Military must set example

Military must set example

First Army Region commander Kampanart Ruddith has two options. He can produce evidence backing up his claim that five Khon Kaen University students were paid by local politicians to flash the three-finger protest salute at a speech by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Or he must apologise and clear the names of the accused activists.

As the most senior military officer overseeing security matters for the entire northeastern region, Lt Gen Kampanart deserves to be taken seriously. His words count. That is why his allegation earlier this week that the student protesters, part of the Dao Din rights advocacy group, were hired has received so much public attention.

But the students have emphatically denied the accusation, and the public is left with doubts, fuelling a growing distrust of military authorities by people who do not necessarily support the coup.

This is not the kind of atmosphere that will help the country return to peace or foster national reconciliation.

If left unaddressed, the protest-for-hire accusation is the kind of information that can be used to further politicise the divisive situation and provoke feelings of resentment among people who stand opposite one another on the political spectrum.

Army chief Udomdej Sitabutr was no doubt aware of the delicate situation when he stepped into the controversy on Wednesday.

Unfortunately, Gen Udomdej only sought to tone down the allegation made by the 1st Army Region commander.

In fact, the army chief tried to brush it aside, saying he does not want the accusation to become a big deal.

He also said the accusation was based on intelligence that "needs to be checked".

This is equivalent to admitting his senior commander was not rigorous in vetting the information he shared with the public that could damage the reputation of other people.

If this really is the case, it sounds like incompetent work from the force that is in charge of such an important matter as the country's security.

Lt Gen Kampanart made the situation murkier himself.

When faced with the students' denial, the 1st Army Region commander refused to back down — but could not produce any evidence to back up his statement, either.

Defending himself, Lt Gen Kampanart only said the protest-for-hire information was based on "initial intelligence" that must be cross-checked and evaluated.

His statement leads to the obvious question: If the so-called intelligence was still raw and in need of being cross-checked and evaluated for its merit, why did the commander publicise it?

The truth is Lt Gen Kampanart was specific about only one thing in his accusation — that the students were paid 50,000 baht to stage the protest.

The military commander left other details of the allegation hazy.

He did not identify the local politicians who paid the activists.

He offered no evidence of the payment. He did not say where his "initial intelligence" came from. He did not even say what he would do about it. The five students have been released from military custody without charge.

The protest-for-hire allegation is nothing new in our society. It has become a standard ploy to discredit one's opponent.

The tactic is cheap and convenient, but it is by no means decent. The military has elevated itself to the country's leadership; now it has to set an example.

The 1st Army Region commander must substantiate his statement against the student activists, or apologise.

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