US sees 'no justification' for Thai coup

BANGKOK: A summary of government reactions to Thailand´s military coup, declared Thursday:

Washington, which froze U.S. military assistance after Thailand´s last coup in 2006 for 1 ½ years until democracy was restored, said it was reviewing military ties and preparing to suspend $10 million in aid to Thailand.

It also called for the release of any detained political leaders and voiced concern about media restrictions under the coup."´

There is no justification for this military coup," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said.

Australia expressed grave concerns that Thailand´s military seized power despite insisting two days earlier that it was not launching a coup, and said the government was reviewing its relationship with Thailand, a key tourist destination for Australian tourists.

"We need to know the reasons for announcing the coup just days after imposing martial law on the basis that it was not a coup," Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said.

Tokyo said the coup was "deeply regrettable." "Japan strongly urges those concerned that democracy in Thailand be quickly restored, " Foreign Affairs Minister Fumio Kishida said.

Neighbor Malaysia hoped that all parties in Thailand would be able to work toward a peaceful solution and urged Malaysians to postpone travel to the country for security reasons.