Srisuwan called in for 'talk', refuses to drop complaints
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SRISUWAN Janya, secretary-general of the Association for the Protection of the Thai Constitution, said yesterday the military asked him to withdraw his ethics complaint against Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha and his deputy Wissanu Krea-ngam.
He said he declined the request because his action was legitimate.
Srisuwan lodged the complaint with the Ombudsman on Tuesday, calling for a probe into the premier and his deputy’s ethics for appointing Wissanu’s family members to positions and what he called a large number of military officers on the National Reform Steering Assembly.
On Thursday Srisuwan was summoned by the Peace and Order Maintaining Force of the 1st Army Area for an hour-long talk.
He said more than 10 unidentified officers explained to him that Prayut and the National Council for Peace and Order only wanted to drive reform efforts.
He said they told him that his complaint could be interpreted as going against that intention and cause a division in society.
He said his complaint was done legitimately, as his actions always followed the law.
Srisuwan said society may not accept too many of high-ranking military officers’ relatives or other military officers being appointed to important positions.
“It was just a general talk, not attitude adjustment,” Srisuwan said he was told at the military meeting.
He said he was also asked not to talk about the meeting in a negative way to the media.
Srisuwan was allowed to go home on Thursday night without signing any documents.
But he said he was contacted by Peace and Order Maintaining Force yesterday morning and asked to withdraw the complaint.
Withdrawing the complaint would also tarnish his image, he said.
“I’m not worried about what happened at all,” he said. “I’m even thankful for it, that now I have become more well known.”
The Nation contacted the Peace and Order Maintaining Force but it said it could not talk to the media.
NCPO spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvari said he had not heard of the matter.
