The Ministry of Defence has claimed that soldiers merely asked for cooperation from a high-school student activist who was visited by plainclothes soldiers.
On 22 July 2017, Ministry of Defence spokesperson Maj Gen Kongcheep Tantrawanich clarified that soldiers in plainclothes who visited Sanhanutta Sartthaporn, Secretary-General of the education reform group Education for Liberation of Siam (ELS), were merely asking for cooperation in appropriately addressing Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader and Prime Minister, Voice TV reported.
On the allegation that the visit was authorised by Col Burin Thongprapai, a legal officer for the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), spokesperson gave no clear answer and said that it is implausible but that the military will check it.
On 21 July 2017, Sanhanutta posted on his Facebook account that he was visited by two plainclothes soldiers on Wednesday morning.
According to him, one of the soldiers said “If you don’t stop criticising my boss, I will pass on your name and I don’t know what will happen to you.”
The visit was made after Sanhanutta had drafted a statement about problems with Thai education reform which he planned to submit to the junta leader.
Maj Gen Kongcheep Tantrawanich (file photo)
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