BANGKOK — Former Pheu Thai politician Apiwan Wiriyachai was cremated today in a ceremony that turned into the largest public gathering of Redshirt supporters since the military coup on 22 May.

Apiwan, a longtime ally of Redshirt icon and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, died of lung cancer on 6 October at the age of 65 in the Philippines where he was living in exile.

The former Pheu Thai MP, who also served as Deputy House Speaker, was widely admired by the Redshirts, as evident by the approximately 10,000 supporters who attended his cremation ceremony at Bang Phai Temple in Nonthaburi province today. 

The ceremony was headed by Thaksin's younger sister and former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, whose Redshirt-supported government was toppled in the 22 May coup. 

The flame used in the cremation was provided by the Royal Household Bureau; Apiwan was eligible for the honour because he served in the military and attained the rank of colonel. 

Other prominent Pheu Thai politicians and Redshirt leaders also attended the ceremony, including Jatuporn Prompan, Nattawut Saikua, and Thida Thawornseth. 

The funeral was the biggest public gathering of the Redshirts since the military ousted Yingluck's pro-Thaksin government and banned all political activities.

In compliance with the ban, most Redshirt leaders have kept a low profile in recent months.

This evening, soldiers were deployed on the roads around Bang Phai Temple and many police officers were posted at the temple to observe the cremation.

However, there were no political activities or speeches at the ceremony, as requested by authorities. Former PM Yingluck, who had to struggle to make her way through the large crowds of Redshirts, left the venue without speaking to the press after she laid down a symbolic flower over Apiwan's coffin. 

Siriwat Chupamatta, who helps coordinate the Redshirts' umbrella organisation the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), dismissed concerns that Apiwan's cremation would be used as an opportunity to rally against the military junta.

"Redshirts are not obsessed with politics so much that they will use Apiwan's funeral as a way to coordinate and plan a rally," Siriwat said. "That would be disrespectful to Apiwan. Redshirts know full well when it's inappropriate to do political activity. Since the NCPO and the government have promised an election by 2016, the Redshirts accept that."

He also said that the UDD even invited Maj.Gen. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, a spokesperson of the military regime, to join the funeral so he could see for himself that the ceremony did not turn political.

Apiwan is the first Thai politician to die in exile in recent history. The former Pheu Thai MP fled the country shortly after the coup, along with many other politicians and activists who left to avoid persecution by the junta. 

In July, police charged Apiwan with lese majeste – insulting the monarchy – for comments he made in one of his public speeches. Authorities have been trying to extradite the former MP to face trial in Thailand, where lese majeste is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Yesterday, junta leader and Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha urged all dissidents to come home from exile and contest their charges under Thailand's justice system. 

"Please come home,” Gen. Prayuth said in the press conference yesterday. “Living abroad is not comfortable at all, unlike living in Thailand.”

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BANGKOK — A group of ultra-royalists have accused a prominent Thai historian of defaming the monarchy by raising doubts about a historic elephant battle between an ancient Thai King and a Burmese general 400 years ago.

The royalists filed a lese majeste (insult of monarchy) complaint against the author, Sulak Sivaraksa, at Chanasongkram Police Station in Bangkok today, according a report on Chao Praya news site.

In Thailand, criticizing the monarchy is punishable by up to 15 years in prison under Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code.

Lt. Gen. Padung Niwetsuwan, a member of the group, said the 82-year-old writer insulted the Thai monarchy by questioning the accomplishments of King Naresuan, who ruled ancient Thailand – known then as Ayutthaya Kingdom – between 1590 and 1605.

According to Lt. Gen. Padung, Sulak suggested at a recent academic forum that the elephant duel between King Naresuan and the leader of the invading Burmese army, Minchit Sra, may not have happened, contrary to the account in official Thai history.

“He also made many other remarks that can be deemed libelous of the Higher Institution,” Lt.Gen. Padung said.

Although Thailand’s lese majeste law only officially covers the King, Queen, Heir-Apparent, and Regent, in practice it is used to punish comments deemed insulting to any aspect of the monarchy.

It is unclear whether police will take any action against Sulak. A self-identified “royalist reformer,” Sulak has faced previous charges of lese majeste for making frank statements about the Thai Royal Family, though none of the charges have been taken up in court.

Elephant Battle as ‘Propaganda’

According to a post on his Facebook page, Sulak told an academic seminar at Thammasat University on 9 October that Thais should think critically about the alleged achievements of King Naresuan, who is portrayed by state media as a heroic warrior king who regained Thailand’s “independence” from Burmese rule in the 17th century.

“Is Naresuan really a hero as they claimed?” Sulak reportedly said. “Did any of us actually see King Naresuan engaging in the elephant duel and killing [Minchit Sra]? And is killing [Minchit Sra] such a noble thing to do? We never questioned these issues at all.”

The elephant duel between the Thai monarch and the heir to the Burmese throne allegedly took place during the Battle of Nong Sarai in present-day Suphanburi province in 1593. According to official Thai history, King Naresuan gallantly challenged Minchit Sra to a one-on-one elephant battle and killed him, effectively convincing the rest of the disheartened Burmese troops to retreat.

The duel has been immortalized in Thailand through school textbooks, TV dramas, and films. Thai authorities consider the elephant battle to be of such significance that the date of the duel was chosen for the National Armed Forces Day.

The duel was most recently dramatized in a film released this year called Legend of King Naresuan 5: Elephant Battle, which was partly sponsored by the military. The military junta praised the film as a must-see for all Thai patriots, and instructed cinemas across the country to arrange free screenings for the public in June.

In his Facebook post, Sulak called the film “propaganda” used by the post-coup “dictator regime.” He added that foreigners in Thailand during King Naresuan’s rule portrayed the ruler as a “cruel, evil, selfish, and cowardly” person, instead of the glorified hero that Thai authorities paint him as.

“Each time King Naresuan waged a war, how many foot soldiers died?” asked Sulak. “How many of their wives became widows? How many kids became orphans? … If we see history in this way, we will see that it is important to seek peace, not war.”

BANGKOK — The Thai government has insisted that there were no protests against junta leader and Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth during his visit to Italy, despite numerous international media reports and photographs that suggest otherwise.

According to a spokesperson from the Office of Prime Minister, the images of a demonstration against Gen. Prayuth on the streets of Milan are "fake."

"There have been claims on social media and a number of websites, especially on a website called Thai E News, about images that attempt to depict a protest against Gen. Prayuth and his delegates," said Maj.Gen. Sansern Kaewkamnerd. "Let me stress that these claims are false."

The Thai E News website has since been blocked in Thailand.

Gen. Prayuth is currently attending the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit in Milan – his first trip outside Southeast Asia since staging a coup against the elected government on 22 May. In August, a military-dominated parliament whose members were handpicked by the junta voted Gen. Prayuth into the premiership.

His arrival in Milan prompted a group of Thai anti-coup activists to join a local demonstration against an Italian far-right party to voice their displeasure with the junta leader. Activists in the anti-Prayuth protest, which was reported by a number of foreign media agencies including theAFP, held signs calling Gen. Prayuth a "criminal" and "dictator."  

Shortly after seizing power in May, Gen. Prayuth banned all political gatherings and protests in Thailand. His administration has also blocked hundreds of websites and several academic panels perceived as critical of the coup.  

One sign carried in the Milan protest also called for justice in the case of Fabio Polenghi, an Italian photojournalist who was shot dead while he was covering the military crackdown on Redshirt protests in Bangkok four years ago. A court inquest indicated that Polenghi was most likely killed by security forces. 

However, Maj.Gen. Sansern, the Thai government's spokesperson, said officials accompanying Gen. Prayuth in Milan insisted that there were no protests against the junta leader during his visit. On the contrary, local Thais welcomed Gen. Prayuth, officials reported.

The Office of Prime Minister has released several photos of around a dozen Thais presenting Gen. Prayuth with a bouquet of flowers in front of his hotel in Milan. 

"I do not know the intention behind those who spread these rumours," Maj.Gen. Sansern said. "But I am aware that there has been attempt to portray an opposition against the Prime Minister."

Maj.Gen. Sansern added that the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) will "investigate" the websites that published photos of the protest. 

This is not the first time Thailand's military has attemtped to "save face" with claims that appear incongruous with reality. For instance, in May the armyexplained that a non-military provocateur "hijacked" an army loudspeaker during an anti-coup protest in Bangkok to deliver a fiery rant against foreign correspondents covering the demonstration. The junta has also attempted to deny that the 22 May takeover was in fact a coup d'etat.