BANGKOK — A spokesperson for Thailand's military government has asked the public to focus on what junta chairman and Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha is doing for the nation, and not the protests that reportedly greeted his arrival in Japan.

Photos of protesters holding banners in Thai, Japanese, and English that call for the repeal of martial law were posted on the Facebook page of the anti-coup group "Seri Thai" (Free Thai) today. The demonstration was reportedly organized by Thai residents living in Japan, though the exact time and location of the event was not specified.

A photo of anti-coup protesters in Japan posted on the Facebook page of anti-coup group "Seri Thai."

Responding to the photos today, government spokesperson Maj.Gen. Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the public should instead pay attention to Gen. Prayuth, who is "working for the country" during his state visit to Japan.

"The protesters have the right to protest. In a country that is ruled under a democratic regime, all these things can be done. We should not be worried about it, or make it such a big issue," Maj.Gen. Sansern said. "The big issue for us is Gen. Prayuth's works. They protest, that's their business. Don't make it our big issue. What should be the issue is our duty to do things for the nation."

The photos also show activists holding banners that denounce the military crackdown on Redshirt protesters in 2010 that left over 90 people dead, mostly civilians.  Some protesters are seen  holding portraits of Muramoto Hiroyuki, the Japanese reporter who was shot dead while he was covering the clashes between Redshirt protesters and security forces during the crackdown.  

Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha meeting with the Crown of Prince of Japan in Tokyo on 9 Feb 2015.

Although the Japanese government expressed concern about the suspension of democracy in Thailand following the military takeover led by Gen. Prayuth last May, diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries remain normal. 

Last week, Human Rights Watch urged Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to use his bilateral meeting with Gen. Prayuth today to advocate for the return of democratic rule.

“Thailand is in the choking grip of military rulers, a nationwide enforcement of martial law, and an unrelenting crackdown on freedom of expression, association, and assembly,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement on 6 February. “Pressure from a key business partner like Japan is crucial to bringing a speedy return to democratic rule in Thailand.”

Gen. Prayuth's three-day visit to Japan comes at a time when Thailand's diplomatic relations with other Western countries, such as the United States, have started to cool over concerns about the junta's leadership. This morning, the US charge d'affaires in Bangkok described the relationship between the two countries as going through a "challenging" time.

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BANGKOK – The Thai military has transferred a Redshirt activist accused of circulating a fake royal document over to police after holding him in an army camp for five days of interrogation.

Krit Bootdeecheen, 25, was escorted by a group of masked, armed soldiers to the Royal Thai Police headquarters at around 10:30 am today to hear his charges of lese majeste (insulting the monarchy) and violating the Computer Crimes Act, which criminalizes publishing false information on a computer system. 

Soldiers escort Krit Bootdeecheen, 25, to the Royal Thai Police headquarters on 9 Feb 2015.

Authorities say Krit, a local Redshirt activist in Phetchabun province, was “one of the first” people to post a forged document on social media that purported to be issued by His Majesty the King on the night of 2 February. The statement falsely claimed that King Bhumibol, who is currently residing at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, had decided to appoint a Regent to act on his behalf. Within an hour the Thai government declared the statement to be fake.

Defaming the monarchy is punishable by up to 15 years in prison under Thailand's lese majeste law. Krit is now facing trial in military court, where appeals are not permitted. 

The military has been holding Krit for interrogation at 11th Infantry Regiment headquarters in Bangkok since he was arrested on 4 February. Soldiers barred a lawyer from visiting Krit at the camp on 5 Febuary, citing the powers granted to the military under martial law. 

A martial court has also issued an arrest warrant for the online editor of ASTV Manager, a Thai newspaper that posted the false statement on its website. The document was removed after it was determined to be fake and replaced with an apology on the same night. 

Since seizing power last May, the Thai military junta has used martial law to ban all political activities, censor the press, detain more than 300 individuals in military camps without charges, and try dissidents in military courts, where appeals are not possible. The junta has also granted military courts jurisdiction over lese majeste lawsuits and other cases that concern "national security."

BANGKOK (DPA) — Annual joint military exercises started Monday in Thailand with a reduced US contingent, an official said, amid Washington's reservations over the Thai junta that seized power in May.

Around 3,600 US troops were sent to this year's Cobra Gold exercises, down from 4,500 in 2014, according to a US embassy statement.

US Marines drink cobra blood during the joint military exercise Cobra Gold 2014 at a military base in Chanthaburi province, Thailand, 15 Febuary 2014. EPA/NARONG SANGNAK

The drill would also be scaled down and its directive shifted to focus more on humanitarian aid and non-lethal drills, it said.

"We can't deny that this period is a challenging one for us all, and has necessitated a modified Cobra Gold Exercise," said W Patrick Murphy, charge d'affaires at the US embassy, at an opening ceremony in Nakhon Nayok, 100 kilometres north-east of Bangkok.

Murphy also called on Thailand to "return to democracy as soon as possible so we can restore our bilateral relationship to its full potential."

US-Thai relations have been strained by the regime change in Bangkok and the imposition of military rule, with suppression of dissidents.

Washington cut military aid to Thailand after the coup.

Murphy was summoned last week by the junta, which said a visiting US diplomat's call for the country to end martial law was "interfering in local affairs."

Some reports had said the US was planning to move this year's Cobra Gold drills out of Thailand altogether.

The manoeuvres involve 13,000 participants including 4,000 troops from Thailand in addition to the US military, and contingents from 22 others including South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia and Japan.

BANGKOK — An explosion that wounded five soldiers inside an army barrack in Bangkok this morning was an "accident," a spokesperson for the Royal Thai Army confirmed.

The blast was heard from the headquarters of the Ordnance Corps in Bangkok's Bang Sue district at around 10 am today.

According to Col. Sirichan Nga-thong, the explosion occurred while soldiers were attempting to repair a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) inside a workshop building.

The RPG that exploded during a repair effort at the headquarters of the Ordnance Corps in Bangkok, 9 Feb 2015.

Four soldiers were slightly injured by the blast and one suffered a wound to the head, Col. Sirichan said.

"Let me stress that the accident took place inside a military installation. No outside person was affected," she told reporters, adding that all wounded victims are expected to leave hospital in two days. 

Meanwhile, Lt.Gen. Tharee Wutthipanich, commander of the Ordnance Corps, said the repair work was a routine task undertaken by soldiers in the unit. "It has nothing to do with any political protest," he said.

In the hours between the blasts and the military’s press conference at noon, there was some speculation that the explosion was connected to a recent bombing attack at Siam Paragon shopping mall on 1 February. 

BANGKOK — An explosion that wounded five soldiers inside an army barrack in Bangkok this morning was an "accident," a spokesperson for the Royal Thai Army confirmed.

The blast was heard from the headquarters of the Ordnance Corps in Bangkok's Bang Sue district at around 10 am today.

According to Col. Sirichan Nga-thong, the explosion occurred while soldiers were attempting to repair a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) inside a workshop building.

The RPG that exploded during a repair effort at the headquarters of the Ordnance Corps in Bangkok, 9 Feb 2015.

Four soldiers were slightly injured by the blast and one suffered a wound to the head, Col. Sirichan said.

"Let me stress that the accident took place inside a military installation. No outside person was affected," she told reporters, adding that all wounded victims are expected to leave hospital in two days. 

Meanwhile, Lt.Gen. Tharee Wutthipanich, commander of the Ordnance Corps, said the repair work was a routine task undertaken by soldiers in the unit. "It has nothing to do with any political protest," he said.

In the hours between the blasts and the military’s press conference at noon, there was some speculation that the explosion was connected to a recent bombing attack at Siam Paragon shopping mall on 1 February. 

BANGKOK — The parents of the wife of Thailand's Crown Prince, who resigned from the Royal Family last December, denied charges of lese majeste today in their first public appearance since their family was stripped of their royal surname last year.

Last week, a woman in Ratchaburi province accused Apiruj and Wantanee Suwadee, the parents of former princess Srirasmi, of using their royal connections to bully her in 2003. According to the charges, the pair used their royal influence to have the woman, Sawita Maneechan, jailed for 18 months on a bogus fraud conviction.

In addition to defaming the monarchy, which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, Srirasmi's parents have been charged with facilitating the filing of false police reports that led to criminal charges.

Apiruj and Wantanee Suwadee at the Crime Suppression Division headquarters in Bangkok, 9 Feb 2015.

Both Apiruj and Wantanee denied the allegations this morning at a meeting with police officers at the Crime Suppression Division headquarters in Bangkok.

"I don't know what to say," Wantanee said. "I never knew [Sawita]. I don’t know who is who in her family. Please give us some fairness. We never knew anything about it. We never intended to bully anyone. You can make me swear oath on anything, I will do it."

According to the defendant, Wanatee arranged the lawsuit as punishment for Sawita's alleged affair with Apiruj, which Sawita denies.

The lese majeste accusations follow former Princess Srirasmi’s resignation from the Royal Family in December 2014 after several of her other relatives, including her brother and sister, were arrested on charges of lese majeste and running massive crime ring. At least 27 arrest warrants have been issued to people in connection with the criminal network, which included several high-ranking police officers. 

Speculation about the scandal, one of the biggest to rock the Thai police force and palace in recent years, reached a fever pitch after Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn stripped Srirasmi's entire family of the royally-bestowed surname Akharaphongpreecha, forcing them to revert back to their "commoner" surname, Suwadee, on 30 November. Srirasmi's resignation from the Royal Family followed a few weeks later. 

Today's meeting at the police headquarters was the first time Srirasmi's parents have appeared in public as commoners since the scandal broke out last year.

Asked to comment on the allegations, Wantanee said she has never flaunted her daughter’s connection to the Crown Prince.

"We lived as commoners," Wanatee said. "We never required any visitors to our residence to kowtow or crawl on their knees. We greeted them normally. There's no hierarchy. We are all equals. We treated them with dignity."

She continued, "There's nothing else we can lose in this life, because we have lost everything already. Don't pile more troubles on us, please. What else do you want from us? We have no more tears to cry these days. Please show us some sympathy and compassion. We never intended to insult the monarchy. We love every member of the Royal Family. No matter what happened, we still love and revere them to this day."

Pol.Maj.Gen. Thitirat Nongharnpitak said police will proceed carefully with the "sensitive" case, but stressed that the criminal investigation has to go ahead in accordance with the law.

"As far as our initial investigation concerns, there are some facts and evidence to this case," Pol.Maj.Gen. Thitirat said. "But we will also respect the rights of the accused, because it is a sensitive case. Society is watching. Let me stress that everything will be according with evidence."

After announcing her resignation, former Princess Srirasmi moved out of the Crown Prince's palace in Bangkok to live with her parents in Ratchaburi. She has not been seen in public since 13 December, when she applied for a new national ID card as a commoner. 

It is unclear whether Srirasmi and the Crown Prince are formally divorced. The couple married in 2001 and have one 9-year-old son.