Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra has urged her allies to call off a symbolic protest on Nov 1 when they will wear red shirts to show their moral support for her amid the rice-pledging scandal.
"Ms Yingluck and her team are well aware that members of the public have always provided moral support for her, so they don't have to plan or organise a movement [at the moment]," said Wim Rungwatthanajinda, an official advocate for the former prime minister yesterday.
"When it's widely known Ms Yingluck is being treated unfairly, many people will come out [to protest against the injustice] on their own," he added.
Mr Wim said Ms Yingluck, who is facing a legal battle over the controversial rice scheme, was pleased that many people in the provinces still loved her and would give her a warm welcome.
However, she was did not know who was behind the movement and felt it was a bid to instigate conflict, Mr Wim said.
"She's not pleased to see such a movement being planned," he said.
The former premier became aware of the public's unhappiness over her unfair treatment over the rice case when she visited the provinces on a merit-making trip, he said.
She met with supporters, who treated her like she was still their prime minister. Many urged her to continue to fight on and return as premier to help the poor, he said.
The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has warned against the symbolic movement led by Worachai Hema, former Pheu Thai Party MP for Samut Prakan, which used social media to call on Ms Yingluck's supporters to wear a red shirt on Nov 1.
NCPO spokesman Winthai Suvaree said the planned event could be seen as a way of expressing moral support to the former prime minister, but on the other hand, it could be perceived as a political action.
The NCPO prohibits any political actions that could incite a new wave of political unrest. Law enforcement officials will have to decide on what to do with this reported planned movement, said Col Winthai.
"If the reported movement is proven to be an organised act aimed at stirring unrest, authorities will have to take action in line with the NCPO's guidelines on keeping the peace," he said.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission petitioned the National Legislative Assembly to impeach Ms Yingluck, accusing her of dereliction of duty while she was prime minister by failing to stop losses and corruption in her government's rice-pledging scheme.
The government plans to issue an administrative order to claim the assets of the ex-premier to compensate for the losses — a move which will bypass court procedures.
It claims the action will prevent the case from expiring based on the two-year statute of limitations, which will expire in February 2017.