No coup, deputy PM insists
published : 30 Oct 2020 at 08:12
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Post Reporters
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon on Thursday brushed aside a call by a former yellow-shirt protest leader for a coup.
Prawit's comments followed the proposal by Sondhi Limthongkul, former co-leader of the defunct People's Alliance for Democracy.
The Deputy PM made only one remark -- "There won't be any coup" -- when asked about the matter. The government has repeatedly ruled out a coup in the past.
A Facebook page called "Sondhi Talk'' posted a clip of Mr Sondhi expressing his opinions on the political situation in a show on a satellite television channel "News One'' on Tuesday.
During the show, he said: "For me, a coup is not evil. If the constitution is to be amended, all involved must be allowed a say to make sure the charter is fair."
The opposition Move Forward Party (MFP), meanwhile, said on Thursday it would join a proposed reconciliation committee -- but only if Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha resigned and monarchy reform was among the topics for discussion.
Growing tension has been felt on the streets of Bangkok, where anti-dictatorship protesters have held mass rallies calling for Gen Prayut's resignation, a rewrite of the entire constitution and monarchy reform.
Meanwhile, the anti-government protesters rallied again on Thursday at three locations in Bangkok.
The first was in front of the Hindu temple on Silom Road, a central business area, where they displayed political artwork.
The second was on the Sky Walk at the Pathumwan junction, arranged by a group of Chulalongkorn University students to mark the 13-day anniversary of the government's crackdown on student protests on Oct 16.
The final one was in front of the office buildings of the Nation Multimedia Group on Bang Na-Trat Road.
Vocabulary
- amend: to make changes to a document, law, agreement, etc. especially in order to improve it - แก้ไข
- constitution: the set of laws and basic principles that a country in governed by - รัฐธรรมนูญ
- coup: the seizure of power in a country by a group of people, usually members of the armed forces - รัฐประหาร
- crackdown: strong action that someone in authority takes to stop a particular activity - การใช้กำลังเข้าปราบปรามของเจ้าหน้าที่
- defunct: no longer existing, operating or being used - ถูกยุบ, หยุดทำงาน
- dictatorship: a government having complete power and which does not rule democratically - เผด็จการ
- evil: very bad or cruel - ชั่วร้าย
- proposal: a plan or suggestion for a group to consider - ข้อเสนอ
- reconciliation: a new and friendly relationship with someone who you argued with or fought with - การทำให้ปรองดองกันอีก, การสมานฉันท์
- resign: to leave a job permanently - ลาออกจากตำแหน่ง
- ruled out: stopped considering this as a possibility - ประกาศว่าเป็นสิ่งที่เป็นไปไม่ได้
- tension: the feeling caused by a lack of trust between people, groups or countries - ความตึงเครียด