BANGKOK: Thailand's apparent coup leader, General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, is known as a soft-spoken and pragmatic career military man handpicked as army chief by the very prime minister he has deposed.
Premier Thaksin Shinawatra named Sonthi one year ago to head the army, making him the first Muslim to lead the most powerful branch of the military in this predominantly Buddhist country.
The appointment drew praise from observers who hoped the decorated combat veteran would find a way to end an Islamic separatist insurgency in mainly Muslim provinces of southern Thailand.
Aside from their shared religion, Sonthi has little else in common with the ethnic Malay Muslims in the impoverished and volatile region along the southern border with Malaysia.
He was born outside Bangkok in 1946 to a prestigious family descended from a long line of prominent Thai Muslims.
One of his ancestors was Thailand's first national Muslim spiritual leader more than two centuries ago, and his mother was a lady-in-waiting at the royal palace.
He graduated from Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy in 1969 and received further military training in the United States.
He was commissioned to the Royal Army Infantry Corps, before going on to lead several top units, including the elite Special Warfare Command.
As an army chief known to be close to Thailand's revered king, Sonthi has publicly clashed with Thaksin over security policy in the run-up to the military takeover late Tuesday.
He had advocated talks with militants as a way out of the violence that has killed more than 1,400 people since January 2004, but was rebuffed by the government, which publicly quashed any hopes for negotiations.
But until Tuesday, he had steered a neutral course through the months of political turmoil that has hobbled Thailand since anti-government protests broke out in February.
He was often seen as an unofficial voice for Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej in the crisis, at times criticizing both Thaksin and the protest leaders over the continued bickering.
"The country's problem, which originated some time ago and has prevailed until now, has saddened His Majesty, which has upset and worried me," Sonthi was quoted by local press as saying at the time.
"As a soldier of His Majesty, I would like to help him relieve his worry and the Army will adhere strictly to whatever advice he gives us," Sonthi said in remarks interpreted as intended to put pressure on politicians.
As Thailand's political situation worsened, Sonthi repeatedly went to the press to deny coup rumors that had stolen media headlines and fueled concerns over civil unrest.
A week back, he called coup rumors "disinformation".
"Please be assured that we will try to maintain the country's stability. The military will remain patient," he said.
What exactly caused his patience to run out remained unclear, but diplomats said he also feared moves against him after an alleged plot to assassinate Thaksin was uncovered in August, resulting in the arrest of five military men, including several senior officers.
Because of his relationship with the palace, Sonthi's role in the coup is again being widely interpreted as a signal of the king's unhappiness with the political situation under Thaksin.
