Pheu Thai urges NCPO to release critics of the junta
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PRAYUT SAYS HE WILL DETAIN MORE DISSENTERS AND TAPE THEIR MOUTHS SHUT
KEY MEMBERS of the Pheu Thai Party have called for the immediate release of former energy minister Pichai Naripthapan, who was detained for “attitude adjustment” at an undisclosed location on Wednesday.
The junta has also confirmed that Karun Hosakul, a former Pheu Thai MP for Bangkok’s Don Muang district, was also summoned yesterday afternoon to have his attitude adjusted.
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, who threatened to summon even more people, said Pichai was merely invited for meals and was offered lodging.
Prayut said he did not know how long Pichai would be detained as he had not yet made that decision. He said other measures would also be implemented, such as revoking passports and putting tape over the mouths of those who keep criticising the government and the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).
However, calls have mounted for the immediate release of Pichai, chiefly from Poomtham Vejchayachai, caretaker secretary-general of the Pheu Thai Party, Surapong Tovijchak-chaikul, former foreign minister, and Chaturon Chaisaeng, former education minister.
Winthai Suvari, the NCPO spokesman, said Pichai had to be summoned and detained again because his views were not in line with the cooperation pact made earlier.
He said the former energy minister had expressed himself in a way that made him appear to be determined to destroy the credibility of the government and the NCPO by relying on his own views and incomplete information. Winthai claimed this caused the public to become confused and lose their confidence in the work of the government.
Some of Pichai’s allegations cannot be proved, said Winthai, who confirmed that Karun had also been summoned by the NCPO again.
Chaturon, whose passports were revoked by the NCPO last week because he criticised the ruling regime, posted on Facebook yesterday that the junta’s move would only undermine the credibility of the government further.
“The curbing of Pichai’s freedom is sending a signal that this government does not want to listen to differing views and does not want people to have access to diverse views,” he said.
“This will be damaging. If the |country’s administrator chooses only to listen to views that match his, those close to him would not dare to differ and they all will be lost,” Chaturon wrote.
“The blocking of differing views will also affect the confidence in the economy and the policy in tackling [economic] problems,” Chaturon continued, referring to Pichai’s main criticism, which was on Prayut’s handling of the economy.
“This is because information provided by the government alone is not trustworthy.”
