BANGKOK — Thailand's ruling military junta has summoned a new round of prominent Pheu Thai politicians for "attitude readjustment" after they publicly criticized the political situation in Thailand.

In the last 24 hours, four Cabinet ministers from the administration of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra have been ordered to report to the military. 

The four men are Surapong Tovichakchaikul, former Minister of Foreign Affairs; Nattawut Saikua, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives; Chaturon Chaisaeng, former Minister of Education; and Pichai Naripthaphan, former Minister of Energy. 

Chaturon Chaisaeng reporting to the 1st Region Army headquarters in Bangkok, 29 Jan 2015.

Three of the four former ministers have publicly criticized last week's impeachment of former PM Yingluck by the junta-appointed parliament, either in media interviews or Facebook posts, while Pichai reportedly criticized the military government's energy policy.

Chaturon and Surapong surrendered to the 1st Region Army headquarters in Bangkok today, while Nattawut and Pichai have been ordered to report to the military tomorrow. 

In addition to condemning the impeachment ruling, Chaturon, one of the most vocal Pheu Thai politicians since the coup, recently wrote on Facebook that the party's silence tactic is no longer working.

"Staying silent and allowing those with power to do what they please will not guarantee that the country will move forward," he wrote on 19 January. "In fact, grave troubles are waiting for us in the future."

The junta’s intensified crackdown on public criticism follows last week’s ruling to impeach Yingluck and ban her from politics for five years, a move that analysts predicted would sow discontent among her supporters. Two days ago, Yingluck's legal advisor was similarly "invited" for talks with the military after he condemned the impeachment ruling.

More than 300 politicians, activists, and academics perceived to be sympathetic to the former government were publicly summoned and briefly detained in military camps in the weeks following the 22 May 2014 coup.  The wave of summons orders winded down in July. 

Chaturon is currently facing trial in martial court for his refusal to report for a summons order issued by the junta shortly after the takeover.

Unlike last year's summons, the orders given to the four politicians in recent days were not written into official documents or publicly announced on television.  Junta chairman and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha explained today that formal notices are no longer necessary.

"No need. The NCPO directly contacts and invites these people," Gen. Prayuth said, using an acronym for the junta's official name, the National Council for Peace and Order. "I don't want it to become big news. When we invite them, we use telephones to call them for talks."

He added that the politicians will not be detained overnight. "If they stay overnight, it will be a waste of the food budget," he said. "I won't let them stay."

When a reporter asked whether anyone who publicly comments on the political situation in Thailand will be summoned for "attitude readjustment," Gen. Prayuth shot back, "Is it the right thing to say those things? Is it appropriate to say them in this time? That's all. You keep making this a big issue with your questions."

When the reporter pressed Gen. Prayuth to answer, the junta chairman launched into an angry tirade.

"You will be summoned, too, if you keep asking many questions like this," he said. "You ask unconstructive questions. I want to ask you, is it a right thing to do, challenging my full power? Even though I have such full power, these people still challenge it like this. If there's no martial law, what's going to happen? You all know the answer. Do you want it to happen?"

He continued, "I know that the media wants it to happen, so that they can sell news … I am [the head of] the government. I have full power. Is it the right thing to challenge it like this? I have relaxed my power too much already these days."

Responding to a reporter who noted that the NCPO seems to be intensifying its crackdown on criticism, Gen. Prayuth shouted, "So what? So what? In the past, you said I was incompetent. Now that I am intensifying, you are angry. What the hell do you want me to do?" 

Swiftly changing the topic, the junta chairman also scolded the media for publishing a photo of him inadvertently pointing his middle finger, which appeared in Post Today.

"I am not mad on power. You don't understand it. You keep picking on me," Gen. Prayuth said. "Yesterday, for instance. How can you photograph me like that? I was pointing my finger. You bastard. You chose to photograph me pointing my finger. This is what they call a lowly mind."

BANGKOK — Thailand's ruling military junta has summoned a new round of prominent Pheu Thai politicians for "attitude readjustment" after they publicly criticized the political situation in Thailand.

In the last 24 hours, four Cabinet ministers from the administration of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra have been ordered to report to the military. 

The four men are Surapong Tovichakchaikul, former Minister of Foreign Affairs; Nattawut Saikua, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives; Chaturon Chaisaeng, former Minister of Education; and Pichai Naripthaphan, former Minister of Energy. 

Chaturon Chaisaeng reporting to the 1st Region Army headquarters in Bangkok, 29 Jan 2015.

Three of the four former ministers have publicly criticized last week's impeachment of former PM Yingluck by the junta-appointed parliament, either in media interviews or Facebook posts, while Pichai reportedly criticized the military government's energy policy.

Chaturon and Surapong surrendered to the 1st Region Army headquarters in Bangkok today, while Nattawut and Pichai have been ordered to report to the military tomorrow. 

In addition to condemning the impeachment ruling, Chaturon, one of the most vocal Pheu Thai politicians since the coup, recently wrote on Facebook that the party's silence tactic is no longer working.

"Staying silent and allowing those with power to do what they please will not guarantee that the country will move forward," he wrote on 19 January. "In fact, grave troubles are waiting for us in the future."

Surapong Tovichakchaikul, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, was released after talks with the military on 29 Jan 2015.The junta’s intensified crackdown on public criticism follows last week’s ruling to impeach Yingluck and ban her from politics for five years, a move that analysts predicted would sow discontent among her supporters. Two days ago, Yingluck's legal advisor was similarly "invited" for talks with the military after he condemned the impeachment ruling.

More than 300 politicians, activists, and academics perceived to be sympathetic to the former government were publicly summoned and briefly detained in military camps in the weeks following the 22 May 2014 coup.  The wave of summons orders winded down in July. 

Chaturon is currently facing trial in martial court for his refusal to report for a summons order issued by the junta shortly after the takeover.

Unlike last year's summons, the orders given to the four politicians in recent days were not written into official documents or publicly announced on television.  Junta chairman and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha explained today that formal notices are no longer necessary.

"No need. The NCPO directly contacts and invites these people," Gen. Prayuth said, using an acronym for the junta's official name, the National Council for Peace and Order. "I don't want it to become big news. When we invite them, we use telephones to call them for talks."

He added that the politicians will not be detained overnight. "If they stay overnight, it will be a waste of the food budget," he said. "I won't let them stay."

When a reporter asked whether anyone who publicly comments on the political situation in Thailand will be summoned for "attitude readjustment," Gen. Prayuth shot back, "Is it the right thing to say those things? Is it appropriate to say them in this time? That's all. You keep making this a big issue with your questions."

When the reporter pressed Gen. Prayuth to answer, the junta chairman launched into an angry tirade.

"You will be summoned too, if you keep asking many questions like this," he said. "You ask unconstructive questions. I want to ask you, is it a right thing to do, challenging my full power? Even though I have such full power, these people still challenge it like this. If there's no martial law, what's going to happen? You all know the answer. Do you want it to happen?"

He continued, "I know that the media wants it to happen, so that they can sell news … I am [the head of] the government. I have full power. Is it the right thing to challenge it like this? I have relaxed my power too much already these days."

Responding to a reporter who noted that the NCPO seems to be intensifying its crackdown on criticism, Gen. Prayuth shouted, "So what? So what? In the past, you said I was incompetent. Now that I am intensifying, you are angry. What the hell do you want me to do?" 

Swiftly changing the topic, the junta chairman also scolded the media for publishing a photo of him inadvertently pointing his middle finger, which appeared in Post Today.

"I am not mad on power. You don't understand it. You keep picking on me," Gen. Prayuth said. "Yesterday, for instance. How can you photograph me like that? I was pointing my finger. You bastard. You chose to photograph me pointing my finger. This is what they call a lowly mind."

BANGKOK — Thailand's military government has disputed an international watchdog's decision to downgrade Thailand in an annual report on freedom around the globe released today.

According to the US-based organization Freedom House, Thailand is "Not Free," alongside neighboring countries like Myanmar, Vietnam, and Cambodia. The Kingdom was ranked "Free" from 1999 to 2005, and "Partially Free" for the past eight years. 

Freedom House attributed Thailand's plunge in political rights and civil liberties to "the May military coup, whose leaders abolished the 2007 constitution and imposed severe restrictions on speech and assembly."

A map from Freedom House's 2015 report on freedom around the globe.

The report noted that the Thai junta, officially titled the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), has imposed martial law, banned public protests, intimidated the press, trampled on academic freedom, tried dissidents in military courts, and aggressively enforced lese majeste, a law that criminalizes criticism of the Thai monarchy. 

"Aggressive enforcement of Thailand’s lèse-majesté laws since the 2006 coup has created widespread anxiety and stifled freedom of expression online, in print and broadcast media, and at public events," the report reads. "The charges have been used to target activists, scholars, students, journalists, foreign authors, and politicians; they are also used by individuals against fellow citizens."

The report also noted that the junta’s government has already faced two corruption scandals: one involving the purchase ofoverpriced microphones, and the other regarding the personal wealth of Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha’s cabinet members.

"Critics questioned how 25 of the 33 cabinet members had become dollar millionaires when many had long served as public servants with modest salaries," the report says.

It is the first time Thailand has been rated as "Not Free" since 2007, when the Kingdom was under the administration of a military-appointed government that followed the 2006 coup. 

However, Pilaipan Sombatsiri, chairwoman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, disputed Freedom House's reading of the situation in Thailand.

In a press conference today, Pilaipan argued that Freedom House cannot rate Thailand as unfree or undemocratic "because the people are happy. They can live their lives normally."

"It depends on what Thai people think," Pilaipan said. "Don't let the outside world interfere with your thoughts too much."

This afternoon, military officials canceled an event on media freedom organized by a German NGO due to "sensitive" content, a representative from the group said.

The timing of Freedom House's report has also coincided with renewed pressure from the United States government to lift martial law and end restrictions on freedom of speech. 

"We are concerned about the significant restraints on freedoms since the coup," said US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Daniel Russel, during a public lecture in Bangkok on 26 January. "Ending martial law throughout the country and removing restrictions of speech and assembly – these would be important steps as part of genuinely inclusive reform process that reflects the broad diversity of views within the country."

Russel was the highest-level US official to visit Thailand since the 22 May coup. His speech has drawn heavy criticism from the junta and pro-coup Thais who accuse the US of interfering in Thailand's domestic issues.

BANGKOK — The chairman of Thailand's interim parliament has accused the United States government of "interfering" in Thai politics by calling on the ruling junta to lift martial law and abolish all restrictions on civil rights.

Pornpetch Wichiatcholchai, the head of the junta-appointed National Legislative Assembly (NLA), said the US broke "diplomatic protocol" by allowing Daniel Russel, the US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, to talk about Thai politics during his speech at Chulalongkorn University on 26 January.

In his speech, Russel called upon the Thai military to repeal martial law and cease suppressing freedom of assembly and expression. He also raised concerns over the NLA’s retroactive impeachment of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, which he said could be seen as politically-driven. 

Speaking at today's press conference, Pornpetch said he was not surprised by Russel's violation of "diplomatic protocol," because the US "thinks of themselves as a superpower" and likes to interfere in other nations' domestic issues.

"[The US] thinks that having an election is democracy. They don't care about other contexts, about other disputes," Pornpetch said.

He added, "However, I think that [Russel's speech] is still better than sending CIA or spies to interfere with our country."

Pornpetch is the latest Thai official to vent anger at Russel's perceived interference, despite the US envoy's insistence that the United States had no interest in taking sides in Thai politics. Yesterday, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the US Charge d'Affaires to Thailand, W. Patrick Murphy, to discuss the speech given by Russel.

Murphy confirmed the meeting and said he repeated the US's stance, urging Thailand's military government to take the necessary steps to return the country to democratic rule. Murphy also insisted that the US has no intention to take sides in Thailand's domestic politics. 

"We believe it is a matter for the Thai people to work together to build democratic future," Murphy tweeted this morning. "We don't take sides."

The Thai military staged a coup against an elected government on 22 May 2014, ostensibly to restore order and put an end to anti- and pro-government protests in the capital city. Since seizing power, the junta has launched a national reform effort and invoked martial law to ban public protests, detain individuals without charges or a court warrant, and try detractors in martial courts where appeals are not permitted. 

The US quickly criticized the coup and called for a return to democratic rule in Thailand. As a result, pro-coup Thais, many of whom hail from Thailand's conservative and royalist factions, have been lashing out at the US government on social media for its perceived assault on Thai sovereignty. 

In the past 24 hours, the following message has been posted hundreds of times in comment threads on the US Embassy in Bangkok's Facebook account:

"Here is the Kingdom of Thailand. We are independent country. We can handle all our internal matters by ourselves. We have nothing to do with you. It’s none of your business. We, the majority of Thai people are warning you, don’t interfere in Thailand’s internal affairs regarding Martial Law. We are very happy with this law as it stands."

In today's press conference, Pornpetch insisted that the junta, known formally as the National Council for Peace and Order, intends to build a "sustainable" democracy that is in accordance with Thai traditions, and may not necessarily reflect the American definition of democracy.

"We are moving forward to a sustainable democracy, so we have different ideas than the US," Pornpetch explained. "[The NCPO] is committed to reforming Thai politics and paving way to sustainable democracy and election. I stress that Thai democracy is a regime that conforms to Thai customs, tradition, and spiritual guidance, which is democracy with the King as Head of State."

He also told reporters that Yingluck's impeachment is in accordance with "the constitution and the principles of rule of law."

"The US themselves have  impeachments in the past," the NLA chairman said, "They have done it in the cases of President Nixon and President Clinton."

Related coverage:
Thai Military Govt Summons US Diplomat After "Disappointing Speech"
'What Would America Do?' Thai Junta Asks US Envoy

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