Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is urging all sides to learn from the recent controversy over a politician's exploitation of a public event associated with the royal funeral ceremony.
Rather than pursuing any kind of legal steps against the politician, the government was content to let social sanctions put pressure on the person, he said.
He was referring to an incident involving Pheu Thai Party heavyweight Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, who took to the back of a pickup truck, complete with speakerphones and a large sign bearing her name, supposedly to show her support for the late King.
Khunying Sudarat took flak on social media for engaging in what she claimed was a public campaign, not a political one, encouraging people to plant marigolds to show their respect for the late King, who passed away on Oct 13, 2016. The flower is associated with Monday, the day on which the revered late King was born.
Many social media users vented their frustration over the politician's role in the weekend activity carried out in the Lat Pla Khao area of Bangkok. Some accused her of turning it into a soft political campaign.
Commenting on the saga, Gen Prayut, without mentioning names, said politicians who resort to such acts obviously whether what they are doing is right or wrong, and so does everyone else.
Following the incident, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon on Monday threatened to delay lifting the long-standing ban on political activities if such an "improper" incident was to happen again.
Khunying Sudarat insisted the truck in the pictures was not intended as a vehicle for an election campaign and the motorcycles running alongside it were not driven by police but by volunteers.
Suphachai Somcharoen, chairman of the Election Commission (EC), who was asked on Tuesday whether Khunying Sudarat's flower planting campaign may be seen as having a hidden agenda to campaign for an election, said the EC doesn't have any authority to look into the matter.
The executive decree on elections is not yet in place while the law on elections for MPs has yet to take effect, he said. Khunying Sudarat's activity may only be regarded as a violation of the National Council for Peace and Order's (NCPO) order banning political activities, said Mr Suphachai.
Also Tuesday, Gen Prayut called on the public to help watch out for any signs of possible security threats while the country is concentrating on the royal cremation ceremony later this month. "Everyone should take part in this security surveillance. Don't leave it solely to the security authorities," he said.
Gen Prawit on Monday insisted there were no signs any groups are planning to disrupt the royal cremation ceremony, despite earlier intelligence reports that trouble was brewing. He assured that everything was under control. Earlier this month, he said authorities had learned of threats from both inside and outside the country, especially from anti-monarchy groups who oppose "the [royal] institution".
Those reports prompted the military to step up efforts to thwart any attempt to cause disorder during the ceremony on Oct 26 at Sanam Luang, which will be attended by the royal family and is expected to attract up to 250,000 people.