BANGKOK — The military officer who berated anti-coup protesters and called the foreign media "scoundrels" at a protest at Victory Monument earlier this week was not a military officer after all, the army has claimed.

According to deputy army spokesperson Col. Sirichan Nga-thong, the man behind the loudspeaker was an imposter who collaborated with anti-coup protesters to smear the Thai army.

"At this moment, there has been dissemination of texts or video clips that intend to portray soldiers as power abusers," Col. Sirichan said, citing the video clip of an an hour-long rant against anti-coup protesters and foreign media emanating from an army humvee at the anti-coup protest at Victory Monument on 26 May. 

The video, which has since been blocked in Thailand, captures a speaker accusing anti-coup demonstrators of being unpatriotic "scums" who are being paid to protest. He also directs an unusual amount of scorn towards the foreign press covering the protest, going as far as calling them "scoundrels" who want to sabotage Thailand.

However, Col. Sirichan insisted that the speaker in question was a provocateur "dressed up in military uniform," and said that the anti-coup movement is circulating the video clip to vilify the army.  

"Such action is inciting hatred against security forces. I beg you to stop," Col. Sirichan said in a press conference yesterday. "I insist that all soldiers perform their duty with restraint in every aspect." 

Col. Sirichan also threatened to take legal action against those who published the video clips.

Curiously, during the several hours in which the alleged imposter was manning the loudspeaker from inside an army humvee, none of the surrounding military personnel made any effort to stop him. 

In the past week, military spokespersons have made a number of bold assertions that appear to lack substantial evidence. 

When a photo of a crying soldier went viral on the internet over the weekend, the army came out with a public statement clarifying that the soldier was crying from pepper spray fired by an anti-coup protester, not sympathy for the demonstrators his troops were trying to contain. Witnesses at the scene did not report seeing any use of pepper spray.   

On Monday, another army spokesperson accused anti-coup demonstrations of being organised and funded by tuu maa (illegal slot machine) mafia, who allegedly pay each demonstrator 400 – 1,000 baht to join protests. 

The military has repeatedly warned the media not to report any material that might "incite unrest" or undermine the mission of the National Council of Peace and Order (NCPO), which seized power from the former government on 22 May. The NCPO has already blocked over 200 websites, and is drafting plans for a internet gateway that will allow the military to censor online material more efficiently, Prachatai English reports. 

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By Cod Satrusayang

BANGKOK (DPA) — Thailand's ruling military junta has ordered the creation of "reconciliation centres" around the country Wednesday.

The aim of these centres was "to create unity and end the division" in the country, according to an army spokesman.

The centres will be a run by community leaders chosen by the junta and will disseminate information approved by the leadership to the public.

The junta announced late Tuesday the names of the members of an advisory council that will help it administer the country. 

The council will play a key role in advising the junta in several fields including security, foreign affairs and the economy.

Some the key members of the council include General Prawit Wongsuwan, coup-leader Prayuth Chan-ocha's old commanding officer, who will lead the council.

Also included is Pridiyathorn Devakula, an aristocrat who will advise the junta on economic matters. Pridiyathorn will be reprising a familiar role as he served as finance minister under the last coup-appointed government in 2006.

Army chief General Prayuth Chan-och seized power last week after seven months of anti-government protests that led to violence and a political stalemate.

Since coming to power he has imposed a curfew, censorship of the press and summoned more than 200 people including journalists and academics, many of whom are detained on army bases.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists called for the immediate release of journalists late Tuesday.

"Journalists are vital to the flow of information, particularly during this time of political upheaval," said deputy director Robert Mahoney.

"It's not the army's job to decide what news organizations can publish."

BANGKOK — A fugitive Minister from the former government was abruptly arrested by a squad of soldiers while he was in the middle of giving an interview to the Thai and foreign press in Bangkok this afternoon.

Former Education Minister Chaturon Chaisaeng went into hiding last week after he was summoned to report to the military junta that staged a coup d’état on 22 May.

Today, Chaturon appeared in public for the first time in five days to give a last-minute press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT), where he announced that he would no longer resist arrest.

It was the first public appearance of any member of the former government since the coup d'etat last Thursday.  

Soldiers barged into the club shortly after the press briefing was over and arrested Chaturon while he was sitting and answering reporters’ questions near the club’s bar. The military later announced that the former minister will be prosecuted in martial court and could face up to two years in prison for refusing to comply with his summons earlier.

Prior to the arrest, Chaturon told reporters that he had refused to report to the military last week because he did not consider the coup d’état legal until it received a royal confirmation yesterday.  Chaturon said he worried that complying with the junta's orders before the coup was royally-approved could have made him liable for cooperating with criminals.

More than 200 politicians, activists, and journalists have been summoned by the military since it seized control of the country last week. Many of those who reported to the junta are still in custody.

Despite deciding to accept arrest, Chaturon stressed that he still strongly disapproves of the coup, which he called an “abrogation of democracy.”

Chaturon, a former student activist who campaigned against the military and right-wing paramilitary in the 1970s, predicted that the coup will only deepen the country’s divisions. He recalled how the 1976 military takeover and crackdown on dissidents drove him and many other progressive activists to join the Communist insurgency in rural Thailand.

Chaturon warned that if today’s military leaders crack down on the blossoming anti-coup movement, activists may also be forced to go underground and take up armed struggle.

"Democracy only, can help us resolve the problem of this country," Chaturon said. "There is no other way,"

When asked whether former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has "abandoned" his supporters, Chaturon dismissed the notion that the influential former leader is still the centerpiece of the pro-democracy movement in Thailand.

"In my opinion, Thaksin made a contribution to the democratic movement, but if Thaksin lessens his own role … I don't think it will affect much," Mr. Chaturon told reporters. "There will always be people who want this country to become democratic, and so they will mobilize. With our without Thaskin, they will still mobilize." 

Chaturon said he has not spoken to Thaksin since the Pheu Thai Party attempted to pass the "blanket amnesty" bill last November, which sparked the anti-government protests that culminated in the coup. He also said he is not aware of any plan by Thaksin's faction to form a government-in-exile.

Minutes before the soldiers showed up, a reporter asked Chaturon if he had any message for Gen. Prayuth.

"I just want to warn Gen. Prayuth that harsh measures will not help," said Chaturon. "If you really want to resolve the problems of the country, don't be oppressive. Allow people to participate in the process."

(Reporting by Sally Mairs and Teeranai Charuvastra) 

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