Tanks line the side of a road in Bangkok's outskirts September 21, 2006. The Thai army banned political party meetings and 'political activities' on Thursday, two days after ousting Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a coup. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang

Soldiers stand guard on a tank in Bangkok's outskirts September 21, 2006. Thailand was back to work as normal on Thursday, less than 36 hours after a military coup condemned by international leaders but endorsed by the royal palace and greeted by many Thais with relief. The military shut down the city on Wednesday, in the interests of maintaining calm, they said. But Bangkok traffic was back to the familiar near-gridlock, while coup leaders worked on fulfilling a promise of a civilian prime minister in two weeks. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang