巴育稱泰王已認可其執掌國政

Thailand's military chief and coup leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha says the king has formally endorsed his position as head of the military council that will run the country.

In a televised press briefing Monday, the general also said that he would have no choice but to use force if political protests flare up again. He said he aims for an election as soon as possible, but gave no timeframe for a vote.

Prayuth abruptly cut the news briefing short when a reporter asked a question.

The announcement came a day after military leaders warned protesters any further rallies against its coup will not be tolerated. The warning came after a series of clashes between soldiers and protesters across the country on Sunday.

Army officials said protesters would be arrested, jailed and tried in military court.泰國軍方首腦、政變領導人巴育將軍說，國王已經正式認可他擔任軍事委員會領導人，該委員會將負責治理國家。

巴育星期一在電視轉播的新聞發佈會上還表示，如果再次發生政治抗議，他別無選擇，只能動用武力。巴育說，他的目標是儘早舉行選舉，但他沒有說明選舉時間。

在一名記者提問時，巴育立即中斷了新聞發佈會。

巴育做出上述宣佈的一天前，軍方領導人警告抗議者說，軍方將不再容忍反對政變的集會。在軍方發出警告之前，軍人和抗議者在全國各地爆發一系列衝突。

泰國軍方官員說，對抗議者將予以逮捕、監禁並送交軍事法庭審判。