The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) will warn a Pheu Thai Party key figure against roaming streets with her marigold campaign for the late King Rama IX.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said on Monday that it was inappropriate for Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan to board a vehicle roaming Bangkok streets and inviting people to grow marigold flowers in honour of the late king.
He was referring to photos taken on Sunday showing Khunying Sudarat, a key politician of the Pheu Thai Party in Bangkok, standing on a truck bearing a big sign of her full name and loudspeakers encouraging people on Lat Plakhao Rd, Lat Phrao district, to grow marigold flowers in a vote-campaign style.
"Use some judgement. Is it appropriate at the moment to show her name to campaign for popularity?
"I have asked for a complete halt. I've said so this whole month. If there are still such inappropriate behaviours, political parties will not be allowed to resume activities," Gen Prawit said, referring to the royal cremation of the late king on Oct 26 and related ceremonies late this month.
Asked if Khunying Sudarat was an opportunist, Gen Prawit said the activity was inappropriate and a representative of the NCPO would discuss the issue with her.
The government had campaigned for people to grow yellow marigold flowers as yellow was the colour of the late king's birthday, Monday.
Sudarat: I had no political intentions
In something of an ironic display, Khunying Sudarat, a Lat Plakhao native, held a second public event, this time to show remorse and apologise for her small motorcade.
"I had no political intentions whatsoever," she said, tearing up. "I apologise for any inconvenience and misunderstanding. This had nothing to do with politics and no benefits were involved."
She insisted she "simply intended to promote the activity to honour the late King."
According to her, local communities sought her support for activities to honour the King and they were using marigold to decorate nine pavilions exhibiting the King's work along the road.
The pavilion activity, held during Oct 13-15, involved collecting marigold from local residents with a procession of vehicles on the last day of the project. Khunying Sudarat boarded many vehicles during the process.
"There was not a single sign of my name along the road. I rejected the organising committee's proposal to display my name at the venues.
"But I made the mistake of getting on the old truck with a sticker of my name which I have used since I joined the Thai Pueng Thai Foundation and the committee had not covered the sticker," Khunying Sudarat said.
She said she greatly loved and respected the late King and had implemented many public projects to pay tribute to the late King. She claimed she had no intentions to make any political gain from such activities.
Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan wipes a tear during her press conference on the issue on Lat Plakhao Road, Bangkok, Monday afternoon. (Photo by Pornprom Satrabhaya)