Thailand Politics

Coup Leader Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha Outlines Stages to New Elections

General Prayuth Chan-ocha, above, Thailand’s acting premier after the coup, ordered political leaders to report to him at Thai army headquarters in Bangkok.

BANGKOK – Coup leader Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha has issued guidelines for officials to follow so the country can advance toward an election and full democracy, army deputy spokeswoman Sirichan Ngathong said on thursday reported in the Bangkok Post.

Col Sirichan said Gen Prayuth, head of the National Council for Peace and Order, issued his directions in a video conference with heads of various sections set up by the NCPO.

Authorities should take three steps: quickly restore normal administration to the country; create favourable conditions, including the establishment of a legislative council and a reform council; and work toward holding elections under a full-fledged democracy.

Gen Prayuth wanted this done as soon as possible, but did not set a timeframe. He instructed heads of the six working sections under the NCPO to keep him well briefed on their progress, she said.

Gen Prayuth also stressed that the new budget bill must be based on equality and urgency in responding to the people’s needs, without causing a debt burden or breaching financial and monetary discipline. The interests of the majority must be paramount.

On the legislative process and improvement of the justice system, Gen Prayuth wants to see strong enforcement of the law, the spokeswoman said.

The junta leader said the NCPO’s advisory team members can submit their opinions to him through the council’s secretariat for follow up.

Gen Prayuth planned to report on the situation and developments of the NCPO’s operations to the people. The format for doing this is still being drawn up.

Gen Prayuth had no intention to block communications via social media such as Facebook, which went down briefly yesterday, Line or Instagram. Action would be taken only against websites which provoke conflict and divisiveness among the people, and that infringe on the monarchy.

Col Winthai Suwari, the NCPO spokesman, said the council has not considered the appointment of a new prime minister or a cabinet. It would initially concentrate on restoring peace and order in the country and solving the people’s immediate problems, as well as the establishment of a reconciliation centre.

Regarding people who had been summoned but had not yet reported to the NCPO, their financial transactions would be frozen and orders given to track them down.

For those who have fled abroad, the NCPO has measures to get them, but not to the extent of assigning embassies to do it. The NCPO will mainly find the clues to their whereabouts from their close associates, Col Winthai said.

Concerning Verapat Pariyawong, an academic ordered to report to the NCPO, Col Winthai said the man had contacted the NCPO saying that he is unable to do so now because he has work engagements in England. The NCPO advised him to submit an explanation in writing to show he has no intention to defy its order.

Thailand Politics

Thai Prime Minister’s Popularity Declines as Move Forward Party dominates

(CTN News) – Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin continues to make local and international visits to try to solve problems and promote Thailand, but he has failed to impress most voters, according to a Nida poll. The poll also revealed the declining popularity of Pheu Thai Party leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra and the rise of the Move Forward Party.

According to a poll released on Sunday, only 12.85% of people supported the prime minister, down from 17.75% in the previous survey. The daughter of convicted former Prime Minister Thaksin, currently on parole, saw her popularity drop from 6% to 4.85%.

The National Institute of Development Administration conducts a quarterly survey of the public’s preferred political leaders. The last survey was released at the end of March.

According to the survey, supporters of the prime minister described Mr Srettha as a resolute decision-maker determined to address their problems. Ms Paetongtarn was complimented for her vision, leadership, knowledge, and grasp of the country’s difficulties.

This weekend, the prime minister will be in the northeast region listening to citizens’ concerns. The journey occurred only a few days after he had visited northern provinces earlier in the week.

Despite criticism, he has reduced his abroad trips, citing the need to showcase Thailand to investors and traders.

Pita Limjaroenrat, the chief advisor of the Move Forward Party, remained the top candidate for prime minister with 45.50% of the vote, up slightly from 42.75% in the previous quarter’s poll.

Pirapan Salirathavibhaga was the huge winner. The leader of the United Thai National Party saw his popularity nearly quadruple from 3.55% to 6.85%.

The sampled voters stated they appreciated Mr Pita’s political beliefs and thought he had broad knowledge. They praised Mr Pirapan’s credibility, claiming he was clean and honest.

Two other probable prime minister candidates were Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan of the Thai Sang Thai Party and Anutin Chanvirakul, leader of Bhumjaithai. However, they were less popular than others.

About 20% of voters still did not believe any candidate was qualified to lead the country, which is the same percentage as in the last survey.

Move Forward Party was the most popular party with 49.20%, up slightly from three months ago, while Pheu Thai fell around five percentage points to 16.85% from 22.10%.

The poll, issued on Sunday, surveyed 2,000 ineligible voters between June 14 and June 18.

Thailand Politics

Move Forward Party MP Jirat Thongsuwan Appeals Suspended Jail Sentence for Defamation

(CTN News) – Jirat Thongsuwan, a Move Forward Party MP, says he would appeal his one-year suspended jail sentence for defaming a former senior defense ministry official concerning the state’s procurement of bogus bomb detectors.

The Criminal Court also fined Mr Jirat 100,000 baht for falsely accusing ACM Tharet Punsri, a former Air Force chief-of-staff who later became the ministry’s deputy permanent secretary, of being the chairman and shareholder of a company that supplied the military with the infamous GT200 bomb detectors.

The Chachoengsao MP claimed a July 20, 2022, no-confidence vote against cabinet ministers in Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government. ACM Tharet was not a cabinet member.

Jirat Thongsuwan also identified ACM Tharet as a key figure in the 2006 coup headed by then-army chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, which overthrew Thaksin Shinawatra.

ACM Tharet told the court that Jirat Thongsuwan’s charges were false and harmed his reputation. He denied involvement with the bomb detection company and said he was not the company’s senior chairman or shareholder.

In addition to the suspended jail term and fine, the court ordered Jirat Thongsuwan to pay $ 500,000 baht in damages to ACM Tharet and publish an apology in three newspapers for five days.

Jirat Thongsuwan later announced on his X account that he had challenged the verdict with the hashtag “An injustice is infuriating”.

The MP has also been accused of dodging required military conscription. He admitted to the accusation on May 8.

A British business promoted the GT200 as a “remote substance detector” and sold it in several countries. Between 2004 and 2009, fourteen Thai government organizations, most of which were military, were projected to spend 1.4 billion baht on the units.

Concerns about the GT200 and related gadgets arose after the National Science and Technology Development Agency discovered they lacked electronic components.

The devices were later revealed to be “divining rods”.

Thailand Politics

Thaksin Shinawatra Files 100 Million Baht Defamation Lawsuit Against Warong Dechgitvigrom

(CTN News) – Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister, has launched a defamation action against Warong Dechgitvigrom, the head of the Thai Pakdee Party, accusing him of paying a bribe to be released on bail in a lese majeste case.

Thaksin’s attorney, Winyat Chartmontree, filed a lawsuit against Warong, seeking 100 million baht in damages.

Warong, a long-time Thaksin Shinawatra critic, gave a public statement and posted on social media, saying that 2 billion baht was paid to judicial officials in exchange for release on bail in the lese majeste case.

Thaksin Shinawatra Granted Release on 500,000 Baht Bond

Thaksin was granted release on a 500,000 baht bond last week and told not to leave the country without court authorization after pleading innocent to charges of defaming King Rama IX in a 2015 interview with South Korean media.

Winyat stated that, while Warong did not identify Thaksin Shinawatra by name in his speech or post, he did include a hashtag with Thaksin’s name as well as the date Thaksin must appear in court, allowing readers to connect Thaksin to the allegations.

Winyat further stated that he was investigating the fact that Warong mentioned the specific aircraft and automobiles utilized by Thaksin Shinawatra to violate the Personal Data Protection Act.

“I have requested Mr Warong to provide proof as to where he received the data. “If it turns out that it came from state officials, there will be legal consequences,” he warned.

The Criminal Court has scheduled the case’s preliminary hearing for September 30.