A Cabinet minister who defied orders to report to Thailand’s new military junta emerged from hiding Tuesday to condemn last week’s coup and urge a return to civilian government, in the first public appearance by any member of the ousted government.
Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang also warned that resistance to the army overthrow could grow, which would “lead to a disaster for this country.”
The junta, which seized power on Thursday, has detained most top members of the country’s elected government, and it ordered Mr. Chaturon and others to turn themselves in or face jail terms and fines.
A “coup d’ştat is not a solution to the problems or conflicts in Thai society, but will make the conflicts even worse,” Mr. Chaturon said.
Mr. Chaturon spoke to the media at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand in Bangkok and said he told only a few people in advance. 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.”
Last Thursday’s military takeover, Thailand’s second in eight years, deposed an elected government that had insisted for months that the nation’s fragile democracy was under attack from protesters, the courts, and finally the army.
The country is deeply split between an elite establishment based in Bangkok and the south that cannot win elections on one side, and a poorer majority centered in the north that has begun to realize political and economic power on the other.
After declaring martial law May 20, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha invited political rivals and Cabinet ministers for two days of peace talks to resolve the crisis. But those talks lasted just four hours. At the end of the meeting, Gen. Prayuth ordered everyone inside detained, and announced the army was seizing power on state television almost immediately afterward.
Gen. Prayuth, 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 on Tuesday.
The junta has ordered more than 200 people to report to the authorities. Among them- scholars, journalists and political activists seen as critical of the regime.
It is unclear how many are in custody, but some have been released, including former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who already had been forced out from power by a court ruling before the putsch took place.
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.
Gen. 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.”
Mr. Chaturon called the detentions “absurd” and said “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.”
Mr. Chaturon dismissed speculation that members of the ousted government and their allies could form a government-in-exile. But he warned that “from now on there will be more and more resistance. ... It will be a disaster for this country.”
The junta has yet to map a way out of the crisis, but Gen. Prayuth has said there would be political and administrative reforms. On Monday, he gave the green light for the Finance Ministry to seek billions of dollars in loans to pay debts owed farmers under a disastrous rice scheme instituted by the ousted government.
The junta has given no timetable for restoring civilian rule, and Mr. Chaturon said Gen. Prayuth “might want to hold onto power for some time.”
Gen. Prayuth, he said, has “assigned the generals to take care of the jobs at the ministries the tasks they know the least.”
AP reports further:
Thai soldiers have detained a Cabinet minister who emerged from hiding to condemn last week’s coup.
The troops detained Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang on Tuesday after entering a conference room at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand in Bangkok where he was speaking.
The surprise news conference was the first public appearance by any member of the ousted government.
The junta, which seized power on Thursday, has detained most top members of the country’s elected administration.
During the press conference, Mr. Chaturon had urged a return to civilian rule and warned that resistance to the army overthrow could grow, which could lead to “a disaster for this country.”
