Abhisit advises Prayut to watch what he says in NY

Abhisit said that Prayut’s typical tongue-in-cheek remarks could send confusing signals to the international community, adding that this was a good opportunity for the premier to explain Thailand’s situation to the world. 

Prayut, who left for the US last night, is scheduled to speak at the General Assembly next Tuesday. However, Abhisit said he was not certain whether Prayut’s explanations would help improve Thailand’s post-coup image.

“The prime minister should be more careful. On many occasions, he has spoken somewhat jokingly with the Thai media and caused misunderstanding among foreigners that he is denying media freedom,” the Democrat Party leader said. 

Prayut has also agreed to give an interview to Voice of America (VOA), the US government’s official external broadcast institution, while in New York, a source from the Foreign Ministry said yesterday. 

The premier’s stay in New York is expected to be marked by protests from both pro- and anti-coup groups. However, Abhisit said Prayut should not be worried because they would be exercising their freedom of expression, though he said the demonstrators should abide by the law and not use violence or inappropriate behaviours otherwise it would hurt the country’s reputation. 

Abhisit added that the premier should announce his political road map if he confident that it will be implemented on time. Also, he said, this was a good chance for the prime minister to shed light on His Majesty’s sufficiency economy philosophy.