PHAYAO – A well-known Redshirt activist based in the northern province of Phayao claims he has been subject to intrusive "surveillance" by Thailand’s military regime.

Siriwat Chupamadtha, a coordinator of the Redshirts’ United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), said three plain-clothed military officers are regularly stationed at his home, workplace, and the radio station he regularly speaks.

"They kept telling me that they merely want to ask about how I spend my time in daily life, and how I am involved in political works," Siriwat told Matichon. "They said that I can report to them via LINE messenger on the days that they can't show up, so they would know where I am."

Although the military quickly curtailed the activities of Redshirt activists following the 22 May coup, Siriwat claims the military’s surveillance efforts have increased in recent weeks. According to Siriwat, other Redshirt activists in the region have also described being followed by military personnel. 

Siriwat suggested that the heightened surveillance may have been caused by the recent funeral of Redshirt leader and former Pheu Thai MP Abhiwan Wiriyachai, for which thousands of Redshirts showed up in a display of solidarity.

It was the first time since the coup that Redshirts, who supported the former government, have gathered in such great numbers as all political activities and gatherings are currently banned by the junta.

Other high-ranking members of the Redshirt movement, such as former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and UDD chairperson Jatuporn Prompan, attended the funeral to bid final farewell to Abhiwan, who fled Thailand shortly after the coup and died in exile in the Philippines.

Siriwat said he believes junta's National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) is anticipating renewed Redshirt protests following the possible impeachment of several politicians allied to the previous government, among them former PM Yingluck. 

"I was supposed to attend a talk show with Thai PBS TV station in Bangkok on 4 November, but ultimately I decided not to go, because the current situation is really abnormal," Siriwat said.

He added that the NCPO has no reason to be paranoid.

"I would like to tell Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, the Prime Minister, that he should not worry about any underground resistance or any other action from the Redshirts," Siriwat said. "Everyone is well aware that the country needs peace right now."

Gen. Prayuth, who led the coup and is also chairman of the NCPO, has promised to hold an election by 2015 if the reform process is completed and reconciliation has been achieved.

CORRECTION: Phayao province is in northern Thailand, not northeastern as was originally reported. 

For comments, or corrections to this article please contact: [email protected]

You can also find Khaosod English on Twitter and Facebook
http://twitter.com/KhaosodEnglish
http://www.facebook.com/KhaosodEnglish

BANGKOK – Thailand’s military ruler is set to attend two major international forums in China and Myanmar this week, which Thai officials hope will improve Thailand's standing in the world.

Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, Prime Minister and chairman of Thailand’s military junta, left for Beijing yesterday to represent Thailand in the 2014 summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

He was accompanied by several other top generals, including Gen. Thanasak Patimaprakorn, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Gen. Chatchai Sarikalya, Minister of Commerce. 

Speaking to reporters yesterday, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said he hopes Gen. Prayuth's trip will "raise confidence that Thailand is still playing an important role in international stage."

"The agenda of the APEC summit corresponds with the policies of our government," Sihasak Puangketkaew said. "Be it economic cooperation, promotion of economic reform, and development of the economy in a sustained way."

Gen. Thanasak, the Foreign Affairs Minister, told reporters before he left for Beijing that his delagation will seek to establish Thailand as a centre of agricultural trade through discussions at the summit.

The meeting will be Gen. Prayuth's second high-profile international forum after he seized power from the elected government in a military coup on 22 May 204.

Gen. Prayuth made his international debut at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Italy last month, where a group of Thai and Italian activists marched in the streets to protest his autocratic government. 

Other world leaders expected to attend the APEC meeting include US President Barack Obama, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.  

After the APEC summit, Gen. Prayuth will fly to Neypidaw, the capital city of Myanmar, to take part in the summit of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on 12 November.

BURIRAM — Thai authorities have taken a wrecking ball to a historic constitution monument in Northeastern Thailand, several months after the country’s actual constitution was dissolved following a military coup in May.

Many residents in Buriram were surprised this morning to see bulldozers demolishing the city's Constitution Monument, which was erected nearly 80 years ago in a major intersection in the city's centre. 

The monument was built in the late 1930s as a part of a state campaign to instill admiration for the newly-founded constitutional democracy in Thailand, then known as Siam.

Similar monuments were erected across the country following the 1932 Revolution, in which the revolutionary People's Party seized power in Bangkok and replaced the Kingdom’s absolute monarchy with a parliamentary democracy.

Buriram's Municipality Office said in a statement after the demolition that the monument was removed because it created traffic and caused many accidents at night. 

"Buriram Municipality has solved the aforementioned problem by removing the monument, in order to install a digital traffic light, which will reduce traffic congestion and increase traffic flow," the statement says.

It added that a replica of the monument will be built in front of an old provincial town hall, though a time frame for the project was not provided. 

"I feel really sad that the monument is gone. I have seen it since I was a child," said Supranee Kumram, a college student who was observing the bulldozing operation. "But if the officials think it will benefit the public, I guess I don't have any rights to dispute that."

However, some of the residents said the authorities should have notified the local community before removing the monument.

"The officials should have explained the reason to us in advance. They shouldn't just do it and explain to us later like this," one resident told Khaosod near the site of the now-toppled monument.

"We call it Democracy Monument. It's like the symbol of our province," continued the resident, who asked not to be named, "The monument symbolises the change of regime into democracy."

Thailand has run through 18 constitutions since it became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, making it the country with the highest number of charters in the world.  The most recent one, drafted in 2007, was dissolved this May after the Thai army staged a coup d’etat.

The country is currently being governed by an interim constitution while a junta-appointed drafting committee is working on a new charter for the country.