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Within days, Bangkok moved from a troubled democracy to martial law to a coup under an army junta without a single shot fired.

LAST Tuesday the Thai military declared martial law, apparently before consulting the government.

Cynics saw a coup in the making, or at least an impending variation of yet another coup in the countrys endless political manoeuvring.

However, army chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha declared that martial law was meant only to keep warring protest groups at bay, while giving rival political camps more time and space to reach an agreement.

The government of Acting Caretaker Prime Minister Niwuttamrong Boonsongpaisan was still in place. The Constitution was still in operation.

On Wednesday, Prayuth called a two-day reconciliatory meeting at Bangkoks Royal Army Club to try and defuse soaring tension and get the bitterly divided groups to settle their differences.

Niwuttamrong stayed away, implying that as Prime Minister it was beneath him to comply with an army command. Such an attitude seldom goes down well with the army in anxiety mode.

Niwuttamrong was absent again on Thursday, with neither a political agreement nor any sign of compromise between the besieged government and massed protesters on the streets.

At 4.30pm, Prayuth announced a coup as army units moved fully into place. Suddenly Niwuttamrongs whereabouts were unknown, believed to have ducked out of sight.

Leaders of both the main governing Pheu Thai party and the opposition Democrat party were detained. So were protest leaders from both the anti-government Peoples Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) and the pro-government United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD).

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Another reluctant coup hits Thailand