EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Military urges Songkran negotiations


Royal Thai Air Force Commander-in-Chief ACM Prajin Juntong talks to Nation Multimedia Group editor-in-chief Thepchai Yong during an exclusive interview.

BANGKOK: -- The military still wants all parties involved in the current political conflict to talk to each other, and prevent violence, Royal Thai Air force Commander-in-Chief ACM Prajin Juntong said in an exclusive interview with Nation Multimedia Group editor in chief Thepchai Yong.

He said the Songkran festival could be a good timing for the negotiations.

The military does not rule out staging a coup because it does not know if the political crisis facing the country will end peacefully as it wishes, Prajin said.

"The military has to be pessimistic and prepare for unfortunate eventualities. We have selected several options for action in light of events that could affect national security," he said.

Prajin, who will retire in six months, made the remark in response to Army Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha's stance against ruling out a military coup.

He said the Armed Forces were united over their stance and would act together in the same direction. He was confident that none of the military forces had the intention of staging a coup because they had learnt their lesson [from the past], understood the country's circumstances and world attitudes in regard to democracy. "We do not want Thais or the world community to look down on us as being ignorant about the context of democracy in the modern world," he said.

Commenting on a call by some groups for the military to exercise its power to help bring about a swift solution to the political deadlock, Prajin said some other groups did not want the military to interfere in politics and to remain neutral.

"We have to monitor the present political situation and evaluate. Actually we want to ask the public and the civic sector: what do they want the military to do? We have carried out our security duties as we are ordered. We have to abide by several laws," he said.

Prajin said it was time leaders of rival political camps negotiated because the prolonged political struggle had greatly affected the country, economically, socially and politically. "Conflicts will rise if there are no talks. No negotiation means using arms to fight in order to win. If we do not want to see losses, we have to talk," he said, pointing to the casualties that occurred in 2009 and 2010 from clashes.

"Songkran is a good time for every party to talk and find solutions," he said, though he admitted it is possible that political temperatures would rise in April as independent agencies finalise their checks against the government.

Late last year, commanders of the three military forces stepped in - as Prajin put it - at a time of possible confrontation between rival camps. They held talks between caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban.

Some groups, however, criticised the military's moves as interference in politics, though they defended themselves, saying they were only acting as mediators.

Prajin said during last year's talks, the military leaders had not only listened to Yingluck and Suthep but also raised questions. However, he said, the military did not get clear answers from either of them.


-- The Nation 2014-04-02

The Thai military is pontificating to an editor of a Thai paper that political parties should hold negotiations. No representatives of the political parties was present in the meeting, a clear demonstration of Thai pontificating.

Negotiations at Songkran won't work, someone's bound to pour cold water on the idea.

The Thai military is pontificating to an editor of a Thai paper that political parties should hold negotiations. No representatives of the political parties was present in the meeting, a clear demonstration of Thai pontificating.

In most western countries his political masters would be asking what the @%*# he thinks he's doing giving interviews on political matters which do not directly involve the military and only then with official permission.

BUT TIT !

The Thai military is pontificating to an editor of a Thai paper that political parties should hold negotiations. No representatives of the political parties was present in the meeting, a clear demonstration of Thai pontificating.

Fine, but is he wrong, to say that the politicians should take every opportunity to negotiate a more-peaceful solution to the current troubles, and that the military would prefer this outcome ?

The protesters have been harassing Bangkok for months and now the military wants negotiations when the red shirts are coming.

The nonsense can never end here.

Edited April 2, 201412 yr by expat888

Thailand is a Third-World country, with typical Third-World politics driven by competing elite patronage networks and government power bases, primarily the military.

Shocker!

The Thai military is pontificating to an editor of a Thai paper that political parties should hold negotiations. No representatives of the political parties was present in the meeting, a clear demonstration of Thai pontificating.

Everything he said was 100% acceptable and sensible.

Do you come here to just criticize everything or what?

If there are massive clashes in the near future with hundreds being killed and the police as usual less than useless, do you think the army should come out? or if they did would you criticize it? and if they sat there and let people die in the hundreds and did nothing, would you criticize it??

The answer of course will be yes to both scenarios. Because that is all you come here for.... to criticize.

Grow up.

Negotiations at Songkran won't work, someone's bound to pour cold water on the idea.

Somebody'll toss water across the table at somebody else and it'll be on for young and old.

When negotiations take place put a record on by WET WET WET sure to fire them up.

The protesters have been harassing Bangkok for months and now the military wants negotiations when the red shirts are coming.

The nonsense can never end here.

That's a bit of a misinterpretation.

Thai Military urges Songkran negotiations

Could we please have that after the topless dancers have done their flexin'?

A woman's wet T-shirt contest between the PTP and PDRC would be more productive.

The protesters have been harassing Bangkok for months and now the military wants negotiations when the red shirts are coming.

The nonsense can never end here.

That's a bit of a misinterpretation.

Please don't be empty headed and make a general broad sweep statement and back it up with nothing.

Otherwise go somewhere else.

Edited April 2, 201412 yr by expat888

The Thai military is pontificating to an editor of a Thai paper that political parties should hold negotiations. No representatives of the political parties was present in the meeting, a clear demonstration of Thai pontificating.

Fine, but is he wrong, to say that the politicians should take every opportunity to negotiate a more-peaceful solution to the current troubles, and that the military would prefer this outcome ?

He should be going on about a solution under the rule of law and the hope that elections are planned asap.

But he isn't going to say that is he.

..

Holding the negotiations over Songkran will rule Chalerm out.

He hates water with anything.

Cheers!

Good to see that the military have finally realised that their coup-every-four-years business plan doesn't work any more. Now they need to complete the journey and understand that they are the servants of the democratically elected government of the people, and not some independent agency with their own agenda. Hosting talks between a would-be demagogue and a democratic government is not rational.