A recent rally by the People Who Want to Vote at Thammasat University.
The National Security Council (NSC) has warned of possible violence by an infiltrating “third party” at a planned street protest to push for an early election on the fourth anniversary of the military coup on May 22.
General Wanlop Rugsanaoh, the NSC’s secretary-general, said on Thursday that his agency was also attempting to determine whether there was anyone behind the planned rally, following an observation by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha about that possibility.
A group calling themselves People Who Want to Vote threatened to march to Government House on May 22 to lodge their demands with the prime minister for a general election to be held in November, the post-coup administration to reduce its role to a caretaker government and the military to stop supporting the ruling junta, the National Council for Peace and Order.
“The government is preparing for an election to be held. We do not want to see a demonstration because the public will be inconvenienced,” Wanlop said.
“It’s possible the march may be infiltrated by people with ill intentions who want things to get out of control. The government is trying to prevent those people from using this rally as their political tool. And we are doing our best to prevent law violations and disruptions of the peace,” he added.
The NSC chief said that he expected the authorities to step up security measures ahead of the rally. WALY – EP
Junta fears protest violence, says NSC chief
