'Zero chance of a coup'
published : 12 May 2023 at 08:44
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Wassana Nanuam
Army chief Gen Narongpan Jittkaewtae on Thursday said no coups will take place while he is in charge, saying the word "coup" should not exist in anyone's vocabulary.
Gen Narongpan, who will retire on Sept 30, spoke to the media and was asked whether another coup will happen after the election.
"The term should not be used. It is not appropriate. I want reporters to remove it from your dictionary," the army chief said.
Asked whether the military should also remove the word from its vocabulary, Gen Narongpan said: "Of course, it's removed."
Asked whether he can confirm that during his stint as army chief, soldiers will not act in a way that raises concern among the public, Gen Narongpan said: "I cannot say whether the country will be peaceful. I mean that peace can only be achieved by everyone working together."
"But I can assure you that what occurred [coups] is in the past. The chance is zero now," he said.
Gen Narongpan said he had encouraged army personnel to vote on Sunday.
The army chief also downplayed a move by some political parties to replace conscription with voluntary recruitment if they form a government after the election.
"They have the right to carry out their policy if they become the government, but the military also has the right to explain why conscription is necessary," Gen Narongpan said.
"Everyone has the right to agree or disagree [with conscription]. We can have different opinions. That's normal," he said.
Learn from listening
Vocabulary
- appropriate: suitable or right for a particular situation or purpose - ที่เหมาะสม
- conscription: the practice of ordering people by law to serve in the armed forces - การเกณฑ์ทหาร
- coup: the seizure of power in a country by a group of people, usually members of the armed forces - รัฐประหาร
- downplay: to make something seem less important or less bad than it really is - แสดงหรืออธิบายถึงสิ่งใดสิ่งหนึ่งโดยแสร้งว่าไม่สำคัญหรือไม่แย่นัก
- necessary (adj.): essential, needful, something that you must do or have - จำเป็น, ซึ่งเลี่ยงไม่ได้, ซึ่งเป็นที่ต้องการ, สำคัญ
- policy (noun): a set of plans or action agreed on by a government, political party, business, or other group - นโยบาย
- recruitment: the process of finding people to work for a company or become a new member of an organisation - การสรรหาใหม่
- stint: a period of time spent doing something - ช่วงเวลาที่ทำสิ่งใดสิ่งหนึ่ง
- term (noun): a word or phrase used for something - คำศัพท์
- vocabulary: words in a language such as English or Thai that a student is learning - รายการคำศัพท์, คำศัพท์, กลุ่มคำศัพท์
- voluntary: done because you choose to do it rather than because you have to - ด้วยความสมัครใจ
