PM wants laws to be respected and enforced
PRIME MINISTER Prayut Chan-o-cha has urged people to respect the rules of the land and has called on relevant authorities to strictly and fairly enforce the law in order to prevent social conflicts and violence.
General Prayut said those were the key factors to maintaining peace in the country.
“It will be useless if laws cannot be enforced. Take demonstrations for example: If nobody listens to the law, if nobody respects the law, there will be violence,” he said in his weekly TV programme “Returning Happiness to People in the Country”.
“It is not right if perpetrators of violence enjoy impunity or are immune to legal proceedings because of their rights. The law is still the law.
“It is different from the basic rights. Everyone is equal under the law. Law is the most important part of a society. Please respect the law and rules of the country.”
The PM said the government was attempting to solve the political crisis and other security-related problems through the enforcement of laws. He also urged politicians to help with the effort and understand the government’s good intention.
“Politicians need to think about turning over a new leaf and regaining the trust of the people. People are willing to forgive if you are willing to help change this country for the better and the common good,” he said.
“We are not enemies. Those that are being prosecuted – it’s because you have done something illegal. We need to allow the judicial process to take its course without any intervention. The government cannot manipulate this process and we cannot issue any orders.
“Everyone is entitled to prove their innocence and enter a legal battle. But when doing so, please have the civility not to stir conflicts in society by distorting information.”
The prime minister urged the media to report fairly, particularly on issues that could be politicised. He warned that unfair media coverage could undermine the efforts to ease political conflicts.
“I would like to ask members of the press to present both sides of the story. Please be ethical and fair. If you let one side talk, you have to let the other side talk as well,” he said.
“This way we can let the people decide. If you choose to present only one side of the story, our conflicts will never go away.
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