Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has sent an early New Year message, wishing for the return of democracy in Thailand -- a move quickly countered with a warning from a key cabinet minister.
With 2016 still four weeks away, Thaksin surprisingly sent his New Year greetings to his supporters on YouTube on Tuesday, advising them to be patient in the year to come as democracy will eventually be restored to the country.
"Please be a bit patient, because no one can defy democracy," he said from an unknown location. Rights and freedoms of citizens were being curbed, but these restrictions would eventually end, he said, without mentioning the government or National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) by name.
"I wish that the coming New Year will bring in the year of change," he said.
Thaksin expected another rocky economic road in the first half of next year, saying foreign investors and traders were reluctant to go to a country ruled by the military, while global economic uncertainty was likely to compound the problems of the domestic economy.
He expressed optimism for a better second half, as the economy would recover.
The message was released at a time the government is battling for credibility due to the controversy over the Rajabhakti Park project. It also came after Nattawut Saikuar and Jatuporn Prompan increasingly complained about surveillance by soldiers.
The two leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship were detained by soldiers on Monday while on their way to visit Rajabhakti Park in Hua Hin district in Prachuap Khiri Khan, and released hours later.
Thaksin's message drew a quick response from Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon on Wednesday, warning the self-exiled former prime minister and his red-shirt supporters to cease their activities during the period of political transition.
"This is not the time for any moves by key political figures. The government and NCPO should be given time to work, instead of making the road bumpy," Gen Prawit said. When asked, he said he had not watched Thaksin's YouTube video clip.
The government would stick to its roadmap, he said and urged politicians to hold off on their "fight" until after democracy had been restored.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has said both inside and outside the country that a general election could be held around July 2017, after the new constitution has been completed.