ARMED troops detained Thai cabinet minister Chaturon Chaisang today after he defiantly emerged from hiding to condemn last week’s military coup and urge a return to civilian rule.

A squad of soldiers took the education minister into custody in a chaotic scene at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand, where he had just finished giving a snap news conference.

The junta, which seized power on Thursday, is already holding most top members of the country’s elected administration and has ordered the rest to surrender.

Mr Chaisang called for elections and warned that resistance to the army coup could grow into “a disaster for this country.”

A “coup d’etat is not a solution to the problems or conflicts in Thai society, but will make the conflicts even worse,” he added.

When the news conference was finished, soldiers entered the room, surrounded him and marched him out through a crowd of reporters.