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Friday, May 23, 2014

Swiss cast ballots on world's highest minimum wage

May 18, 2014

GENEVA (AP) — Switzerland's citizens voted Sunday on whether to create the world's highest minimum wage of 22 Swiss francs ($24.70) an hour.

If passed, the Swiss would more than double the existing highest minimum wages in force elsewhere in Europe. Results are expected later Sunday. Trade unions sponsored the wage proposal as way of fighting poverty in a country that, by some measures, features some of the world's highest prices. But opinion polls indicated that most voters side with government and business leaders, who have argued it would cost jobs and erode economic competitiveness.

Switzerland currently has no minimum wage, but the median hourly wage is about 33 francs ($37) an hour. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development lists the highest current minimum wage as Luxembourg' at $10.66 an hour, followed by France at $10.60, Australia at $10.21, Belgium at $9.97, and the Netherlands at $9.48. The U.S. minimum wage of $7.25 came tenth on the list. The OECD adjusted figures for spending power.

Voters also faced three other citizen-inspired referendums Sunday. If passed, these would provide the Swiss Air Force with 22 of Saab's new Gripen fighter jets; impose a lifetime ban on convicted pedophiles working with children; and amend the constitution to support more family doctors in rural areas.

Referendums are a regular feature of democracy in Switzerland, which features a weak central government and strong state governments.

2 drown in Serbia as floods hit across Balkans

May 15, 2014

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Two people drowned in Serbia and the country declared a national emergency Thursday as rain-swollen rivers across the Balkans flooded roads and bridges, shut down schools and cut off power. Hundreds of people had to be evacuated.

In Serbia and neighboring Bosnia, meteorologists said the rainfall was the most since measuring started 120 years ago. Belgrade authorities say the average rainfall of a two-month period hit the city in just 40 hours.

"What we are facing is the biggest water catastrophe in Serbia's history," Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said as his government appealed for help from the European Union, Russia and neighboring countries.

Surging water coursed through towns and villages, overflowing across streets and into homes, sweeping bridges off their moorings. Sodden hills crumbled into landslides. Dozens of buses and cars were stranded on flooded roads and two main north-south railway lines in Serbia were impassable.

River levels rose all over Bosnia, including the capital Sarajevo. Maglaj, a town 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of the Bosnian capital, was cut off by water surging into streets. Some 6,000 people asked to be evacuated, with some residents sitting on roofs waiting for help.

"The situation is alarming," said Mehmed Mustabasic, the mayor of Maglaj. "We have no electricity, the phones are not working. We are cut off from the rest of the world." Bosnian military helicopters evacuated hundreds of people. The EU troops in Bosnia joined the effort with trucks and helicopters, but many roads remained stuck as snow blanketed higher elevations. Most schools were closed.

In Serbia, emergency officials said more than 600 people were evacuated, some by helicopter, and thousands were left without electricity and phone service. "We have engaged all our manpower," said Predrag Maric, a Serbian emergency official. "Water is rising everywhere."

Firefighters say a woman in suburban Belgrade drowned after she refused to be evacuated from her home, and a firefighter died during a rescue operation in central Serbia. Serbian media said at least two more people have been reported missing.

Belgrade authorities closed down schools for Thursday and Friday. The Serbian Orthodox Church said it would hold prayers for the rain to stop. Strong winds and rain also blocked a key road in Croatia and heavy flooding was reported in parts of Romania. Both Croatia and Slovenia were on high alert because of predicted strong winds.

The rain was expected to persist until the weekend.

Cerkez reported from Sarajevo; Dusan Stojanovic from Serbia and Alison Mutler from Bucharest, Romania, contributed.

Greek anti-bailout party vows to topple government

May 22, 2014

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — An anti-bailout party that is leading Greek opinion polls ahead of this weekend's local government and European elections vowed Thursday to scrap international agreements that rescued the country's economy from bankruptcy at the cost of harsh austerity.

Three opinion polls also published Thursday found that support for the left-wing Syriza party was 2.5 percent to 3.2 percentage points ahead of the conservative New Democracy party, which leads Greece's coalition government.

Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras declared at his party's main election rally in Athens that a Syriza victory in Sunday's twin polls would force the government to call early parliamentary elections. "We will build a road of social security, and scrap the bailout agreements once and for all, along with the laws brought in to enforce them," he told thousands of supporters.

The 2-year-old government has ruled out calling early elections regardless of Sunday's results. But a heavy defeat could rattle parties in the coalition, which has a majority of just two seats in the 300-member parliament, after repeatedly expelling lawmakers who refused to back austerity measures.

The 39-year-old Tsipras is also running as a left-wing candidate for the continent's top political job, European Commission president. He has promised to provide a pro-growth alternative to austerity in dealing with high levels of national debt in many eurozone countries.

He described Sunday's vote as a "referendum for our lives, for Greece, and for Europe." Public support for the once-tiny Syriza has grown roughly five-fold since Greece came to the brink of bankruptcy in 2010, fueling a rapid rise in levels of poverty and unemployment that spurred voters to abandon traditional parties.

Conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras argued during campaigning that a Syriza government would squander sacrifices made to repair the country's public finances, return the country to excessive borrowing, and jeopardize chances of ending the recession this year.

Samaras will speak Friday at his party's final rally at Athens' Syntagma Square.

EU-wide elections could roil politics back home

May 22, 2014

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Several European countries' commitment to the painful economic reforms meant to cut debt and foster growth could be shaken by this week's elections to the European Parliament, which are likely to see anti-EU parties buoyed by protest votes against austerity.

While the parliament headquartered in Strasbourg, France, has only limited powers, the outcome of the voting Thursday through Sunday for 751 deputies in 28 countries could shake up politics back at the national level. Parties that are against greater integration among European Union countries or advocate leaving the EU are expected to get up to 30 percent of the seats.

"The results in France, Italy and Greece will be very important as they could again derail national politics and policies, giving rise to renewed discussions and controversies about austerity, reforms and debt sustainability," said analyst Carsten Brzeski at ING.

Indebted governments are trying to hold down spending and, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, make their economies more business-friendly by clearing away excess regulation, taxation and protections for established workers.

While those efforts — along with easy monetary policy from the European Central Bank and the U.S. Federal Reserve — have helped calm markets, the budget cutbacks and tax increases have also hurt the incomes of ordinary people in the shorter term, raising unemployment and slowing the recovery.

Past elections have been snoozers, especially since the parliament can't itself initiate legislation and is confined to reviewing and amending proposals from the European Commission, the EU's executive branch. Economists caution that the impact on the parliament itself is likely to be limited as anti-EU forces will remain in the minority and have struggled to coordinate their policies.

The key is at the national level, they say. Here's what's at stake in some of the most important countries. FRANCE Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls is trying to get a stagnant economy moving, pushing unpopular spending cuts so he can lower business taxes. A poor showing by the Socialists in the European Parliament vote could undermine backing from the more left-wing members of his own party and make it harder for him to achieve his aims.

France's economy, Europe's second-largest, failed to grow in the first quarter, one reason the continent's recovery is so muted. ITALY Prime Minister Matteo Renzi of the center-left Democratic Party faces his first major electoral test since taking office in February. Renzi is trying to shake up Italy's bloated bureaucracy and reform its cumbersome electoral laws.

"His opponents, both within and outside his own party, could use a poor result to water down his reform efforts," says James Howat, European economist for Capital Economics. Italy's economy has been a drag on the 18-country euro currency union, where it is the third largest — output declined by a quarterly rate of 0.1 percent in the first three months of the year. Without growth, it will struggle to reduce its massive debt load, which amounts to 133 percent of the country's annual national income. At the height of the financial crisis, there were fears Italy might default on its debt, a move that could have caused the eurozone to break up.

GREECE The voting gives an opening and a platform for the left-wing Syriza party, which calls Sunday's vote a referendum on the country's bailout and conservative-led government. Syriza's leader, Alexis Tsipras, says he wants to tear up Greece's bailout deal with the other eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund. He is the Europe-wide candidate put forward by left-wing parties to head the EU's executive commission.

Greece committed to cut spending to qualify for the disbursement of the bailout loans from its international creditors. The loans prevented the financial collapse of the country and a possible exit from the euro currency. But the austerity policies worsened the recession, which shrank the economy by 25 percent and left unemployment at a miserable 26.7 percent — and an astonishing 56.8 percent for those aged between 15 and 24 years old.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras' struggling Socialist coalition partner, Pasok, could perform poorly in local and European elections this week, undermining the government. Opinion polls suggest that Syriza could win a general election.

Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg Bank in London, said that outcome "would create huge political uncertainty with a serious negative impact on the Greek economy and possibly some ramifications around Europe."

BRITAIN A good showing by the UK Independence Party — normally a fringe presence in mainstream British politics — and its colorful leader Nigel Farage could increase business concerns about Britain leaving the EU over the long term.

Farage's party has been pushing for a referendum on whether the country should leave the EU. "If everyone shrugs it off" as a protest vote "then the economic impact is zero," said Schmieding. "If that gets us into a serious debate over, 'Do we change our domestic policies?,' then of course that could have an impact."

UK, Netherlands kick off voting in EU elections

May 22, 2014

LONDON (AP) — Voting began Thursday in Britain and the Netherlands for European Parliament elections in which Euroskeptic parties stand to be the likely beneficiaries of a disillusioned and apathetic electorate.

Some 400 million Europeans are eligible to vote, with national polls being held Thursday through Sunday. Results will be announced late Sunday. More than 16,000 candidates from 953 parties or lists — from greens to feminists to the far-right — are vying for the legislature's 751 seats.

Continent-wide voter turnout was 43 percent at the last election in 2009 but could slump even lower this time. Many voters are weary after several years of economic crisis and austerity, and increasingly skeptical of efforts to unite the continent into an economic and political superpower.

In Britain, the anti-EU U.K. Independence Party could gain the largest share of votes. "If we get what we like things will never be quite the same again," said its leader, Nigel Farage, as he prepared to vote at a school near his southern England home.

Prominent Euroskeptic Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch Party for Freedom, voted early Thursday at a school in a residential neighborhood on the outskirts of The Hague. He said "a vote for my party is a vote for national sovereignty, for less immigration, for less Brussels."

Former Belgian Premier Dehaene is dead at 73

May 15, 2014

BRUSSELS (AP) — Former Belgian Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene, who worked as hard to keep his linguistically divided nation together as he did to give Europe more unity, has died. He was 73.

Dehaene, a Dutch-speaking Christian Democrat, had been diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, but died following a fall in France, his party said. Belgium has lost "an exceptional statesman," current Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo said Thursday. "Jean-Luc was a special companion."

As Belgian prime minister from 1992 to 1999, Dehaene pushed through constitutional changes to turn a nation of 6.5 million Dutch-speakers and 4.5 million French-speakers into a federal state with sizable amounts of regional autonomy. Yet, it had enough glue to stay united.

He also made sure Belgium would become a founding member of the common-currency eurozone despite a massive national debt. After he lost the 1999 elections, he turned his focus on Europe. He had been key in brokering an EU constitution but after referendums in two member states rejected it, many parts of the plan were taken up by the treaty of Lisbon that currently sets policy for the 28-nation EU.

"It made me proud," he said. EU President Herman Van Rompuy was a close party colleague throughout his career and only emerged from his shadows after he took on the biggest job in the EU in 2009. "Only 10 days ago, I told him 'if I have been able to achieve something in Europe, it is because I learned it from you," Van Rompuy said on VRT television.

Throughout his career in Belgian and European Union politics, Dehaene excelled in the minutiae of legislative work, which made him the master of complicated compromise agreements that few outside the upper echelons of politics fully grasped.

Because of endless intricacies, it produced agreements between parties that would never have put a signature on the same piece of paper had it contained just plain text. They called him "the plumber" because he was able to fix the seemingly unfixable. And if it took 100 days to do, he would persevere, relentlessly. That trait earned him the moniker "draft horse."

Portly and unapologetic for his gruff demeanor, his best known quote to the media was "no comment" — often followed by a menacing glare. Many politicians, though, loved his style. "Very direct and straight-forward. Everyone loved to work with him," said Belgian Liberal Guy Verhofstadt, who succeeded him as prime minister.

Combining his love of soccer with his knowledge of finances, he also took the lead in UEFA's campaign to control excessive spending by Europe's top clubs. "He was a statesman and a man of conviction," UEFA President Michel Platini said. "Through his love of football, he accepted to play a key role in the setting up of Financial Fair Play ... We are all going to miss his passion, simplicity, irreproachable professionalism and great sense of duty."

Incumbent favorite in Lithuania presidential vote

May 10, 2014

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Hard-nosed incumbent Dalia Grybauskaite is widely expected to win a second term in Lithuania's presidential election amid security concerns linked to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Polls give the 58-year-old former European Union commissioner and karate black belt a comfortable lead heading into the first round of voting Sunday. It's unclear, however, whether she will get the more than 50 percent of votes needed to avoid a runoff on May 25.

In a country ruled by Moscow during the Cold War, Grybauskaite's approval ratings have risen after her strong-worded rejection of Russia's annexation of Crimea and her staunch support for boosting NATO forces in Lithuania.

A survey last month showed her getting 47 percent support, with about 10 percent for each of her closest rivals: Labor lawmaker Arturas Paulauskas and European Parliament member Zigmantas Balcytis, a social democrat.

The margin of error in the April 4-9 survey of 1,001 people by pollster Vilmorus was 3.5 percentage points. "Europe must understand that Russia is trying to redraw the post-war map and borders," Grybauskaite told reporters recently. "First, it's Ukraine, Moldova will be next and, finally, it can reach the Baltic states and Poland. This is serious threat to our region."

An economist who was educated both in the Soviet Union and the United States, Grybauskaite served as Lithuanian finance minister and EU budget commissioner before becoming her country's first female president in 2009.

With her re-election seen as all but certain, critics say Grybauskaite's lead has sucked all the energy out of the race. "I have never seen in any country such a dull election campaign," former president Valdas Adamkus told lawmakers in parliament.

Colombia's presidential race engulfed by scandal

May 23, 2014

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Accusations of bribes from drug traffickers, spying and email hacking have turned Colombia's presidential election into an ugly slugfest that has further polarized a country trying to emerge from its violent past.

The mudslinging has distracted attention from talks with the country's main rebel group to end the country's half-century internal conflict, which had been expected to be a key issue going into Sunday's election.

Much of the blame for the dirty campaigning falls on two former allies whose public feuding has divided Colombia the past four years: President Juan Manuel Santos and his still-powerful predecessor, Alvaro Uribe.

Despite presiding over what may be South America's best-performing economy, Santos is struggling amid relentless attacks by Uribe and his hand-picked heir, former finance chief Oscar Ivan Zuluaga. Polls say the two are running neck and neck, well ahead of three other candidates but with neither likely to garner the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff.

Zuluaga's conservative Democratic Center movement has lambasted Santos for what it calls his softness in 18-month-old negotiations with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC. Zuluaga has threatened to end the talks in Cuba if he is elected, saying he will demand the rebels prove their commitment to peace by declaring a permanent cease-fire within a week.

But those policy differences have taken a backseat to endless bickering and near-daily bombshells that have Colombians shaking their heads in disgust. It began with media reports that Santos' campaign manager, J.J. Rendon, received $12 million from the nation's biggest drug traffickers to negotiate their surrender. The information was based on three-year-old, leaked testimony to Colombian prosecutors from a drug cartel boss jailed in the U.S.

Rendon, a Venezuelan native, quickly resigned after acknowledging that he interceded in the case, although he denied taking money. Two days later, authorities arrested a computer expert who worked for Zuluaga's campaign, accusing him of hacking into the emails of FARC negotiators and even Santos. Zuluaga denounced the arrest as a ploy to derail his candidacy.

Uribe, without presenting any evidence, then accused Rendon of funneling $2 million from the alleged drug-dealer payments to Santos' 2010 campaign. The waters were muddied even more with the appearance last weekend of a video shot clandestinely from a cellphone in which Zuluaga listens attentively as the suspected hacker outlines a strategy to use intelligence gathered illegally to try to sabotage support for the peace talks.

And many Colombians, even those who support Santos, were asking whether the president was playing electoral politics with the peace process when he announced a landmark agreement with the FARC on May 17 to jointly combat illicit drugs. Many observers say he should have put the talks on hold until elections had passed.

Both Zuluaga and Santos "are trying to win at any cost," said Marta Lucia Ramirez, a former Uribe defense minister and presidential candidate who was a distant third in the latest Invamer-Gallup poll. "That's what's causing damage to the country, that's what destroying Colombians' trust in their political leaders and institutions."

The rancor between the two was on display Thursday night in the first candidate debate attended by Santos, in which the president suggested that Zuluaga would be Uribe's "puppet" if elected. That triggered a feisty exchange.

"You must show me respect," Zuluaga retorted with anger, banging his finger on his desk. "Just because you're president don't think you can say that. I have my own identity." Santos responded: "Calm down. Don't learn the bad habits of your boss."

Vicente Torrijos, a political analyst at Bogota's Rosario University, said the onslaught of accusations was unlikely to tilt the election's outcome. "The society is so saturated with scandal that it produces the paradoxical effect of reinforcing voter preferences," he said.

Santos, the scion of one of Colombia's richest families, inspires little enthusiasm among voters, especially among the poor who have benefited less from the economic boom. And Zuluaga is widely viewed as Uribe's subordinate. Yet none of their challengers appear to have been able to turn that to their advantage, perhaps because the mainstream media have focused on the two better-funded campaigns.

Whoever wins is going to have a tough time soothing the bitterness stirred up by the accusations. Congress is divided and Uribe, who was recently elected to the Senate, has promised to rally opposition against Santos should he win re-election.

"The hatred unleashed by the campaign isn't going to go away easily," said Michael Shifter, president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue.

Fierce fight in S. Sudan oil town; rebels counter

May 06, 2014

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Government troops and rebel fighters engaged in a fierce battle over an important oil town Monday after rebels launched a counter-offensive shortly after the government claimed control of the town.

Bentiu has seen fierce battles over the last 24 hours, said the aid group CARE, which added that its staff is taking shelter in bunkers on the U.N. base. The rebels launched a counter-offensive Monday and the city may have changed hands yet again, according to a security expert, who insisted on anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press.

A government offensive on Sunday came just days after South Sudanese President Salva Kiir told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that he was ready to hold peace talks with the rebel leader, former Vice President Riek Machar. But a spokesman for Machar's negotiating team in Ethiopia told The Associated Press on Monday that Machar first wants a "program" that includes a timeline for the formation of a transitional government as well as its composition and structure.

"The Americans are pushing us to go to Juba and form an interim government. We cannot go there without an agreement on a program first. We need to know who will be in that transitional government, in what capacity, for how long and issues like that," said the spokesman, Yohanis Musa Pouk.

In a statement Monday, Kerry said the U.S. "condemns in the strongest terms recent offensives by South Sudanese government forces against opposition-held positions" and said they contradict Kiir's commitments in recent days. Kerry called on all sides to stop all offensives and said Kiir and Machar should "meet directly in the coming days to end the conflict."

In Ethiopia, meanwhile, South Sudan's government and rebel negotiators signed a document pledging to open safe-travel corridors for aid workers. The agreement also urged the sides to recommit to a discarded peace deal signed in January.

The regional political bloc known as IGAD urged the sides for a one-month peace period — from May 7 to June 7 — to allow crops to be planted and tended. The U.N. has warned of potential famine if crops aren't planted and harvested.

From South Sudan's government, Nhail Deng Nhail said the signing of the document is vital because of the approaching rainy season. "We herein commit ourselves to facilitate humanitarian access to all parts of the country. However, we would have wished we signed today the entire agreement recommitting the parties to observe the whole cessation of hostilities agreement," he said.

On the rebel side, Gen. Taban Deng said the deal would help prevent hunger. Deng also accused South Sudan of intensifying attacks against rebel positions amid Kerry's peace efforts. Deng said the Juba government's prime agenda "is war, not peace."

South Sudan military spokesman Col. Philip Aguer said early Monday that government troops had captured Bentiu from rebels on Sunday. But there were indications later Monday that the rebels may have again won over the city, according to the security expert who insisted on anonymity.

South Sudan has been rocked by violence since December, when Kiir accused Machar of staging a coup. Thousands of people are believed to have been killed and 1 million people have fled their homes. The violence has taken on an ethnic dimension between Kiir's Dinka community and Machar's Nuer community.

Rebel fighters from the Nuer ethnic group took control of Bentiu in mid-April and slaughtered non-Nuer civilians in the town mosque, the hospital and on streets, leaving "piles and piles" of bodies behind. The U.N. Security Council expressed "horror" at the massacre.

Kiir fired the country's top military officer last month, Chief of Staff Gen. James Hoth Mai, further isolating the Nuer group politically. Mai is Nuer and his command position, which he held since 2009, was frequently cited as an example of the ethnic diversity of the government led by Kiir, an ethnic Dinka.

Machar has said he wants to see the exit of Kiir, whom he accuses of acting like a dictator. South Sudan peacefully broke away from Sudan in 2011 after a decades-long fight for independence. __ Jason Straziuso reported from Nairobi, Kenya. Tom Odula in Nairobi contributed to this report.

South Africans vote; ruling party favored

May 07, 2014

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africans voted Wednesday in elections that are expected to see the ruling African National Congress return to power despite a vigorous challenge from opposition parties seeking to capitalize on discontent with corruption and economic inequality.

Many people lined up before polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) for the fifth all-race elections in South Africa since the end of white minority rule in 1994. Polls close at 9 p.m. (1900 GMT) and the first results were expected around midnight (2200 GMT). South Africa's election commission said it would declare final results no earlier than Saturday, allowing time to address any objections to the process.

Some 22,000 voting stations were operating at schools, places of worship, tribal authority sites and hospitals, and several dozen vehicles serving as mobile voting stations were heading to remote areas. About 25 million South Africans, roughly half the population, have registered to vote in the parliamentary elections that will also determine the president.

The government urged South Africans, particularly young people with the opportunity to vote for the first time, to go to the polls early to avoid bottlenecks later in the day. Wednesday was declared a public holiday to encourage voting. Nearly 2,000 military personnel are assisting police to make sure that the elections are peaceful around the country.

Retired archbishop Desmond Tutu cast his vote in Cape Town and said South Africans should be thankful that they can vote peacefully. "I'm thinking of Ukraine. I'm thinking of South Sudan, you know, all of those things happening there," the South African Press Association quoted Tutu as saying. Recalling the violent struggle against white minority rule that brought about the country's democracy, he said: "People were imprisoned. People suffered. So we mustn't waste it. We must keep remembering we got this at a very great price."

The African National Congress, which led the fight against apartheid, has dominated politics since Nelson Mandela was elected as South Africa's first black president in 1994. On the ruling party's watch, millions of people have gained access to water and other basic services, but protests routinely erupt in areas where residents say the government has ignored their needs.

There is also increasing concern about corruption. President Jacob Zuma has become enmeshed in a scandal surrounding more than $20 million in state spending on his private home in the Nklanda area, though he denies any wrongdoing and has promised to work against graft. Zuma voted Wednesday after standing in line at a primary school in Nkandla, urging other South Africans to do the same because it was "probably the most important thing to do in this democracy."

In the last election in 2009, the African National Congress fell just short of a two-thirds majority. Its main rivals this year are the Democratic Alliance, a centrist party led by former journalist and anti-apartheid activist Helen Zille, and the Economic Freedom Fighters, headed by Julius Malema, a former head of the ruling party's youth league who wants to redistribute wealth to the poor.

There were scattered incidents of delays and disruption at voting stations, but overall the election was running smoothly, said Mosotho Moepya, chief electoral officer at South Africa's election commission.

Electoral officers had to help the first inmate to vote at the Witbank Corrections Center, a prison in South Africa's Mpumalanga province, after he stepped out of the voting booth and said, "I don't know how to do this," the press agency reported. The sound of keys and the clatter of handcuffs filled a passage as prisoners were uncuffed before entering the voting station. Smiling widely, some prisoners placed green ID books in their shirt pockets after voting.

Three voting tents were set on fire during overnight protests in Bekkersdal, a township in South Africa's most populous province, Gauteng, where residents have complained about what they describe as inadequate government services, according to Eyewitness News, a South African media outlet. Dozens of police and military vehicles have deployed in Bekkersdal in recent days.

Two ruling party officials tasked to monitor a polling station in the Northern Cape province were killed in a car accident early Wednesday, local media quoted party officials as saying. In Itsoseng town, west of Johannesburg, first-time voter Julia Phokompe, 28, cast her ballot at a voting station set up in a church.

"It's a feeling I can't explain," SAPA quoted Phokompe as saying. "I think I've made a huge difference in my life."

South Africa to vote this week

May 05, 2014

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — South African President Jacob Zuma said Monday that he anticipates an election victory this week for the ruling African National Congress, and that his government, if re-elected, will speed the provision of basic services following protests in many poor communities that complain they are sidelined.

Nearly 2,000 military personnel will assist police in ensuring security during the elections Wednesday. Officials are helping some South Africans, including the sick and the elderly, to vote early. Zuma also said he had been unfairly labeled as corrupt because of a scandal surrounding more than $20 million in state spending on his private home. South Africa's state watchdog agency had released a report concluding that Zuma inappropriately benefited from state funding and should pay back some money for alleged security upgrades at the president's rural Nkandla residence.

The report, Zuma insisted to journalists in Johannesburg, did not conclude that he had abused government funds, despite growing public dissatisfaction over a series of scandals linked to the president. That feeling was most evident when Zuma was booed by some in the crowd at a stadium memorial in December for Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president.

"I don't think it is fair treatment to a citizen," the South African Press Associated quoted Zuma as saying of reports that have criticized his conduct. The spending on Zuma's rural home was allegedly for security upgrades, and the president said security had been a problem there in the past, citing two separate incidents in which the home was burned and his wife was raped during a break-in. Zuma, who has four wives and 21 children, said those involved in the second incident were arrested and convicted, but he did not provide further details.

The Democratic Alliance, the main opposition party, said in a statement that Zuma and his family were entitled to security, but that the spending at Nkandla was "an exorbitant expenditure on non-security benefits to the President, with his knowledge and his failure to act to prevent it."

While unease with Zuma has grown, it is not expected to shake core support for the ANC, which led the movement against white minority rule and has dominated politics since Mandela became president in South Africa's first all-race vote in 1994. The party has touted its record of promoting democratic freedoms and providing housing, water and electricity to millions of people, but the country struggles with high unemployment and a gulf between the poor and the wealthy.

Protests in poor communities periodically erupt. On Monday, at least 5,000 people demonstrated for better government services in the Nsuze area in KwaZulu-Natal province, blocking a road with burning tires and stones, police said. There were no reports of injuries, the South African Press Association reported. In a separate protest, 40 people were arrested in street unrest Monday in the East Rand area near Johannesburg, according to Eyewitness News, a South African media outlet.

Vietnam threatens legal action against China

May 22, 2014

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Vietnam's prime minister said Thursday for the first time that his country is considering legal action against China over its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, a move that Beijing would likely fiercely oppose.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea as its own, bringing it into conflict with the far smaller nations of Vietnam, the Philippines and three others that have rival claims. Beijing also has a territorial dispute with Japan over a cluster of islands in the East China Sea.

Last year, the Philippines filed a complaint against China before an international tribunal in The Hague to challenge the legality of its claims, antagonizing China. Beijing wants any disputes with countries to be resolved bilaterally even as it continues to engage in what many in the region regard as provocative assertions of its sovereignty in the waters.

China raised the stakes in the region earlier this month when it deployed an oil rig in an area claimed by Vietnam, triggering fury in Hanoi, which sent ships to try to disrupt the drilling operation. Street protests morphed into bloody anti-Chinese riots that damaged hundreds of factories.

Vietnam had been trying a more low-key approach in its dealings with China, but the oil rig deployment prompted it to toughen its stance. In a written reply to questions sent by The Associated Press, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said, "like all countries, Vietnam is considering various defense options, including legal actions in accordance with the international law." Dung did not specify what legal actions Hanoi was considering.

Two Vietnamese diplomats have previously told The AP that Vietnam might now file its own appeal or join Manila's legal challenge against China. A senior Philippine government official said Dung and other Vietnamese officials mentioned that plan to their Philippine counterparts in closed-door meetings on Wednesday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Vietnam has notified the United Nations of China's actions, Deputy Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh told reporters in Manila. Dung has demanded that China withdraw the rig, but Beijing insists it has done nothing wrong.

At a regular briefing in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei accused Dung of "calling white black in the world community and attacking China in an absurd manner." "What Vietnam should do is harshly punish the assailants in the smashing, looting, burning and beatings, protect Chinese companies, and stop the harassment of the Chinese drilling rig. Apart from that, they should pay compensation for all the damage," Hong said.

Dung said Vietnamese authorities have contained the rioting, and business in the affected areas is back to normal. When asked if Vietnam would risk going to war in disputed waters, Dung said his country would never venture into that.

"Military solution? The answer is no," Dung said in the email. "Vietnam has endured untold suffering and losses from past invasive wars ... We are never the first to use military means and would never unilaterally start a military confrontation unless we are forced to take self-defense actions."

Dung used a speech at the opening of the World Economic Forum on East Asia in Manila on Thursday to again criticize China. He warned that an armed conflict in the South China Sea, where a large share of the world's shipping passes, could be so debilitating "it may even reverse the trend of global economic recovery."

"The action by China has been directly threatening peace, stability and maritime security and safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea," Dung said, using Vietnam's name for the South China Sea.

More than 130 ships, including military vessels, and aircraft have been deployed by China to guard the oil rig, he said. On Wednesday, Dung said he and Philippine President Benigno Aquino III "shared deep concern over the current extremely dangerous situation caused by China's many actions that violate international law."

In a rare show of public unity between two states wrestling with China's growing assertiveness, Dung said Vietnam and the Philippines were "determined to oppose China's violations and call on countries and the international community to continue strongly condemning China and demanding China to immediately end the above said violations."

Aquino did not mention the territorial disputes with China when he and Dung faced journalists, but said they discussed how their countries could enhance defense and economic ties, adding that both governments aim to double two-way trade to $3 billion in two years.

Many have feared that long-seething territorial disputes in the resource-rich South China Sea could spark Asia's next armed conflict. Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan also have overlapping territorial claims in the strategic area.

China and the Philippines are in a standoff over another South China Sea reef, the Second Thomas Shoal. Chinese coast guard ships have tried three times to block Filipino vessels delivering new military personnel and food supplies to Philippine marines keeping watch on the disputed area on board a long-grounded ship.

Associated Press writers Teresa Cerojano in Manila and Chris Bodeen in Beijing contributed to this report.

Vietnam clamps down on anti-China protests

May 18, 2014

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam smothered anti-China protests on Sunday with a massive security clampdown after deadly riots triggered by a territorial dispute with Beijing spooked foreign investors and the country's authoritarian leadership alike.

As patrol ships from both countries remained locked in a standoff close to a Chinese oil rig in a disputed patch of the South China Sea, Beijing said it had evacuated 3,000 nationals from Vietnam and was sending the first of five ships to pull out others wanting to leave.

China also said that it would suspend some of its bilateral exchange plans with Vietnam and that it was advising Chinese not to visit the country. China's decision to deploy the massive oil rig on May 1 has been widely seen as it one of its most provocative steps in a campaign to assert its sovereignty in the waters. It triggered fury in Vietnam and the worst breakdown in ties between Hanoi and Beijing in years.

Tensions have been mounting between the two countries despite their sharing of a political ideology. Both nations are run by communist regimes that since the 1990s have embraced free market capitalism while retaining large state sectors and powerful internal security systems.

Last weekend, Vietnam permitted anti-China protests that drew thousands of people, a rare step that allowed it to amplify state anger against Beijing. Doing so was risky for authorities: Dissident groups joined the protests, and by Tuesday and Wednesday, the rallies had morphed into riots targeting factories believed to be owned by Chinese companies, though many of those hit were Taiwanese. Two Chinese nationals were killed and more than 100 wounded.

Vietnam's state-security apparatus on Sunday ensured no one was able to protest, with thousands of police and security officers flooding southern Ho Chi Minh City and the capital, Hanoi. Police were posted outside well-known dissidents' houses, preventing them from leaving, according to activists.

In Ho Chi Minh City, police detained several demonstrators after dragging them from a park close to the city's cathedral. Authorities in Hanoi closed off streets and a park close to the Chinese Embassy, while police barking into bullhorns shoved journalists and protesters away.

"I want to send a message that if we don't stop China today, tomorrow it will be too late," said demonstrator Dao Minh Chu, as he was pushed away from the park near China's embassy, where last week around 500 people gathered without interference from authorities. Those protests were covered enthusiastically by state media, a clear sign of state sanction.

Some users in Vietnam on Sunday reported having trouble accessing Facebook, a popular medium for Vietnamese to get news and photos of demonstrations from activists. The government keeps a low-level and sporadic block on popular social media platforms.

China has loudly demanded that Hanoi protect Chinese people inside Vietnam, which is heavily dependent on Beijing economically. Hundreds of Chinese have left by commercial flights and across the land border into Cambodia, although there has been calm since Thursday.

On Sunday, China said it dispatched to Vietnam a passenger ship capable of carrying 1,000 people, the first of five vessels it planned to send to complete an evacuation on top of 3,000 nationals who had left earlier. With Chinese traveling in increasing numbers, Beijing is under pressure to protect them overseas.

China's Foreign Ministry said two charter flights carrying more than 290 Chinese employees from affected businesses arrived in Chengdu in southwest China on Sunday afternoon. They included more than 100 injured people.

The ministry also said that the government would suspend some of its bilateral exchange plans with Vietnam and that it was advising Chinese not to visit the country. In a statement posted on the ministry's website, spokesman Hong Lei said the violence that has resulted in Chinese casualties and property losses had "damaged the atmosphere and conditions for exchanges and cooperation between China and Vietnam."

For the time being, China is advising its citizens not to travel to Vietnam and has suspended some bilateral exchange plans, and will take further measures if necessary, Hong said. No details were given on the bilateral exchange plans.

A Taiwanese steel mill attacked on Wednesday employed 1,000 Chinese workers, who can be cheaper to hire and easier to manage than Vietnamese laborers. Yang Yang, a political scientist at the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing, said there were so many Chinese working in Vietnam that sending ships might be more practical than planes. "It can also appease the unhappiness of the Chinese public over the violence against Chinese nationals in Vietnam," he said.

In recent years, foreign companies attracted by low wages and a reputation for safety have flocked to Vietnam, opening factories making everything from sneakers to smartphones. The government is aware that last's week violence threatens that vital economic cog.

On Saturday, top Vietnamese security official Lt. Gen. Hoang Kong Tu vowed to ensure the safety of all foreign investments and citizens in the country, including those from China. More than 1,000 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, which authorities have blamed on "extremists."

While China and Vietnam have growing business links and share a political ideology and a commitment to authoritarianism, they also have a long history of bad blood. Many Vietnamese harbor deep resentment over what they see as China's bullying and economic exploitation of Beijing's far smaller neighbor.

China has been much more assertive in pressing its territorial claims in recent years, but the placement of the rig 220 kilometers (136 miles) off the coast of Vietnam was considered especially provocative.

Hanoi sent patrol ships to confront the rig and scores of Chinese vessels protecting it, and they remained locked in a tense standoff. Neither side has shown any sign of withdrawing their ships or willing to compromise.

Vietnam's government routinely arrests free speech activists and others challenging one-party rule, and anti-China protests have been one of the few opportunities for public gatherings. But several well-known activists said they had been prevented from leaving their homes on Sunday.

"I think the best way is to allow people to protest," said La Viet Dung, a frequent anti-China protester, adding that police visited him late Saturday asking him not to attend. "They say they are preventing people from protesting because they are worried about extremist actions and violence, but that is not logical."

Dinh reported from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Associated Press writer Louise Watt and news assistant Henry Hou in Beijing contributed to this report.

Vietnam PM texts nation amid anti-China riots

May 16, 2014

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam's prime minister sent a text message to millions of citizens urging them to act in defense of the country's sovereignty following China's deployment of on oil rig in disputed waters, but said that "bad elements" shouldn't be allowed to engage in violence.

The message, sent late Thursday and into Friday to subscribers via major cell phone operators — all state-owned — didn't directly condemn the riots that have broken out this week following China's decision to deploy the rig off the coast of central Vietnam on May 1. Vietnamese patrol ships sent to try and disrupt the rig are currently locked into a tense standoff with Chinese ships guarding it.

Anti-China protests that started peacefully have ended in violence and vandalism this week, with 400 factories suspected to have links with China destroyed or damaged by mobs. One Chinese worker was killed and scores more injured at a huge Taiwanese steel mill that was overrun by a 1,000 strong crowd.

"The prime minister requests and calls on every Vietnamese to boost their patriotism to defend the fatherland's sacred sovereignty with actions in line with the law," the text message said. "Bad elements should not be allowed to instigate extremist actions that harm the interests and image of the country."

Vietnam's authoritarian leaders typically clamp down on public protests of any sort, but have allowed them this time. The unrest has been subject to a media blackout, but reporters and television stations have been permitted to cover the peaceful protests, a clear sign of state sanction.

The government appears to be trying harness the nationalist sentiment of its people to send a message of protest to Beijing and garner international sympathy. But it has to be careful that the forces it unleashes don't end up triggering chaos in a country with a long history of popular anti-China sentiment.

Neither China nor Vietnam has shown any sign of compromise. China and Vietnam have tussled for years over the competing claims, as have the Philippines and China. But Beijing's desire for oil and gas, and its growing economic and military might, have seen it take an increasingly assertive stance to its claims in the sea, triggering increased tensions and incidents between it and claimant states.

The anti-China violence on the streets is only inflaming the relationship further. China's Foreign Ministry posted a statement late last night saying Foreign Minister Wang Yi had stated China's "strong condemnation and stern protest" over the violence against Chinese and other foreign nationals and businesses in a phone call to Vietnam's foreign minister Pham Binh Minh.

"Vietnam has an inescapable responsibility for the actions of the lawless elements who attacked Chinese businesses and individuals," Wang said. The U.S. doesn't take a side in the disputes, but shares many of the concerns of Vietnam and the Philippines about China. It is seeking closer economic and military ties with both nations. It has described China's deployment of the rig as "provocative."

In Washington, U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey said after a meeting Thursday with his Chinese counterpart that in a world where information moves so fast, "issues afloat quickly become issues ashore as we've seen today in Vietnam."

People's Liberation Army's Chief of the General Staff Gen. Fang Fenghui blamed Vietnam for the off-shore standoff, asserting that China was operating in its own territorial waters. He vowed China would continue its oil drilling and would not allow Vietnam to disrupt it.

Looming street protests a test for Vietnam

May 10, 2014

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnamese anger toward China is running at its highest level in years after Beijing deployed an oil rig in disputed waters. That's posing a tricky question for Vietnam's leaders: To what extent should they allow public protests that could morph into those against their own authoritarian rule?

At one level, the ruling Communist Party would like to harness the anger on the street to amplify its own indignation against China and garner international sympathy as naval ships from both countries engage in a tense standoff near the rig off the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.

But Vietnam's government instinctively distrusts public gatherings of any sort, much less ones that risk posing a threat to public order. And they also know that members of the country's dissident movement are firmly embedded inside the anti-China one, and have used the issue to mobilize support in the past.

On Saturday, around 100 people protested outside the Chinese Consulate in the country's commercial capital, Ho Chi Minh City, watched on by a large contingent of security officers. Dissident groups have called for larger demonstrations on Sunday in Ho Chi Minh City and in Hanoi, the capital.

The two Asian nations have a history of conflict going back 1,000 years, and the streets of Vietnam's cities are named after heroes in those fights. In the more recent past, the navies have twice had deadly engagements in the South China Sea. There was a brief but bloody border war in 1979. All have a created a deep well of mistrust toward China among ordinary Vietnamese.

Yet the two countries share a Communist ideology and close economic ties, making the China-Vietnam relationship highly sensitive topic. The latest round of tension — the worst since 1988, when 64 Vietnamese sailors were killed in a clash with the Chinese navy — had led to fresh and awkward questions over that relationship, a normally taboo topic in the state-controlled media.

"It's time for the Communist Party of Vietnam to reconsider all its policy toward Beijing ... Vietnam should immediately abandon Beijing as an economic and a political model," Huy Duc, one of Vietnam's best known bloggers, wrote in a recent post. "Hopefully, the drilling rig 981 incident will awaken the Communist Party of Vietnam to be on the side of the people and drive out the Beijing expansionists."

A statement widely circulated on Facebook and dissident blogs called for protests on Sunday morning in Hanoi outside the Chinese Embassy and a Chinese cultural center in Ho Chi Minh City. In past years, authorities have only allowed anti-China demonstrators to walk around a lake in downtown Hanoi.

"Facing the danger of Chinese aggression appropriating the sacred East Sea, the source of livelihood of the Vietnamese over generations, we are determined not to compromise," according to a statement posted alongside the protest call that used the Vietnamese term for the South China Sea.

"We cannot continue to compromise and be vile and sinful to our heroic ancestors and feel ashamed before our future generations," it said. The last time there was a flare-up in the South China Sea in 2011, anti-Chinese protests lasted weeks, and some protesters voiced slogans against the government. Authorities used force to break them up.

"The state is in a truly difficult position," said Jonathon London, an expert on Vietnam at Hong Kong's City University. "By expressing its stern objections to China, it also invites expressions of dissent from Vietnamese that can take multiple forms. Certainly there is some overlap between those who want to express their anger at China, and those who are calling for basic reforms."

Vietnam's first response to the rig's deployment close to the Paracel Islands was to send ships to try and stop the rig from starting drilling, and demand Beijing withdraw. Each side accuses the other of ramming their boats. China has said it is staying put and called on Vietnam to pull back its ships.

Vietnam now finds itself pleading its case internationally but without any kind of solid alliance with a powerful country that that might make China listen more carefully. It can't afford to do anything that would severely rupture ties with Beijing because it is the country's largest trading partner.

That argument doesn't wash with everyone, however. "You can't use the importance of the relationship as an excuse not to do anything," said Nguyen Quang A, a respected academic who has been a frequent attendee of anti-China protests in the past. "I think what they did with sending the coast guard vessels was OK, but they have to be much stronger on the diplomatic and legal field."

China has announced the rig will stay in the area until August, meaning tensions are likely to remain until then. Experts say the incident might push Vietnam closer to the Philippines, which also is engaged in territorial disputes with China, or toward the United States, which wants closer ties with Vietnam as part of its efforts to counter Chinese influence in Asia.

Last year, the Philippines filed a case against the Chinese claim at a U.N tribunal, to the displeasure of Beijing. Many analysts believe that Vietnam will now be seriously considering filing its own appeal or joining Manila, opening a diplomatic and legal front against Beijing.

"That's the one arrow left in their quiver other than shooting," said David Brown, a former U.S diplomat and Vietnam observer.

Israeli leader's visit sparks protests in Norway

May 12, 2014

STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — Israeli President Shimon Peres was met by political anger and protests over his country's policies in the occupied territories during a visit to Norway Monday.

The 90-year-old Peres, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his role in trying to bring Israel and the Palestinians together in Norwegian-mediated peace talks known as the Oslo Accords, is the first Israeli head of state to visit the country.

Norway's King Harald, who plays a ceremonial role and is not part of the government, welcomed Peres to the royal palace on Monday as police dispersed demonstrators outside. More protests were planned by 24 organizations.

"When the government invites the Israeli president on a state visit, one can only ask what signal Norway wants to send," said Kathrine Jensen, head of the Norwegian Palestine Committee. She demanded that the Norwegian government "condemn Israeli occupation policy and their human rights abuses."

Norwegian-Israeli relations have soured over the past decade as Norway's left-leaning governments took a critical stance against Israel. Unlike many western countries, Norway refused to classify Gaza's Islamic Hamas rulers as terrorists, and the government's rich oil fund has divested shares in companies accused of contributing to building Israeli homes in the West Bank.

Peres, who as foreign minister shared the peace prize in 1994 with the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, appeared unfazed by the protests. He told reporters after meeting King Harald that he enjoyed visiting Norway, which he described as "a pearl of humanity."

Despite the recent collapse of U.S.-backed Mideast peace talks, Peres said the chance for peace has not been lost. "Neither we nor the Palestinians have any other alternative but peace," Norwegian broadcaster NRK quoted Peres as saying in a speech at an Oslo synagogue.

After coup, Thai army summons Shinawatra family

May 23, 2014

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's ruling military on Friday summoned the entire ousted government and members of the politically influential family at the heart of the country's long-running conflict, a day after it seized control of this volatile Southeast Asian nation in a non-violent coup.

There was hardly any visible military presence on Bangkok's streets, which were less crowded than usual but still filled with vendors and people heading to work after a 10 p.m. - 5 a.m. curfew. There were no reports of overnight violence.

Countries including the United States, Japan and Australia expressed concern and disappointment over the coup, with the U.S. saying there was "no justification" for the takeover. It was unclear why more than 100 people — including the ousted prime minister and several members of the influential Shinawatra family — were ordered to report to the military, which said it was summoning the high-profile figures "to keep peace and order and solve the country's problems."

It was also unclear how many of them would turn up at the designated army compound in Bangkok, amid confusion over the military's intentions. Thursday's coup was launched while the military hosted a meeting of political rivals at the same compound for what was billed as a second round of talks on how to resolve the country's political deadlock. After two hours of inconclusive talks, armed soldiers detained the participants, including four Cabinet ministers, and army chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha appeared on national television to announce the takeover.

Without firing a shot, the military staged its second coup in eight years, suspending the constitution and the Cabinet, banning gatherings of more than five people and embarking on a risky bid to end half a year of political upheaval that many fear will only deepen the nation's crisis.

For seven months, anti-government protesters have been calling for the removal of the Shinawatra family and its alleged corrupting influence from Thai politics. Former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who was sacked by the Constitutional Court earlier this month for nepotism, was among those summoned Friday, along with acting Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan.

In response to rumors that Niwattumrong was being protected at the U.S. Embassy compound, American Ambassador Kristie Kenney tweeted: "Absolutely false. Do not believe rumors." The country's junta leader, Prayuth, said during his announcement Thursday that he had to act to restore stability and "quickly bring the situation back to normal" amid increasing spasms of violence that together with controversial court rulings had rendered the government powerless and the country profoundly divided.

But troubles for Thailand, a regional economic hub whose idyllic white-sand beaches and elephant-filled jungles draw millions of tourists a year, could be just beginning. "We're likely to see dark days ahead," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political analyst at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, referring to the possibility of violent resistance from the ousted government's supporters.

The army, which imposed martial law in a surprise move Tuesday that many sensed was a prelude to taking full power, imposed a nationwide curfew Thursday that began at 10 p.m. — a clear sign it was concerned about potential unrest.

But there was no sign of immediate trouble, and by daybreak Friday, there was hardly any visible military presence on Bangkok's streets. In the city center, the few military vehicles that had diverted cars on some major roads overnight were gone.

Traffic was lighter than usual and schools across the country were ordered closed, but life in Bangkok — a bustling metropolis of 10 million people — appeared relatively normal. Like any other morning, street vendors set up their food stalls, commuters headed to work and delivery trucks made their rounds.

"At first I was surprised and I thought it would affect my life in many ways but after re-thinking it several times I realize military protection makes me safe," said Bangkok resident Passawara Pinyo.

"I expected it to happen anyway," said office worker Montri Chanthasuthi, "it was just a matter of when." The main indication of military presence was on television, where regular programming was replaced by a static screen showing military crests and the junta's self-declared name: National Peace and Order Maintaining Council. Patriotic music filled air time, interrupted by occasional announcements from military officials.

Thursday's dramatic events were the culmination of a societal schism laid bare after the 2006 coup deposed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the older brother of Yingluck and a billionaire tycoon whose populist movement has won every national election since 2001. Thaksin lives in self-imposed exile to avoid corruption charges, but he still wields enormous influence over Thailand's political affairs and remains at the heart of the ongoing crisis.

The conflict pits a majority rural poor in the north and northeast, who benefited from Thaksin's populist policies, against an urban-based elite in Bangkok and the south that is concerned it is losing power.

It is a divide that has led to upheaval multiple times in recent years. The latest crisis alone has left 28 people dead and more than 800 wounded since November. Thailand's political tensions have played out against a backdrop of fears about the future of its monarchy. Thaksin's critics have accused him of disrespecting ailing King Bhumibol Adulyadej and trying to gain influence with Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, the heir to the throne

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the takeover and warned it would "have negative implications for the U.S.-Thai relationship," but did not announce immediate punitive steps. The State Department said it was reviewing millions of dollars in aid.

"There is no justification for this military coup," Kerry said in a statement that also called for the release of detained political leaders and a return of press freedom. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said her country was "gravely concerned" about the situation in Thailand. She called the coup a "regrettable development" that is prompting her government to review its relationship with the Southeast Asian nation, a major destination for Australian tourists.

Japan called the coup "deeply regrettable" and urged that democracy be quickly restored.

Associated Press writers Todd Pitman, Grant Peck and Ian Mader in Bangkok, and Lolita Baldor and Matthew Pennington in Washington contributed to this report.

Thai military seizes power in coup, imposes curfew

May 22, 2014

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's military seized power Thursday in a bloodless coup, dissolving the government, suspending the constitution and dispersing groups of protesters from both sides of the country's political divide who had gathered in Bangkok and raised fears of a violent showdown.

The powerful army chief, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, announced the military takeover in a statement broadcast on national television. It was followed by additional announcements including a nationwide curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and an order for top government officials — including the ousted prime minister — to report immediately to the country's new governing military commission.

There was no immediate sign of soldiers patrolling central Bangkok, but troops dispersed the two protest sites where competing groups were camped out — one backing the ousted government and one that had struggled for six months to unseat it. There were no signs of resistance or reports of violence.

Long lines formed at the city's elevated train and subway stations as panicked office workers tried to rush home before the curfew. Flanked by the heads of the armed forces, Prayuth said the coup was launched "to quickly bring the situation back to normal, to let the people have love and unity as in the past, and to reform the political and economic systems — and to grant equality to every side."

An army spokesman later announced that it had dissolved the caretaker government and suspended the constitution but that the Senate would remain in place. The pivotal developments came after Prayuth had declared martial law on Tuesday in what he called a bid to resolve the crisis and a day later summoned the country's rival political leaders for face-to-face talks. After two days of talks, the meeting failed to break the impasse.

Shortly before the announcement was made, armed soldiers in military vehicles surrounded the military facility where the politicians were meeting, apparently to block those inside from leaving. Many of the country's highest-profile figures were summoned for the meeting. They included the acting prime minister — who sent four Cabinet ministers in his place — and anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, as well as Suthep's rival from the pro-government Red Shirt group, Jatuporn Prompan. Reporters at the meeting said Suthep and Jatuporn were escorted out of the meeting by soldiers.

A government official, Paradorn Pattanathabutr, contacted shortly after the announcement said that the four ministers attending the meeting were still being held by the military. "The rest of us who are outside are still fine and in the safe places. However, the situation is very worrying. We have to monitor it closely and don't know what else can happen," he said.

Thailand has been gripped by bouts of political instability for more than seven years. The latest round of unrest started in November, when demonstrators took to the streets to try to force Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to step down. They accused her of being a proxy for her popular billionaire brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup and now lives in self-imposed exile to avoid a jail sentence on a corruption conviction.

The coup announced Thursday was the 12th since the country's absolute monarchy ended in 1932. The military was widely viewed as sympathetic to the protesters seeking to oust the current government. "We ask the public not to panic and to carry on their lives normally," Prayuth said. "And civil servants stay in every ministry, carry on your responsibilities as normal."

The army chief said that the military would "provide protection" for foreigners in Thailand. Prayuth invoked the military's expanded powers Tuesday and issued more than a dozen edicts that included broad powers of censorship over the media, the Internet and vaguely defined threats to prosecute opponents.

The military had insisted it was not seizing power, but said it was acting to prevent violence and restore stability in the deeply divided country. But he provided little clarity on a path forward, amid speculation both at home and abroad that the declaration of martial law was a prelude to a military coup.

Associated Press writers Todd Pitman and Ian Mader contributed to this report.

In Thailand, press early casualty of Army takeover

May 22, 2014

BANGKOK (AP) — A former political science professor was discussing the Thai army's declaration of martial law on live TV when the talk show was suddenly interrupted to transmit order No. 9 from the Peace and Order Maintaining Command.

The military edict banned media from interviewing academics and ex-government officials whose opinions could incite conflict. Shortly afterward, the host turned to her guest. "We have to wrap up the show for now," she said, before smiling and asking, "Do you have anything to add?"

Sukhum Nualsakul, a former rector of Ramkhamhaeng University, waved to the camera and responded simply, "See you when the situation is better." That scene Tuesday in the studios of the independent Thairath TV station underscored the precarious state of press freedom in Thailand in the wake of Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha's unexpected declaration of martial law this week and his decision Thursday to take control of the government.

Prayuth said the moves were necessary to restore stability after nearly seven months of political deadlock and deadly violence. At least 28 people have been killed since November, when a protest movement began pushing to overthrow the government.

Journalists and rights groups have criticized the army for primarily targeting the press rather than protesters. Of the 12 edicts issued Tuesday by the newly formed Peace and Order Maintaining Command, the military committee set up to oversee the army intervention, at least five concern media censorship.

Chiranuch Premchaiporn, a leading press freedom advocate from the online news outlet Prachatai, said the army believes "that by shutting people up, they can control the situation." "That can't work in a democracy," she said. "Thailand is deeply divided. Our problems will never be solved if people are not allowed to express their ideas and speak."

Martial law was announced in the dead of night, at 3 a.m. Tuesday. Troops fanned out across the capital and entered TV stations, forcing them to broadcast the army's message. Soldiers remained in master control rooms afterward to censor comments deemed "negative," and many remain.

So far, at least 14 partisan TV networks — both pro- and anti-government stations — have shut down and nearly 3,000 unlicensed community radio stations across Thailand have been ordered to close. Newspapers have been warned not to publish articles that could incite unrest. The army says violators will be prosecuted, but so far, none have.

The army has extended its censorship bid into social media, setting up a special committee to monitor it and summoning Internet service providers to discuss the issue. One, True Corp., says it has blocked access to six websites with "inappropriate" content.

Regional military commanders have ordered several academics not to comment on the political situation, according to Human Rights Watch. And at least one major bookstore in Bangkok, Kinokuniya, has pulled political titles from its shelves that could be deemed controversial.

An employee there, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the company took the action voluntarily. But Benjamin Zawacki, an independent analyst who lives in Bangkok, said on Twitter that the store informed him six books he had ordered were "prohibited for sale due to martial law."

The books included titles such as "Legitimacy Crisis in Thailand," a collection of essays that examine the conflict that has roiled the Southeast Asian country since the army overthrew former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a 2006 coup, over allegations that he abused his power and disrespected the nation's king.

Thaksin's ouster left Thailand sharply divided, between a poorer rural majority in the north and northeast that benefited from his populist policies and a traditional elite of staunch royalists and powerful businessmen in Bangkok and their supporters in the south.

Although some print media in the capital have toned down their reporting, commentaries on social media that are critical of the army intervention continue unabated. One example: a photo circulating on Twitter of two women holding up paper signs that read, "No Martial Law — A Coup in Disguise," and "Stop Abusing People Power!" as they stand next to helmeted soldiers decked in camouflage and black armored vests.

Leading Thai media organizations say that although some politically affiliated TV channels have broadcast provocative content that could fuel hatred, the military orders contravene the right to freedom of expression guaranteed by the constitution.

Shawn Crispin, the Bangkok-based representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists, agreed. "Partisan media on both sides have at times breached ethical lines in broadcasting hate speech ... but we think the military wrongly believes that free speech is stoking the conflict," he said. "If Thailand is going to come out of this crisis, the country needs to have an open and free debate."

The military suspended Thailand's constitution Thursday.

Associated Press writer Thanyarat Doksone contributed to this report.

Thailand's army declares martial law, denies coup

May 20, 2014

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's powerful army declared martial law before dawn Tuesday, deploying troops into the heart of Bangkok in a dramatic move it said was aimed at stabilizing the Southeast Asian country after six months of turbulent political unrest. The military, however, insisted a coup d'etat was not underway.

The surprise operation, which places the army in charge of public security nationwide, came amid deepening uncertainty over the nation's fate and one day after the caretaker prime minister refused to step down in the face of long-running anti-government protests.

Although soldiers entered multiple television stations to broadcast the army message, life in the vast skyscraper-strewn metropolis of 10 million people remained largely unaffected, with schools, businesses and tourist sites open and traffic flowing as usual.

On a major road in front of one of the country's most luxurious shopping malls, bystanders gawked at soldiers in jeeps mounted with machine guns who briefly diverted traffic. The mood wasn't tense; passers-by stopped to take cell phone pictures of the soldiers.

Thailand, an economic hub for Southeast Asia, has been gripped by off-and-on political turmoil since 2006, when former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was toppled by a military coup after being accused of corruption, abuse of power and disrespect for King Bhumibol Adulyadej. His overthrow triggered a power struggle that continues to this day and in broad terms pits Thaksin's supporters among a rural majority in the north and northeast against a conservative establishment in Bangkok and the south.

The army, which is seen by many as sympathetic to anti-government protesters, has staged 11 coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. But it made no moves Tuesday to dissolve the country's constitution or its current, caretaker government.

Acting Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan — who was not consulted beforehand on the army move — called an emergency Cabinet meeting to discuss the situation at an undisclosed location. In a brief statement, Niwattumrong said only that the government hopes the military action will "bring peace back to the people of every group and every side."

Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang, however, said in a post on his Facebook page that martial law was not an answer and warned it could "eventually spiral into a situation in which the military has no choice but to stage a coup."

Thailand's problems are "fundamentally political problems that must be solved through political processes under democracy ... not military or security measures," Chaturon said. The military statement was issued Tuesday by army chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-Ocha, who cited a 1914 law that gives the authority to intervene during times of crisis. He said the military took action to avert street clashes between political rivals which he feared "could impact the country's security."

"The Royal Thai Army intends to bring back peace and order to the beloved country of every Thai as soon as possible," he said. We "intend to see the situation resolved quickly." Prayuth later called a meeting Tuesday afternoon with senior officials from government agencies, provincial governors and representatives from the country's independent agencies — but not the Cabinet.

The latest round of unrest started last November, when demonstrators took to the streets to try to oust then-Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin's sister. She dissolved the lower house of parliament in December in a bid to ease the crisis, and has led a weakened, caretaker government with limited powers since then.

Earlier this month, the Constitutional Court ousted Yingluck and nine Cabinet ministers for abuse of power. But the move, which left the ruling party in charge of government, did little to resolve the conflict.

Competing protests in Bangkok have raised concerns of more violence, which were heightened by anti-government protesters who set a Monday deadline for achieving their goals of ousting the remnants of the government.

An overnight attack last week on the main anti-government protest site left 3 dead and more than 20 injured. It raised the toll since November to 28 dead and drew a strong televised rebuke from the army chief.

"This week looked ominous," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. "There was a strong likelihood of violence and turmoil."

"Martial law is intended to impose peace and order, but the key will be the army treatment of the two sides," Thitinan said. "If the army is seen as favoring one side over the other, then we could see the situation spiral and deteriorate. If the army is seen as even-handed ... we could actually see the situation improving."

Throughout the morning, the army issued multiple edicts. In one, they asked TV and radio stations to be on standby to interrupt programming for army broadcasts when asked. At least 10 politically affiliated private TV stations from both sides ceased broadcasting — after armed soldiers entered and requested they do so.

The leader of the pro-government Red Shirt movement, Jatuporn Prompan, said his group could accept the imposition of martial law, but said they "won't tolerate a coup or other non-constitutional means" to grab power.

"We will see what the army wants," he said, warning that the undemocratic removal of the country's caretaker government "will never solve the country's crisis and will plunge Thailand deeper into trouble."

Red Shirts had been massing for days on the outskirts of Bangkok, and Jatuporn said his supporters were being "surrounded." More than 100 soldiers deployed near the rally venue with coils of barbed wire to block roads; they appeared to be taking over control of the area from police and rumors spread they would conduct a raid in search for weapons.

Brad Adams, Asia Director for Human Rights Watch, said denounced the army move, calling it "a de facto coup." "The military has pulled a 100 year old law off the shelf that makes the civilian administration subordinate to the military, effectively rendering the executive, legislative and judicial branches powerless," Adams said.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said the U.S. was "very concerned about the deepening political crisis in Thailand." We "urge all parties to respect democratic principles, including respect for freedom of speech," she said. "We expect the Army to honor its commitment to make this a temporary action to prevent violence, and to not undermine democratic institutions."

On Monday, Thailand's acting prime minister insisted his government will not resign, resisting pressure from a group of senators who are seeking ways to settle the country's political crisis, and from anti-government protesters who are demanding an appointed prime minister.

A group of about 70 senators, most of whom are seen as siding with the anti-government protesters, proposed a framework on Friday that calls for a new interim government with full power to conduct political reforms.

The Senate, the only functioning legislative body in the country, was seen as the last resort of the anti-government protesters, who are calling for an interim, unelected prime minister to be chosen.

Associated Press writers Jocelyn Gecker and video journalists Kiko Rosario and Raul Gallego Abellan in Bangkok and Deb Riechmann in Washington contributed to this report.

Protesters march to Thai prime minister's compound

May 12, 2014

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's anti-government protesters left their main camp Monday to resettle near Parliament and the prime minister's vacated office compound, where their leader pledged to set up his new office in a direct challenge to the government's authority.

The country's new caretaker prime minister, Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan, meanwhile worked at a makeshift suburban outpost, underlining the government's weakness. He reiterated calls for a July election and said he and his Cabinet were committed to finding a peaceful solution to the country's political crisis.

Thailand's grinding 6-month political crisis has deepened since last week, when the Constitutional Court removed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra for nepotism in a case that many viewed as politically motivated. Nine Cabinet ministers were also dismissed.

Protesters say her removal is not enough. They want to set up an unelected "people's council" to implement still-undefined reforms to completely remove her family's influence from politics before any elections, which the current ruling party would likely win.

Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban has called for a "final push" to install an unelected leader — a goal that critics call undemocratic but supporters say is necessary to carry out the reforms. On Monday, Suthep ended a monthslong occupation of Bangkok's Lumpini Park, which protesters had converted into a litter-strewn campground. He led thousands of supporters to the Parliament, where the Senate was informally meeting to discuss the crisis and debate his controversial proposal for an appointed prime minister.

Suthep met at the Parliament with what appeared to be about half of the chamber's 150 senators, including new Speaker Surachai Liengboonlertchai, who is seen as sympathetic to his views. Protesters were making their new main base outside the prime minister's office compound, called Government House, though after the meeting Suthep called for them also to stay outside Parliament, which is nearby. The executive compound has been vacant for months due to the threat of takeover by protesters.

Suthep says protesters will remain outside the compound and that he will not occupy the actual prime minister's office. But he plans to set up an office in the compound's Santi Maitree Building traditionally used for state visits.

The military that provides security at Government House said over the weekend that Suthep would be allowed in to avoid further clashes in a crisis that has left more than 20 dead and hundreds injured since November.

Police have sought for months to charge Suthep with insurrection, terrorism and other crimes for leading the protests. Acting Prime Minister Niwattumrong defended the government's hands-off approach as good crisis management. "We do not want violence or any problems," he told reporters Monday.

Last week, Yingluck's remaining Cabinet named Niwattumrong, who was deputy premier, as acting leader. Government supporters have warned that any attempt to install an unelected prime minister could spark a "civil war."

Like Yingluck before him, he is forced to work out of the Office to the Permanent Secretary for Defense in the unfashionable suburb of Muang Thong Thani. "I don't think we'll have a civil war," Niwattumrong told reporters. "It's already (been) six months, and we can manage the country quite well."

Both supporters and opponents are keeping large crowds of supporters in the Thai capital, which has raised concerns of clashes. Thailand's political crisis began in 2006, when Yingluck's brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was toppled by a military coup after being accused of corruption, abuse of power and disrespect for King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Thaksin, a former telecommunications billionaire, remains highly popular among the rural poor in Thailand's north and northeast, and parties controlled by him have won every national election since 2001. The anti-government protesters, aligned with the opposition Democrat Party and backed by the country's traditional elites, say they want to remove all traces of his political machine from politics.

Thai gov't supporters warn on unelected premier

May 10, 2014

BANGKOK (AP) — Supporters of Thailand's embattled government on Saturday warned the country's judiciary and Senate against any attempt to install an unelected prime minister, saying it would be a disaster for the nation that could spark civil war.

Jatuporn Prompan, who heads the pro-government Red Shirt movement, made the comment to reporters during a rally on the western edge of Bangkok that was held after the ouster this past week of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in a controversial ruling by the Constitutional Court.

The ruling emboldened anti-government protesters, who on Friday ramped up their efforts to bring down what remains of Yingluck's administration by laying siege to television stations, surrounding state offices and demanding lawmakers help them install a non-elected prime minister to rule the country.

Yingluck's Cabinet has named deputy premier Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan as acting prime minister, but the leader of the anti-government protest movement, Suthep Thaugsuban, said Saturday that Niwattumrong "doesn't hold the authority and status to be the head of the government."

Suthep said the Senate should "quickly consult the presidents of the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Administrative Court and the Election Commission to work to appoint the new prime minister immediately."

The anti-government protesters called Friday for a "final push" to oust the entire Cabinet and set up an unelected "people's council" that they say would implement still-undefined reforms to combat corruption and fight money politics. They oppose elections scheduled for July, which the current ruling party would likely win.

Jatuporn, however, insisted that the current government was legitimate and denied there was any political vacuum in the wake of Yingluck's departure. There is only "the political vacuum that the elites, including Suthep, are attempting to create," he said Saturday.

Appointing an unelected prime minister "will inflict a crisis on the nation, because the only solution for Thailand is democracy under the king as head of the state," Jatuporn said. "I want my voice to be heard by the presidents of three courts and the Senate ... that you are going to create a disaster in the nation," he said. "You are going to create a serious crisis that could lead to a civil war that no one wants to see."

Thailand's long-running political crisis began in 2006 when Yingluck's brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was toppled by a military coup after being accused of corruption, abuse of power and disrespect for King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Thaksin, a former telecommunications billionaire, remains highly popular among the rural poor in Thailand's north and northeast, and parties controlled by him have won every national election since 2001. The anti-government protesters, aligned with the opposition Democrat Party, say they want to remove all traces of his political machine from politics.

The protesters achieved a partial victory Wednesday when the Constitutional Court ousted Yingluck, saying she had violated the constitution by transferring a senior civil servant to benefit her politically powerful family. Nine other Cabinet members were also forced from their posts.

Analysts said the ruling was another blow to Thailand's fragile democracy, and that it added to a growing sense that the nation's judiciary is biased in favor of a powerful conservative establishment of elites backed by royalists and the army.

With anti-government protesters on the streets of Bangkok and the Red Shirts rallying on the city's western edge, there have been concerns about violence. Jatuporn said "each side should take care of their own supporters" and avoid confrontation.

Since the latest crisis intensified in November, 25 people have died and more than 800 have been wounded. On Friday, police fired tear gas and water cannons to push back hundreds of anti-government demonstrators who attempted to force their way into the government's security agency. Six people were reported injured.

Court forces out Thai leader, but crisis continues

May 07, 2014

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's prime minister was ordered by a court to step down Wednesday in a ruling that handed a victory to anti-government protesters who have staged six months of street protests — but does little to resolve the country's political crisis.

The Constitutional Court found Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra guilty of abusing her power by transferring a senior civil servant in 2011 to another position. It ruled that the transfer was carried out to benefit her politically powerful family and, therefore, violated the constitution — an accusation she has denied.

The ruling also forced out nine Cabinet members but left nearly two dozen others in their posts, including Deputy Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan, who was quickly appointed the new acting leader.

Looking relaxed, Yingluck appeared live on national television two hours after the verdict to thank her supporters, emphasize that she was an elected leader and assert her innocence. "We held true to the principles of honesty in running the country, and never acted corruptly, as we were accused," said Yingluck, 46, who swept to power nearly three years ago as the country's first female prime minister.

The judgment is the latest development in Thailand's long-running political crisis. It was a victory for Yingluck's opponents, mostly from the urban elite and those in the south, who have been engaged in vociferous and sometimes violent street protests in Bangkok demanding she step down to make way for an interim unelected leader.

However, the ruling leaves the country in political limbo and primed for more violence. Since November, more than 20 people have been killed and hundreds injured in sporadic gunbattles, drive-by shootings and grenade attacks.

The court's decision casts doubt on whether new elections planned for July will be delayed, which would anger Yingluck's mostly rural supporters who have called for a major rally Saturday in Bangkok. "Today's verdict is just a bump on the road of democracy, but we will still keep moving on," said Jatuporn Prompan, leader of the pro-Yingluck Red Shirt protest movement. "Our stance has been clear ... if an illegal prime minister steps in, we will fight. If there's a coup, we will fight."

It also remains far from clear whether her opponents will be able to achieve their other key demands, including creating a reform council overseen by a leader of their choice that will carry out various steps to rid the country of corruption and what they claim is money politics, including alleged vote-buying, conducted by Yingluck's family.

Yingluck and her Pheu Thai party remain very popular among the country's poor majority, particularly in the north and northeast. But she is despised by Bangkok's middle and upper class as a puppet of her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister and highly polarizing figure.

Thailand's political upheaval began in 2006 when Thaksin was ousted in a military coup after protests accusing him of corruption, abuse of power and disrespect for King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Thaksin's supporters say the Thai establishment opposes him because their position of privilege has been threatened by his electoral popularity, cemented by populist programs that benefited the less well-off in the countryside.

Thailand's courts, like its military, are seen as bastions of anti-Thaksin conservatism, and have a record of hostile rulings toward the Shinawatra political machine, which is fueled by a fortune Thaksin made in the telecommunications sector. Thaksin's opponents, including those who have rioted and attacked police, destroyed public property and occupied government offices, have usually been treated leniently by the courts.

In 2007, the Constitutional Court made a landmark ruling dissolving Thaksin's original Thai Rak Thai party for fraud in a 2006 election, and banned its executives from politics for five years. Thaksin went into self-imposed exile in 2008 to escape a two-year jail sentence for conflict of interest while prime minister.

Thaksin's allies in late 2007 handily won the first post-coup election, but the Constitutional Court in 2008 kicked out two successive pro-Thaksin prime ministers. A coalition government then cobbled together by the opposition Democrat Party had to use the army to put down pro-Thaksin demonstrations in 2010 that left more than 90 people dead in street battles, but Yingluck and her Pheu Thai party won a sweeping majority in a mid-2011 general election.

Opposition senators lodged the case with the Constitutional Court over the transfer of National Security Council chief Thawil Pliensri. He was replaced by the police chief, who in turn was replaced by a Thaksin relative.

"Transferring government officials must be done in accordance with moral principle," the court said in its ruling, read aloud on live television for almost 90 minutes. "Transferring with a hidden agenda is not acceptable."

Yingluck's fortunes plunged when her party's lawmakers late last year used shady legislative tactics to try to ram through a law that would have given an amnesty to political offenders of the previous eight years, including Thaksin. The move ignited mass anti-government demonstrations.

Seeking to ease the pressure, Yingluck in December dissolved the lower house and called elections for Feb. 2. But her opponents on the street disrupted the polls, which in turn were invalidated by the courts.

Analysts called Wednesday's decision a damaging one for Thailand's judicial system. "The credibility of the justice system has vaporized," said Thongchai Winichakul, a professor of Southeast Asian history at the University of Wisconsin. "The royalist conservatives may celebrate this judicial coup. But the world will mourn over the death of another democracy."

Associated Press writers Grant Peck and Jocelyn Gecker contributed to this report.