to receive by virtue of their posts in the armed forces.


Reactions to the coup

Immediately after the coup was announced,
People's Democratic Reform Committee The People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) or People's Committee for Absolute Democracy with the King as Head of State (PCAD) was a reactionary umbrella political pressure group in Thailand. Its aim was to remove the influence of former pr ...
(PDRC) protesters expressed their support for the takeover. Phra Buddha Issara, a Buddhist monk and PDRC co-leader, went on stage and proclaimed the victory of the anti-
Yingluck Shinawatra Yingluck Shinawatra (, , ; born 21 June 1967) is a Thai businesswoman, politician and a member of the Pheu Thai Party who was the 28th prime minister of Thailand from 2011 to 2014. Yingluck was Thailand's first female prime minister and its yo ...
government protesters before requesting that protesters return to their homes. Some pro-Shinawatra government protesters dispersed at the behest of the military, while others refused to leave. The NCPO provided 70 military vehicles to send protesters from both sides home. * – Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird condemned the coup and said, "This decision violates Thailand's democratic principles and stands in stark contrast to the Army's earlier assurances that its role would be limited to securing public order. We hope and expect the Thai military will return Thailand to civilian rule as soon as possible, respect democratic processes and the rule of law, ensure freedom of expression and assembly, and guarantee due process for those who have been detained." * – The
European External Action Service The European External Action Service (EEAS) is the diplomatic service in charge of executing all Foreign relations of the European Union, international relations of the European Union. The EEAS is led by the Vice-President of the European Co ...
(EEAS) called for the military to accept and respect the constitutional authority of civilian power and stressed "the importance of holding credible and inclusive elections as soon as feasible". * – President
François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. Before his presidency, he was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), First Secretary of th ...
condemned the coup and called for "an immediate return to the constitutional order and for a vote to be organised". * –
Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was the South Korean minister ...
,
Secretary-General of the United Nations The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...
issued a statement expressing concern over the coup, and called for "a prompt return to constitutional, civilian, democratic rule" and movement towards cooperation between the parties. * – Secretary of State
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...
condemned the coup and said that "this act will have negative implications for the US–Thai relationship, especially for our relationship with the Thai military". * – Britain expressed concern over the coup, however it did not go as far as to condemn it. The British Foreign Office urged British travelers to follow travel advice, and stated that, "We are concerned at the announcement of a military coup in Thailand and are following developments closely. We urge all sides to put aside their differences, and adhere to the values of democracy and the rule of law. This is clearly in the interests of the people of Thailand." They also added, "ongoing political instability and the continued violence undermine Thailand's democratic framework."


The NCPO in action

* The government seized thousands of "divisive" blue medical boxes and towels intended for distribution to the elderly on 12 April 2016. The boxes were donated by the Democrat Party. The blue boxes carried the photo of
Abhisit Vejjajiva Abhisit Vejjajiva (; , , ; born 3 August 1964) is a Thai politician who was the 27th prime minister of Thailand from 2008 to 2011. He was the leader of the Democrat Party from 2005 until he resigned following the party's weak performance in t ...
, leader of the party. The military had only the week before seized almost 9,000 red Songkran water bowls from the Democrats' rival, the Pheu Thai Party. "The NCPO adheres to principles, righteousness and fairness under the same law. People may wonder why things cannot be handed out during this time of happiness, please understand the officials," said Colonel Piyapong Klinpan, NCPO spokesman. The Democrats had assembled more than 1,200 sets of medicine boxes and towels for the elderly in Phran Kratai District of Kamphaeng Phet Province, a party stronghold. The giveaways were aimed at marking Elderly Day on 13 April. * In December 2015, during the same week he disparaged the poor looking for handouts, the government announced a slate of "New Year's gifts" to the populace. These included tax breaks on purchases made between 25 and 31 December, toll-free expressways, and discounted appliances and other governmental largesse. * The Article 44 was used to suspend
Sukhumbhand Paribatra Mom Rajawongse Sukhumbhand Paribatra (; , ; born 22 September 1953) is a Thai politician belonging to the Democrat Party. From 2009 to 2016 he was the Governor of Bangkok. He was removed from the post in October 2016 by Prime Minister Prayu ...
, the governor of Bangkok, after irregularities made by the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG). * In September 2018, the government arrested several alleged sympathizers of a vestigial political movement advocating the abolishment of the constitutional monarchy. Police seized as evidence T-shirts bearing the group's logo of a red and white flag. Deputy Prime Minister
Prawit Wongsuwan Prawit Wongsuwon (, , ; born 11 August 1945) is a Thai politician and retired army officer who served as the First deputy prime minister from 2014 to 2023, Minister of Defence from 2008 to 2011 during the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejj ...
declared, "They sell shirts and flags. We've arrested three or four of them now. Whoever we can get to, we will arrest them all," he said, adding "They are traitors." * On 10 September 2018, police shut down a forum on the topic, "Will
Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
's Generals Ever Face Justice for International Crimes?" organized by the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) in Bangkok. The reasons given by police for the shut down: it could damage national security, affect foreign relations, and a give a third party the opportunity to create unrest. It is thought that this is the sixth time police have forced the cancellation of an FCCT program since Thailand's military seized power in 2014.


Dissolution

On 6 April 2017, a new constitution drafted by the NCPO was promulgated replacing the 2014 interim constitution. The transitory provisions of the 2017 constitution state that the NCPO will come to an end when a cabinet established after the first general election under this constitution takes office, but until then the NCPO retained its sweeping powers under the 2014 constitution. These provisions also constitutionalised all the actions as well as the announcements and orders of the NCPO.
Parliamentary elections A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...
under the new 2017 Constitution were held on 24 March 2019. The NCPO was dissolved on 16 July 2019 with the swearing-in of the new cabinet.


See also

* 2013–14 Thai political crisis *
2014 Thai coup d'état On 22 May 2014, the Royal Thai Armed Forces, led by General Prayut Chan-o-cha, the commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army, launched a coup d'état, the twelfth since the country's first coup in 1932, against the caretaker government follow ...
*
Constitution of Thailand The Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand (; ) provides the basis for the rule of law in Thailand. Since the abolition of the absolute monarchy in 1932, Thailand has had 20 charters or constitutions. Many changes followed military coups, ref ...
*
2014 interim constitution of Thailand The ''Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand (Interim) 2014'' () was a constitution of Thailand in force between 2014 and 2017. Drafted by law lecturers from Chulalongkorn University (CU), the constitution was enacted by the National Council fo ...
*
Prayut Chan-o-cha Prayut Chan-o-cha (sometimes spelled Prayuth Chan-ocha; , ; born 21 March 1954) is a former Thai politician, army officer and dictator who became the 29th prime minister of Thailand after seizing power in the 2014 Thai coup d'état, 2014 coup ...
*
2019 Thai general election Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' D ...


Notes


References

{{Prayut Chan-o-cha * 2019 disestablishments in Thailand 2010s in Thai politics Monarchism in Thailand Contemporary Thai history Government of Thailand Political history of Thailand Military of Thailand Military dictatorships Military dictatorship in Thailand 2014 Thai coup d'état