Army chief slams pro-election protesters

“I suppose the key activists already know what they will face and they will not be afraid of it. Eventually, ‘somebody’ will take care of them backstage anyway,” Chalermchai said.
He was referring to a series of assemblies held by the Democracy Restoration Group (DRG) which has called for the ruling junta to hold the long-delayed election by this November, as the premier General Prayut Chan-o-cha promised last year.
Authorities have threatened to track any “backstage supporters”, financially or otherwise, of the activist group, which insists it works independently.
The Army has been targeted by the DRG, whose members have called on the military to stop supporting the ruling junta. On Sunday, they marched to Army headquarters as a symbolic protest.
Chalermchai called the activists’ demands to be “groundless”. “They have no condition. They just want to make movements,” he said.
Meanwhile, seven activists including Sirawith Seritiwat on Wednesday went to Pattaya police station to help officers conclude their investigations in a case stemming from the pro-election assembly.
The gathering on March 4, led by Sirawith, was organised near Pattaya beach to not only call for election but also show the group’s stance against the junta ruling. The seven activists consequently faced charges for allegedly breaking the junta’s order on political gatherings and the public assembly bill.
The police have requested the court to issue summonses for another 15 activists, who still have to be identified, who are seen in recordings to have joined the assembly on the day.
Sirawith said the hours-long assembly was made brief, peaceful and was an exercise in rights.