Permanent secretaries who fail to attend a Thursday meeting at the Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order (Capo) must be ready to justify their absence, National Security Council chief Paradorn Pattanatabut warned.
Lt Gen Paradorn, who doubles as a Capo member, stopped short of saying whether absentees would face disciplinary action.
Lt Gen Paradorn: Show up or give a reason.
Capo will hold the meeting of ministerial permanent secretaries to discuss how civil servants should act towards both pro- and anti-government groups.
Lt Gen Paradorn said the Internal Security Act, which remains in force in Bangkok, authorises Capo to call meetings of state agencies.
He said the security agency will exchange views on the matter with permanent secretaries, who are the top-ranking civil servants at each government ministry.
Capo will also brief the officials on planned demonstrations by the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) and the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD).
- See also: PDRC hunts for civil service allies
Lt Gen Paradorn said the briefing would help the permanent secretaries understand the implications of actions by the rival groups and how protesters risk breaking the law.
He said any permanent secretary who cannot attend the meeting must notify Capo with a valid excuse.
Capo will contact all no-shows to inform them of the meeting's resolution, he added.
Permanent secretary for public health Narong Sahametapat, who openly supports the anti-government PDRC, has already made it clear he will not attend the meeting.
Dr Narong invited PDRC secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban and other protest leaders to discuss the anti-government group's reform agenda at the health ministry last week.
Permanent secretary for justice Kittipong Kittiyarak, who also met Mr Suthep at his ministry last week, confirmed he would attend the Capo meeting.
"I have decided to attend [Thursday]'s meeting," he wrote on his Facebook page. "If I have a chance, I would like to explain the situation on April 8 [when the PDRC rallied at the Justice Ministry].
"Moreover, I believe Capo has called a meeting with me and my fellow permanent secretaries partly as a result of my talks with Mr Suthep, therefore I would like to explain my decision to my colleagues."
Narong: Civil servants shouldn’t be muzzled
Dr Narong, meanwhile, said he felt the meeting was inappropriate and that all ministerial permanent secretaries must preserve the dignity of civil servants.
He also said Capo's invitation letters for the meeting had accused Mr Kittipong of "improper conduct" for his talks with Mr Suthep last week.
Dr Narong said it was improper for Capo to reprimand Mr Kittipong in the invitation letters.
Capo earlier warned that permanent secretaries and civil servants could face severe disciplinary action if they spend their office time welcoming anti-government protesters.
But Dr Narong said civil servants should listen to proposals on national reform and should be involved in efforts to help the country out of the political conflict.
Permanent secretary for defence Nipat Thonglek said Wednesday he is duty-bound to attend the meeting Thursday.
The meeting will provide information that will benefit all civil servants, Gen Nipat said.
Democrat Party deputy leader Ong-art Klampaibul, however, urged all permanent secretaries to boycott the meeting.
He said the meeting is an attempt by the government to prevent civil servants from welcoming and supporting the PDRC, which was given a warm welcome during its visits to ministries in recent weeks.