Students to get forums to air views
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Prayut tells NRC to allow students to offer proposals for national reform
The government will set up forums to allow students to express their views on reform after intelligence units learned that more anti-coup and anti-government protests are being planned, PM’s Office Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana said yesterday.
Suwaphan said some protesters had good intentions, but some may have a hidden agenda, ulterior or political motives.
In a move to prevent rallies, he said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed the National Reform Council (NRC) and the King’s Prajadhipok Institute to allow students to participate in the reform process by expressing their views and knowledge.
He said it was not necessary to relax any rules, because the NRC is able to work under special regulations.
The format of the forum for students to air their opinions will be made public in a few days.
Suwapan added that the Council of State was reviewing the Gathering of People at Public Places Bill after the Cabinet accepted it in principle. He said once this bill is passed, law enforcers may have legal measures to deal with protests and other special laws may not be necessary.
Separately, police rounded up seven Thammasat University students yesterday for distributing flyers at the university’s football field.
The group, calling itself “Thammasat Freedom for Democracy”, distributed leaflets featuring the statements of late academic Chit Phumisak.
The students said they were doing this in memory of their lecturer Somsak Jeamteerasakul, who disappeared briefly after being summoned by the National Council for Peace and Order.
The lecturer later emerged and communicated with his followers via Facebook.
Meanwhile, one student was taken to Samranrat Police Station, while the other six were taken to Chana Songkram Police Station.
Dr Niran Pitakwatchara, the National Human Rights Commissioner, said the government should not resort to martial law to stop people expressing their views.
“State officials are also uneasy about enforcing martial law against people, because this law is used in times of war. People who want to express their views in an academic manner should not be deprived of their right,” he said.
Though nobody has filed a complaint with the Rights Commission about their rights being violated, the agency is likely to discuss the problem and issue a statement calling on the government to not violate people’s basic right to express themselves.
‘People not happy’
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, who also serves as defence minister, moved yesterday to deter anti-coup protesters from staging further protests, citing several opinion surveys that show most people disapprove of anti-coup protests.
A Dusit Poll found that most people disagreed with the five Khon Kaen University students’ anti-coup gesture before Prayut last week.
Of 1,302 respondents, 79 per cent believed the students should not have staged the protest, as the national political situation is not totally calm.
Prawit, meanwhile, called on those who want to stage protests to give the government a year to ease the political divide and bring about national reconciliation.
“We only ask for one year to achieve our mission,” he said.
