New Thai prime minister

In Thailand, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, leader of the military coup that deposed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on May 22, was appointed the new prime minister on Aug. 25. General Prayuth was nominated by a handpicked legislature and endorsed by Thailand’s king, Bhumibol Adulyadej. 

The coup occurred after months of violent protests against the policies of Prime Minister Shinawatra. The army followed the coup with the arrests of hundreds of suspected dissidents and a strictly enforced curfew. In July, the military lifted the curfew in all areas of the country.