Public criticism of US ambassador worrying, says PM

One of the pictures is of Davies and United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) core leader Weng Tojirakarn.

Government Spokesman Maj-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said yesterday almost every country had shown support for the government after the Foreign Ministry explained the government was exercising limited power to keep peace and order in the country.

He said the government respects the opinions of international organisations and its allies who expressed concern over the situation in the country with sincerity. However, if they express opinions with discrimination, this could adversely affect their relations with Thailand, he said. 

“The PM does not want this to happen, regardless of the country [involved],’’ Sansern said. He said Thailand had in-depth knowledge of which groups had caused political turmoil in the country. 

“This may be new knowledge to the [US] ambassador. If he wishes to know anything related to Thailand, the government is ready to provide complete details. He should not seek information by himself without sounding out an understanding of the country’s background, since ill-intentioned groups could mislead him.”

Meanwhile a group calling itself the Federation Monitoring the Thai State yesterday filed a police petition calling on the authorities to investigate whether Davies has committed lese majeste.

The group led by Sonthiya Sawasdee submitted the petition to Colonel Nos Sawetlek, deputy commander of the Crime Suppression Division. The group also asked the CSD to get a transcript of Davies’s speech at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Bangkok last week in which he expressed concern about the “unprecedented” prison terms handed down under the lese majeste law. 

CSD deputy commander Nos has launched an investigation.