Public warned about people looking to exploit Royal Cremation
The Thai Prime Minister has released a warning to the general public to beware of people looking to take advantage of the Royal Cremation.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday (Oct 17) urged members of the public to watch out for inappropriate conduct by opportunists, politicians in particular who exploit the Royal cremation ceremony for their vested interests.
He said the government didn’t want to resort to legal actions to deal with these inappropriate acts, but would like the public to put pressure on the opportunists.
The prime minister also pleaded with the public to be the “eyes and ears” of the authorities in watching out for suspected security threats rather than putting the burden entirely on security officers.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan told the media on Tuesday that he doubted the claim by Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, a core member of Pheu Thai party, that she was not aware of the sticker of her name attached on the front of a pickup truck in which she was travelling, giving a false impression that she was on a campaign trail.
“Do you understand? She (Sudarat) said she didn’t mean it. She claimed it was a mistake. How could it be a mistake? The words (her name) were huge. Nevertheless, we have warned her. I don’t mind whether she cried or not,” said Gen Prawit when asked by reporters to comment on her defence.
Khunying Sudrat came under heavy criticism from netizens and opponents of the Pheu Thai party when an image showing she and a few other people were riding on a pickup truck with the sticker of her name attached on the front of the vehicle as if she was on a campaign trail. She was accused of exploiting the Royal cremation ceremony for political interest.
Khunying Sudarat claimed that the sticker had been posted on that truck for years and she boarded it without knowing that there was a sticker of her name on it. She apologized for the mistake and claimed that she had no political motive whatsoever.
Source: PBS
