'No Election War Room', Insists Thai Army Chief Prayuth

[webfact]

'No election war room', insists Prayuth

By The Nation

The Army chief yesterday dismissed a claim by an opposition politician that the Army had set up a new unit to monitor the upcoming general elections.

"The military's duties have nothing to do with politics or elections. The Army has had nothing to do with setting up a war room [for monitoring the election], as has been claimed," said Army commander-in-chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha.

"Do you believe him? If you believe it, go ask him about this," he said to reporters, referring to Jatuporn Promphan, the Pheu Thai MP and red-shirt leader who made the claim.

"I blame people who speak about matters without duty," Prayuth said.

"They won't make things better, but on the contrary will cause more problems. You should ignore these people who don't have the authority or the right to speak about the matters they tell you. If you continue to cover their remarks, I wonder when the country will be in peace."

"Try ignoring bad people," he said. Reporters "should be able to tell" who is bad, he said, despite adding that "sometimes we do not totally agree on who is good or bad."

Prayuth said politicians should not try to involve the military in their competition for political power, "or there will be a lot of confusion".

He also called on politicians to abide by the law to ensure a peaceful society.

"People who think they are innocent should fight using the law. They should not complain. When they violated the law, they did not listen to the warnings. But when facing legal action, they say it's unfair," the Army chief said, without naming any politicians.

Prayuth also said the Army would crack down on insults to the monarchy, which he said had become more frequent on the Internet.

"I would like to ask most people in the country- [and most] are loyal to the institution - to take care of this matter. I wonder what is the goal of people who are trying to completely destroy the institution? I wonder if what they are doing benefits Thai people or Thailand as a whole," the Army chief said.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban yesterday said he sympathised with armed forces commanders for officially denying rumours of a coup on Wednesday.

"Some people spread rumours every day that the military will stage a coup.

So the military saw the need to announce clearly so that people all over the country could hear and are not worried any longer," said Suthep, who is also secretary-general of the Democrat Party.

At Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, armed forces supreme commander General Songkitti Jaggabatara had insisted there would definitely be no coup to overthrow the government. He was accompanied by the commanders-in-chief of the three branches of the armed forces, including Prayuth.

However, a key politician from the opposition yesterday expressed doubt that the next general elections would take place around mid-year as planned, despite strong assurances from the top brass.

Pheu Thai MP Apiwan Wiriyachai, who is also deputy House speaker, said senior commanders had made similar assurances before every coup.

He also said there was an attempt to influence votes in certain rural areas by sending soldiers to tell residents which political party was loyal to the monarchy and which was not.

-- The Nation 2011-04-08

[Buchholz]

"Do you believe him? If you believe it, go ask him about this," he said to reporters, referring to Jatuporn Promphan, the Pheu Thai MP and red-shirt leader who made the claim.

Sounds reasonable. Ask Jatuporn the where, who, what of his claims.

[Tatsujin]

Sounds reasonable. Ask Jatuporn the where, who, what of his claims.

It came to him from "on high" like most of his claims and beliefs it seems. And I'm not referring to a "deity" here . . .

[givenall]

"Prayuth said politicians should not try to involve the military in their competition for political power, "or there will be a lot of confusion".

.

That all a politician without any ability or real value can do to confusepeople or scare them especially when the voter are uneducated, so they can gettheir sympathy and votes

[asiawatcher]

Jatuporn Promphan, the Pheu Thai MP and red-shirt leader who made the claim.

More muck raking by this loose canon - what a bozo this guy is. No credibility and no leadership.

[hammered]

Interesting that the straight talking and no mincing the words Prayuth seems to be totally outsmarting Jatuporn and coming across as the more reasonable in the PR game. Although I understnad fully Jatuporns role in needing to whip up hatred in the extreme elements and keep the now very suspicious red left on boatrd the PTP election bandwagon, PTP itself could do with a PR man who at leats is able to match an untrained army guy who has prviosuly shown he has little time for wording niceties

[animatic]

Jatuporn Promphan, the Pheu Thai MP and red-shirt leader who made the claim.

More muck raking by this loose canon - what a bozo this guy is. No credibility and no leadership.

Jatuporn:

Dangerous demagogue with delusions and no compunctions about mis-stating lies as facts.