Thamanat denies kowtow story

Thamanat denies kowtow story

In this photo taken on Sept 11, 2019, Capt Thamanat, deputy agriculture minister and  Palang Pracharath MP for Phayao province, speaks in Parliament. (Bangkok Post file photo)
In this photo taken on Sept 11, 2019, Capt Thamanat, deputy agriculture minister and Palang Pracharath MP for Phayao province, speaks in Parliament. (Bangkok Post file photo)

Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Thamanat Prompow has denied he made a parliament police officer kowtow to him after an argument with a member of his entourage.

Capt Thamanat was responding to reports that the people who escorted him had an argument with a parliament police officer on Monday when the House session was opened to deliberate the national budget bill.

As Capt Thamanat and his team arrived, the policeman denied them entry, enforcing the public health regulations that limits the number of a cabinet minister’s escorts to one.

It was reported the deputy minister was upset and later called a director connected to parliament security to meet him. He reprimanded the director for not treating him and his team with dignity and instructed the policeman to kowtow to him as a way of repenting.

Capt Thamanat said on Tuesday he had only two people with him when he turned up for the parliamentary meeting. He admitted the policeman and his team had argued but said this only happened after the officer had spoken in a strong tone of voice.

He said he later met with the officer concerned and the director of parliament security, when they  cleared the air and the policeman and his team apologised to each other with a wai.

Capt Thamanat insisted the policeman did not kowtow to him, adding: “A kowtow would have been an overreaction."

He insisted if anyone had been on the receiving end, it was he and his team, saying that he was often aware of people watching him with distrusting eyes and assuming he was the aggressor whenever friction occurred

A source in parliament said the policeman had asked to meet Capt Thamanat to offer his apology.

The deputy minister advised him to take a gentler tone when talking to people from now on.


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