Cease coup talk, Jatuporn told
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Defence minister says redshirt leader talks too much; urges end to war of words in lese majeste law debate
Pheu Thai MP Jatuporn Promphan should stop speculating about a coup in Thailand because such talk will only lead to serious problems, Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat said yesterday.
“Jatuporn talks too much,” he said in reference to the red-shirt leader’s remarks on Wednesday claiming a power seizure would take place by April.
Sukumpol said he wanted Jatuporn to be aware of the consequences of raising false alarms, particularly when the country was trying to bring about reconciliation.
Although Jatuporn claimed he had heard about the coup from informants working for US intelligence, he doubted the authenticity of such report.
“I wonder why US intelligence chose to inform Jatuporn but not the government,” he said. He said in his capacity as defence minister, he was duty-bound to foil any coup attempts.
Sukumpol said critics had gone overboard in trying to link the coup scare to controversial political activities like Nitirat’s push to amend the lese majeste law and the debate on charter change.
Soldiers had the duty to protect the monarchy. In this connection, the Army chief had aired his view opposing the lese majeste debate, he said, arguing this should not be construed as wielding a threat to seize power.
He urged both proponents and opponents of the lese majeste law to stop the war of words, saying the public could form its own judgement on the issue based on arguments by both sides.
He said he could not understand why those wanting to amend the law continued on with their activities when they had already stated their case.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said she had checked but found no intelligence report warning about a coup threat.
Jatuporn had the right to air his view and the military had already issued a rebuttal, Yingluck said, to allay anxiety.
She suggested that media professionals not hype the coup scare which could further drive a wedge in society.
The PM said she believed Jatuporn had good intentions in warning about the likelihood of a coup but the issue should be dropped after the military had confirmed its non-intervention stand.
Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha said he was unaware “which military units, which armed forces in what country” planned to stage a coup.
Prayuth urged anyone with evidence of a coup plot to file a complaint with police in order to activate legal proceedings against likely power usurpers.
