BANGKOK — Thailand's military junta has warned political activists against staging any public events tomorrow to mark the 83rd anniversary of the founding of democracy in Thailand.

A spokesperson for the junta, which banned political demonstrations after seizing power last year, said that security officers will be especially vigilant on 24 June, the anniversary of the 1932 coup d’etat that replaced absolute monarchy in Thailand with a democratic regime.

"As for 24 June, which is the day when Thailand changed governing regimes, there may be some people who come out," Col. Winthai Suvaree said in a press conference yesterday.  "I would like to say this: security officers will keep their eyes out in all times."

In recent years, pro-democracy activists have commemorated the 1932 revolution at the Royal Plaza, where the revolutionaries announced the end of Thailand's absolute monarchy. At the time of writing, no activist networks have publicly announced plans to celebrate the revolution tomorrow.

Gen. Chatchalerm Chalermsuk, a secretary of the junta, also confirmed yesterday that any attempt to organize a protest marking the revolution will be considered a violation of the junta’s ban on political activities.

"Any activity with political connotation certainly cannot be done, because it is against the laws," Gen. Chatchalerm said. "Any activists who organize political events on 24 June will be summoned for discussion."

He added, "Allow me to repeat that students should not stage any symbolic protests. It cannot be done."

Most of the activists who have violated the junta’s ban on protests over the past year have been promptly arrested and taken to police stations and army bases for "attitude adjustment." Some have been released without charges, while others have been prosecuted in  martial court, including 16 university students who commemorated the first anniversary of the coup last month in Bangkok and Khon Kaen province. 

Speaking at the press conference yesterday, Gen. Chatchalerm also urged the foreign press to recognize the state-sanctioned forums organized by the junta, known formally as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), which he said activists are "welcome" to attend. 

"I'd like to tell foreign journalists who like to say that the NCPO doesn't open any space for freely expressing opinions: in reality it is not like that. We do open a space for them," he said. 

The 1932 revolution was engineered by a group of Western-educated scholars and military officers who felt that absolute monarchy was an outdated form of government for Thailand, then known as Siam. On 24 June 1932, the plotters staged a coup against the royal government, replacing the king's direct rule with a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. 

However, the revolution failed to turn Thailand into a full-fledged democratic country as hoped for by some of the revolutionaries. Throughout the following 83 years, Thailand has seen 12 successful military coups and 19 constitutions, with the government alternating between quasi-democratic regimes and military dictatorships.

The current junta promised that a new election will be held in September 2016 at the earliest. 

BANGKOK — Thai public health officials have reprimanded two private hospitals for refusing to accept patients who were suspected of having Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

According to Boonrueng Trairuengworarat, director of Thailand’s Department of Health Service Support, staff at the two private hospitals turned away patients from Middle Eastern countries because they were afraid they might be infected with MERS coronavirus. Boonrueng did not identify the two hospitals by name. 

"In the past week, there have been cases of staff at the two private hospitals who have refused to admit patients as soon as they realized that they came from risk-countries. They then called taxis to take those patients to [state-owned] Bamrasnaradura Infectious Disease Institute instead," Boonrueng told reporters yesterday.

The director said the practice violates both medical ethics and the laws like the Disease Control Act, which carries a penalty of 6 months in prison and a 10,000 baht fine for rejecting patients with dangerous communicable diseases. 

"Soon there will be a random inspection of private hospitals and clinics to prevent this from happening again," said Boonrueng. "I have already reprimanded the staff in this case." 

Thai public health officials are currently working to contain a potential MERS outbreak after the first case – a 75-year-old man from Oman – was detected in the Kingdom on 18 June. 

The vast majority of MERS infections have originated in Saudi Arabia, but the coronavirus has killed at least 27 people in South Korea in the past month. There is no specific cure or vaccine for the disease. 

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Minister of Public Health Rachata Rachatanawin said he has asked all hospitals to quarantine suspected MERS patients for 14 days, instead of turning them away. He told reporters that the Ministry of Public Health will cover the costs of the quarantine procedures. 

Rachata stressed that Thailand still has only one confirmed case of MERS infection, and that some of the 176 people who have been quarantined for suspicious symptoms have already been released.  

"It won't affect tourism because we won't bar any travel to Thailand,” Rachata said. "We also have a health inspection system for people who travel from South Korea and the Middle East, which are considered risk-countries." 

BANGKOK — Thai public health officials have reprimanded two private hospitals for refusing to accept patients who were suspected of having Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

According to Boonrueng Trairuengworarat, director of Thailand’s Department of Health Service Support, staff at the two private hospitals turned away patients from Middle Eastern countries because they were afraid they might be infected with MERS coronavirus. Boonrueng did not identify the two hospitals by name. 

"In the past week, there have been cases of staff at the two private hospitals who have refused to admit patients as soon as they realized that they came from risk-countries. They then called taxis to take those patients to [state-owned] Bamrasnaradura Infectious Disease Institute instead," Boonrueng told reporters yesterday.

The director said the practice violates both medical ethics and the laws like the Disease Control Act, which carries a penalty of 6 months in prison and a 10,000 baht fine for rejecting patients with dangerous communicable diseases. 

"Soon there will be a random inspection of private hospitals and clinics to prevent this from happening again," said Boonrueng. "I have already reprimanded the staff in this case." 

Thai public health officials are currently working to contain a potential MERS outbreak after the first case – a 75-year-old man from Oman – was detected in the Kingdom on 18 June. 

The vast majority of MERS infections have originated in Saudi Arabia, but the coronavirus has killed at least 27 people in South Korea in the past month. There is no specific cure or vaccine for the disease. 

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Minister of Public Health Rachata Rachatanawin said he has asked all hospitals to quarantine suspected MERS patients for 14 days, instead of turning them away. He told reporters that the Ministry of Public Health will cover the costs of the quarantine procedures. 

Rachata stressed that Thailand still has only one confirmed case of MERS infection, and that some of the 176 people who have been quarantined for suspicious symptoms have already been released.  

"It won't affect tourism because we won't bar any travel to Thailand,” Rachata said. "We also have a health inspection system for people who travel from South Korea and the Middle East, which are considered risk-countries."