The army yesterday called on its critics not to ''twist'' information regarding its public security operations.
Army deputy spokesman Col Winthai Suwaree said calling stacks of sandbags at security checkpoints a ''military bunker'' was not correct.
Such a term was causing confusion and made people misunderstand the true purpose.
He suggested the structures should be called sandbag walls as they are for defensive purposes.
He said these "walls of sandbags" are to protect soldiers, who are unarmed, and deployed to maintain public security. In some areas there are no structures for them to take cover if they were to come under attack.
"So far the checkpoints and the military service points haven't affected the people's livelihoods," he said.
Col Winthai was responding to calls for the army to scale down security checkpoints and bunkers now that the caretaker government has scrapped the emergency decree and invoked the Internal Security Act.
The military began erecting the bunkers in Bangkok on Feb 11 amid increasing political violence and ordered checkpoints set up at crowded public areas and government offices to prevent violent incidents.
Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was among those who voiced concerns that the presence of troops and bunkers scared tourists and hurt the country's image.
Red-shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan also said Bangkok looked more like strife-torn southern border provinces with the bunkers of anti-government protesters and the military around town.
Col Winthai noted that adjustments were made to suit the environment after there were concerns about the intimidating look. He also stressed security checkpoints remained necessary due to threats of violence.
The checkpoints so far have served their purpose well and the assessment of the political violence indicated that checkpoints were still needed even though the decree on public administration in emergency situations was lifted early this week, he said.
According to the deputy spokesman, some of the checkpoints were not supervised by the army alone. They were jointly run by police and soldiers.
He insisted the army would do its best to ensure the deployment of troops and security checkpoints were solely for public security without any ulterior motives.