Today’s military coup in Thailand came as no surprise to the people of Bangkok, who have been anticipating a move against the Government by the army over the past five months of political turmoil.

Even before tanks rolled into the capital and sealed off Government House, the office of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, rumours had surfaced repeatedly that the generals were about to make their move.

With Mr Thaksin abroad attending a long-planned engagement at the summit of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the coup plotters seized their chance to grab power.

At a single stroke Thailand’s outward appearance as a peaceful tourist destination and a growing economic power in Asia was shattered by the rumble of tanks and the sight of heavily armed soldiers patrolling the capital’s normally bustling streets.

What few outsiders appreciate about the ancient kingdom is that the military remains the most powerful institution in the country. It has repeatedly flexed its muscles, notching up no fewer than 23 coup attempts in the past 74 years.

Tim Forsyth, an expert on Thailand at the London School of Economics who was in Bangkok during the last coup in 1991, said today that it was unlikely that the coup leaders intended to hold on to power but rather to have Mr Thaksin removed and replaced by someone more acceptable.

"Historically Thailand has been ruled by the military, but I would be astounded if they tried to form a military government," he said. "My guess is that they intend to announce new elections."

Clearly the military’s patience with the former policeman and millionaire businessman who became the country’s first populist leader, finally snapped after months of a power struggle between the army and the government.

The political turmoil was compounded by an increasingly bloody anti-insurgency campaign against Muslim militants in the south and growing doubts about the ability of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the revered but aged monarch, to rule his kingdom.

The current crisis was triggered by the aftermath of April’s annulled elections, which were widely boycotted by the opposition, and left Mr Thaksin at the head of a caretaker government.

Soon afterwards General Sondhi Boonyaratglin, the army commander-in-chief and suspected main plotter in today’s coup, announced that the King was unhappy with the political crisis.

The following month Prem Tinsulanonda, a former general turned royal aide, put on his old cavalry uniform and reminded an assembly of military cadets that their duty was to the King and not the Government.

The generals were then suspected of trying to neutralise Mr Thaksin’s supporters within the Armed Forces, when more than 100 middle ranking officers, allied to the Prime Minister, were removed from key posts in the capital in July.

Later the following month police arrested a junior officer found in a car packed with explosives near Mr Thaksin’s home. The Prime Minister responded by sacking General Pallop Pinmanee, the deputy chief of the powerful Internal Security Operations Command.

The general remained defiant. "If I had wanted to kill him, the Prime Minister would not have escaped," he said ominously.

As recently as last week, motorists in Bangkok was sent into a panic when tanks were seen rolling near the capital. The army insisted that it was simply troops returning from manoeuvres in the countryside.

Today the tanks were once again rolling in Bangkok, this time for real.

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