US confident Thai military won't resort to coup

The US said that it is "reasonably confident" Thailand's military would not launch a coup to resolve the country's political crisis.
Senior Defense Department official Amy Searight told a Washington think tank today that the Thai military has been "pretty open" that it has no interest in getting involved in running Thai politics again.
The military has taken power on numerous occasions over the decades, most recently in 2006 when it unseated then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Since then, divisions have only widened in Thai politics, and last week a court unseated Thaksin's sister as premier.
Senior US diplomat Scot Marciel said it would not be appropriate for the US to seek to impose a political solution on its Southeast Asian ally. But he said Washington is stressing that the solution should be constitutional and democratic.

Last week Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan was appointed caretaker prime minister to replace Yingluck Shinawatra after the Constitutional Court removed her for nepotism in a ruling that many Thais viewed as politically motivated.

The leader of the opposition, Suthep Thaugsuban today called for the appointment of an unelected prime minister, arguing that Niwattumrong has no legitimacy.
The government wants elections planned for July to go ahead, but Suthep insists that an unelected prime minister must implement political reforms first.
More than 20 people have died and hundreds have been injured in political violence in the country since November.