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Junta leader threatens media, vowing to step-up anti-coup purge

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Junta leader threatened to step-up the use of martial law, warning that people who still engage in anti-junta activities, especially the media and the anti-establishment red shirts, will be be detained and barred from making financial transactions.

Moreover, the junta premier revealed that another ex-Pheu Thai politician is summoned for anti-junta stance.

Gen Prayuth Chan-o-cha, the head of the Thai junta and Prime Minister, told the media on Thursday that the junta will summoned Pichai Naripthaphan, the former Energy Minister from the former elected government, after he criticised the junta’s energy policies. Moreover, he pressed that anti-coup, especially the red shirts, and the press who expressed “inappropriate” opinions will be sent to the so-called ‘attitude adjustment’ camp or detained in the military detention .

“If those who are still engaged in [anti-junta] movement still continue, they will be prohibited to go out of the country. Their financial records will be investigated and [they will be] barred from making any transaction. In the past, the the implementation of the martial law is always relaxed. From now on, it will be step up in accordance with the political situation,” said Prayut.

Pichai is the fourth anti-coup Pheu Thai politicians, who were summoned by the junta after they made criticisms against the regime, three others were summoned because they made comment on the impeachment of former elected Phue Thai premier by the junta-appointed parliament over the controversial corruption allegations related to rice pledging scheme.

The three other Pheu Thai politicians summoned by the junta earlier were Surapong Tovichakchaikul, former Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister under Yingluck Shinawatra’s administration, and Chaturon Chaisang, a well known ex-education minister, and Nattawut Saikua, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives of the same party.  

The junta leader also threatened the media on Thursday “Next time, you all will meet the same faith if you ask too many uncreative questions. I want to ask what do you get out from speaking against the [junta’s] power. Even we the have the full control now you still challenge it?”

When asked what does he think of the campaign appeared on Facebook to encourage people to wear red shirts on Sunday as a way to oppose the coup. He said the campaign is useless and made ambiguous statement that he knew what the campaign implies.

The campaign to wear redshirt on Sunday was allegedly initiated by Sombat Boonngam-anong (aka Nuling), the embattled red-shirt leader of the now-defunct Red Sunday group, who is accused of defying the junta’s orders and instigating rebellion against the coup-makers in June 2014. He was detained in June 2014, but was released on bail. His case is before the military court.

Sombat, however, told Prachatai that he did not start this year campaign.

“I simply posted on my facebook status “If you wear red shirts on Sunday, you are my friends” and someone made a graphic out of my post and it eventually became some sort of the campaign. I just simply wanted to comfort the red-shirt people, that’s all, and I have been wearing red shirts every Sunday for the last four years, which is not illegal,” said Sombat.


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