Thai troops detained a Cabinet minister who defiantly emerged from hiding yesterday to condemn last week’s military coup and urge a return to civilian rule, in the first public appearance by any member of the ousted government.
About half a dozen soldiers took former Thai education minister Chaturon Chaisang into custody in a chaotic scene at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand in Bangkok, where he had just finished giving a surprise news conference.
The junta, which seized power on Thursday last week, is already holding most top members of the country’s elected administration and has ordered the rest to surrender or face jail terms and fines.
Photo: Reuters
Chaturon called for elections and warned that resistance to the army overthrow could grow, which could lead to “a disaster for this country.”
When the news conference was finished and Chaturon was being interviewed by a group of Thai journalists, soldiers entered the room, surrounded him, and escorted him out through a crowd of reporters.
Before being hustled into an elevator, Chaturon said: “I’m not afraid. If I was afraid, I wouldn’t be here.”
During the news conference, he said that a coup “is not a solution to the problems or conflicts in Thai society, but will make the conflicts even worse.”
Chaturon said he told only a few people in advance of his appearance.
He said he would not resist arrest or go underground, but since he does not “accept the coup, I could not report to those who staged it.”
“I still insist to use my own rights and liberty to call for returning the country to democracy,” he said.
General Prayuth Chan-ocha, who was endorsed on Monday by the king as the nation’s new ruler, had warned opponents not to criticize or protest, saying Thailand could revert to the “old days” of turmoil and street violence if they did.
Still, small numbers of protesters have gathered on Bangkok streets in defiance of martial law. Several hundred people gathered on Monday at Victory Monument and eventually dispersed on their own, vowing to return some time yesterday.
The junta has ordered more than 200 people to report to the authorities. Among them: academics, journalists and political activists seen as critical of the regime.
It is unclear how many are in custody. Others are being summoned daily, and some have fled or are in hiding. Human rights groups describe a chilling atmosphere with soldiers visiting the homes of perceived critics and taking them away in the night.
Prayuth said the army was taking people into custody to give them time “to calm themselves down” and none was being tortured or beaten.
“When summoned, they will be asked about what they’ve done. ... If they are calm and still, they will be released,” he said.
Chaturon said the detentions were “absurd” and “they are taking people who have done nothing wrong just because they might resist the coup.”
“The problem is, we don’t know how long they are going to be detained,” he said. “I’m worried more about the people who fight for democracy and the academics… We don’t know what happened to them. We don’t really know.”
He dismissed speculation that members of the ousted government and their allies could form a government-in-exile, but he said that “from now on there will be more and more resistance… It will be a disaster for this country.”
He did not elaborate.
Meanwhile, the junta yesterday said former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra had been released from detention and allowed to return home.
Yingluck was detained on Friday last week after reporting to the army.
“She has been released,” junta spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvaree said, without specifying when she was freed.
“Everyone released must sign an agreement to inform the National Council of Peace and Order about their whereabouts clearly,” he said, adding that related to major movements only and she would be allowed to go “shopping.”
He did not confirm if her home was being watched by soldiers.
Additional reporting by AFP
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