SINGAPORE (AP) - Thai financial officials attending an annual IMF-World Bank meeting in Singapore were rushing home following a military coup in Bangkok early Wednesday.

"We have certainly not seen up to now any financial consequences but as I said before we are following developments very closely," de Rato said. "We look forward to an evolution and the benefits of democracy and stability in the country."

Thai delegates to the meeting were "very surprised" by the news of the coup, said Pannee Sathavarodom, director-general of Thailand's Public Debt Management Office said in Singapore.

News of the coup sent the Thai baht lower against the U.S. dollar, which rose to 37.75 baht from 37.30 baht at the end of Tuesday's Asia session. Earlier, the dollar rose as high as 37.95 baht.

The coup leaders put the country under martial law early Wednesday, ordering the stock exchange, schools, banks and government offices to remain closed and declaring a provisional authority loyal to Thailand's king.

Thai Finance Minister Thanong Bidaya canceled plans to present a speech at the morning session the IMF-World Bank meeting, which closed Wednesday after endorsing reforms that granted a greater say to China, South Korea, Turkey and Mexico.

"Everything is going to return to normal," said Gongtot, president and chief executive officer of Thailand's Government Savings Bank. "We'll seek for a peaceful solution."

The exact whereabouts of Thai Central Bank Governor Pridiyathorn Devakula were unclear, officials in the Southeast Asia office of the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday.

One said he may have left Singapore on Tuesday night, while another said he was on his way to the airport Wednesday morning. Both officials refused to provide their names.

The IMF came under fire for its handling of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, which was triggered by a plunge in the Thai baht. The fund loaned billions of dollars in emergency loans to Thailand, South Korea and Indonesia.

But the IMF later drew rebukes for prescribing drastic reforms, with critics saying its requirements to raise interest rates, privatize state industries and cut subsidies on gasoline and other basic goods were too harsh and made the situation worse.

Today, the world economy is better prepared for such shocks; Asian countries have rebounded, and China and India are major engines of global growth.

SINGAPORE (AP) - Thai financial officials attending an annual IMF-World Bank meeting in Singapore were rushing home following a military coup in Bangkok early Wednesday.

AIM IMF-World Bank Meeting Wraps Up Thai Officials Leave IMF Meeting Oracle First-Quarter Profit, Shares Soar Japanese Stocks Fall After Thailand Coup Stocks Finish Lower on Coup in Thailand International Monetary Fund chief Rodrigo de Rato said he was monitoring the situation.

"We have certainly not seen up to now any financial consequences but as I said before we are following developments very closely," de Rato said. "We look forward to an evolution and the benefits of democracy and stability in the country."

Thai delegates to the meeting were "very surprised" by the news of the coup, said Pannee Sathavarodom, director-general of Thailand's Public Debt Management Office said in Singapore.

News of the coup sent the Thai baht lower against the U.S. dollar, which rose to 37.75 baht from 37.30 baht at the end of Tuesday's Asia session. Earlier, the dollar rose as high as 37.95 baht.

The coup leaders put the country under martial law early Wednesday, ordering the stock exchange, schools, banks and government offices to remain closed and declaring a provisional authority loyal to Thailand's king.

Thai Finance Minister Thanong Bidaya canceled plans to present a speech at the morning session the IMF-World Bank meeting, which closed Wednesday after endorsing reforms that granted a greater say to China, South Korea, Turkey and Mexico.

"Everything is going to return to normal," said Gongtot, president and chief executive officer of Thailand's Government Savings Bank. "We'll seek for a peaceful solution."

The exact whereabouts of Thai Central Bank Governor Pridiyathorn Devakula were unclear, officials in the Southeast Asia office of the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday.

One said he may have left Singapore on Tuesday night, while another said he was on his way to the airport Wednesday morning. Both officials refused to provide their names.

This is cache, read story here