This week, the Thai military declared a coup in an effort to return stability to the country, which has spent the last six months in a state of political unrest. Also, a woman who was drugged and kidnapped as a teenager was found alive after spending 10 years in captivity.
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Thai Military Declares a Coup
On Thursday, Thailand’s military seized control of the country in a coup.
They suspended the constitution, dissolved the cabinet, banned gatherings of more than five people, imposed a curfew and shut down schools, according to The New York Times. The military also detained key political leaders.
Television network programming was canceled and replaced with messages from the military and patriotic songs. The commander in chief of the Royal Thai Army, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, made a televised announcement in which he claimed that the coup was meant to restore stability and help the country return to normal.
Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the takeover, stating that “there is no justification for this military coup” and that “this act will have negative implications for the U.S.-Thai relationship.”
The coup was declared two days after the military declared martial law and occurred after six months of often-violent political unrest. This was the second time in eight years that the Thai army has overthrown an elected government.
Teenage Kidnap Victim Found 10 Years Later
California authorities found a woman who was drugged and kidnapped as a teenager 10 years ago in Santa Ana.
Isidro Garcia, 41, was arrested for allegedly drugging and kidnapping the then 15-year-old girl, and now faces charges for kidnapping, rape and false imprisonment. Garcia allegedly abducted the girl while he was living with her as her mother’s boyfriend, according to New York Daily News. He then drove her to a house in Compton and locked her in a garage, telling her that her family had stopped searching for her and that if she tried to escape, her family would be deported.
According to police, the girl had arrived to the U.S. from Mexico less than a year before the abduction and didn’t speak English at the time.
“This is a 15-year-old girl that’s only been in the country for six months. She doesn’t know where to go, she doesn’t know what to do, she’s in a strange city — he’s all she’s got,” said Santa Ana Police Corporal Anthony Bertagna. “That’s when the brainwashing starts.”
The teen tried to escape twice during her imprisonment, but was caught and beaten both times. Garcia also moved around several times to keep the girl from being found and created falsified identity documents.
In 2007, Garcia married his victim and fathered a child with her in 2012. The victim was finally discovered when she found her sister on Facebook and then went to the police.
“I’m so happy and God-blessed to be with my family,” said the now 25-year-old woman. “That’s what I want all the time. All the time, I cry for them, more for my mom and my sisters.”