As news of the foiled coup d’état in Turkey triggered new waves of criticism against the Thai junta, the Thai military regime said that comparing Thailand with Turkey is not ‘creative’ because Thailand is unique.

Col Winthai Suwaree, spokesperson of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), on Sunday, 17 July 2016, told the media that certain people who criticised the NCPO by comparing Thailand with Turkey after the failed coup attempt in Turkey made headlines worldwide were not ‘creative’, Matichon Online reported.  

He then implied that the social and political context in Thailand is different from other nations and those critics were just the same group of political dissidents who always aimed to discredit the NCPO to mislead the people.

“Normally, in order to compare different events, people must also think of the different social contexts and not just try to take advantage of popular news to voice certain opinions without concrete information to confuse people and society,” said Winthai.

Earlier on Saturday, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader and Prime Minister, told the media that he has expressed his condolences for the people who were injured and killed during the coup attempt in Turkey, the National News Bureau of Thailand (NBT) reported.

The Thai junta leader then said that many countries have expressed concern, but at the same time encouragement for the upcoming public referendum on the draft constitution, which will be held on 7 August 2016, adding that Thailand is united and moving forward with the referendum.