New Delhi, Sep 20 (IANS) India Wednesday said it had taken note of the commitment of the Thai military dispensation for "returning power to people" and announced that that nearly 90,000-strong Indian diaspora was safe in Thailand.

"We have noted the evolving situation in Thailand and the commitment of the "Administrative Reforms Council" to return power to the people at the earliest," external affairs ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna said in a statement read out to the press.

"The Indian community in Thailand is safe," the spokesperson underlined. There are nearly 80,000 Indians in Thailand that has been living there for two to three generations.

Thailand is also popular among upper middle class tourists in India. According to an estimate, some 250,000 Indians visit Thailand every year. But unlike Britain, India has yet to issue a travel advisory to visiting Indians to stay away from crowds and demonstrations after soldiers took to the streets in Bangkok.

In a dramatic step, Thailand's army chief Gen Sondhi Boonyaratkalin Tuesday announced a military takeover while the country's embattled prime minister Thaksin Sinawatra was in New York to attend the 61st session of the UN General Assembly.

Gen Sodhi, the first Muslim to head the army in the Buddhist-dominated country, announced on some TV news channels the imposition of an emergency in Thailand and said that the constitution was revoked.

Soon after the alleged military takeover, Gen Sodhi announced a "Council of Administrative Reforms," with King Bhumibol Adulyadej as its titular head and expressed the commitment of the council to restore democracy in

The latest military takeover is the 18th since the country became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, but it's the first one in 15 years.

In New York, the spokesperson of Sinawatra, however, insisted that an attempted coup did not succeed and Sinawatra still considered himself prime minister.

"We attach great importance to out relations with Thailand, a country with which India has ancient civilizational affinities and strong bonds of friendship and cooperation," Sarna said.

India-Thailand relations are growing in all fields, including trade and economy - a point that was underscored by the visit of Shinawatra to New Delhi last year.

The bilateral ties have been reinforced by India's burgeoning relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its membership of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). The formation of the sub-regional grouping Bay of Bengal Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and launching of the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation in November 2000.