Foreign officials described the move as a step backwards and urged Thailand to return to democracy.

Coup leader, Army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, in a bid to boost confidence, met with Bangkok-based diplomats and local and international media to explain the need for the coup.

Sonthi met with envoys and the press in  back-to-back sessions at the Royal Thai Army headquarters. He promised to relinquish power to democratically elected representatives as soon as possible.

In Washington, the US State Department said it was uneasy about the military takeover and said in a statement it hopes "the Thai people will resolve their political differences in accord with democratic principles and the rule of law".

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said coup was "not a practice to be encouraged".

"We as an organisation have always supported governmental changes through democratic means, through the ballot box," Annan told CNN. "Over the past decade or so they have established a solid democracy and institutions under the leadership of the King. And I'm sure they will be able to restore that institution and go back to a democratic system as soon as possible," Annan said.

Australia and New Zealand used stronger language, with Canberra saying it was concerned to see democracy "destroyed", and New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark saying her country "condemns" the coup.

Japan urged efforts to quickly restore democracy here, where many leading Japanese businesses have factories and affiliates.

China, which Thaksin has tried hard to build stronger relations with for strategic and diplomatic reasons, brushed off the coup as an internal affair and wished the country "harmony and prosperity".

"It's Thailand's own internal affair. China has consistently upheld the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs," the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement posted on its website.

"China and Thailand are friendly neighbours. We wish Thailand harmony and prosperity...and we hope for the continued development of friendly bilateral relations."

Yesterday, Indonesia expressed concern following the coup, saying it hoped democratic principles would be enforced.

"The Indonesian government is closely following the developments in Thailand with concern," Foreign Minister Hasan Wirayuda said in a statement issued from New York, where he was attending the UN General Assembly.

"As a fellow member state of Asean, the Indonesian government hopes that the democratic principles, important elements in the Asean community that have been agreed together, will remain enforced," Hasan said.

He also expressed hope that the political crisis could be settled soon through democratic means.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi voiced shock over the coup and said he hoped democratic rule would quickly be restored, the state media said.

"I am really shocked. I didn't expect a coup would have taken place in Thailand," Abdullah was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency late on Tuesday in New York, while at the UN General Assembly.

The Malaysian premier hoped a democratically elected government would be restored soon.

The Philippines expressed concern over the coup and urged Thais to resolve "internal" issues peacefully.

Philippine ambassador to Bangkok, Antonio Rodriguez, said the coup was an "internal political issue" and "we should wait for the crisis to be resolved before we issue a statement."

He said over the local broadcaster ABS-CBN that the main concern of the Philippines, a fellow member of Asean, was for the issue to be "resolved peacefully and that nothing happens to peace-loving people in Thailand".

"The influence of the (Thai) King is all-encompassing. I don't think the Thais will want to displease him by shooting at each other."

Rodriguez said he was unaware if Arroyo had been in touch with Thaksin since the events of Tuesday night. He said the 7,000 or so Filipinos living in Thailand were safe. Most of them are teachers, UN workers, entertainers or businessmen.

The Nation, Agencies