The "phantom coup" that's taking place in Thailand has been criticized by a human rights group saying it has pushed the country to deeper political uncertainty. 

Human Rights Watch, an independent international government organization that works to uphold human dignity, issued a statement calling allies of the country to demand an immediate lifting of martial law. 

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Human Rights Watch-Thailand's Sunai Phasuk sees the de facto coup as a departure from democracy. He sees the declaration of martial law as a step closer to taking away the power from the Thai people and their civilian administration. 

Phasuk fears that with martial law in place, the political and social landscapes are now open to possible military abuse. 

"There is no check and balance; there is no safeguards against rights violations," Phasuk said in a statement. 

However, the Thai army has not publicly taken sides yet, and observers believe that right now the army is still reluctant to intervene. 

Phasuk said that those familiar with the events in Thailand would not be surprised by the martial law declaration. He just hopes that no human rights would be violated and that the country's democratic process be salvaged from any sabotage. 

In a statement released Tuesday, the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok alerted its citizens who are in Thailand. The Embassy warned American citizens to pay close attention to media coverage and to try to avoid public gatherings and peaceful demonstrations. It said that even benign public protests can turn violent as evidenced by nationwide protests reported in previous months. 

Jen Psaki, U.S. State Department spokeswoman, said that the U.S. government expects the Thai army to honor its commitment when it said the martial declaration is only temporary to prevent further violence. Psaki hopes that the army will not undermine the country's democratic institutions. 

Many analysts see the Martial Law declaration as a welcome development for anti-government demonstrators. Analysts believe that anti-government groups sowed enough violence to encourage the military to intervene. 

One report said that demonstrators relinquished the Government House, the ousted prime minister's official residence that they occupied for a week. Suthep Thaugsuban, head of the opposition, gave flowers to soldiers. 

TagsThailand, Martial Law, de facto coup, phantom coup, Human Rights Watch