Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday said he had stressed the need with national police to speed up its investigation into last Friday's attack on political activist Sirawith Seritiwat, better known as "Ja New".
Gen Prayut's assurance came on the same day that groups of political activists submitted a petition to the police demanding that they bring Mr Sirawith's attackers to justice within seven days.
Gen Prayut said he had emphasised the importance of following up on the progress in the investigation into the Ja New case to national police chief Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda.
The prime minister added that he had instructed all other agencies concerned to visit Mr Sirawith at the hospital and offer assistance paying for any extra medical services that he may need in addition to the standard treatment that he's receiving there.
Gen Prayut also reiterated that he isn't an enemy of Mr Sirawith, saying he knew that the attack on the activist resulted in a dramatic impact on the general public and that it should never happen to anyone.
The prime minister additionally congratulated Mr Sirawith on the scholarship that he received to study in India.
Patnaree Charnkij, Mr Sirawith's mother, said that as soon as her son is discharged from the hospital, she will make sure that he travels to India right away so that he is not subjected to any further attacks. Her son is in a stable condition and he can now speak to people, she said.
Mr Sirawith has continued to receive treatment to stop nasal bleeding and will also undergo treatment to remove blood clots from his eyes, she said.
Ms Patnaree reiterated her belief that the attack on her son was unlikely to be the work of a loan shark as some have suggested, because neither she nor her son have ever borrowed from any.
She also dismissed speculation that the attack was carried out by a group aiming to discredit the government, saying her son is just a political activist who wasn't very well known.
Additionally, she denied some media reports that said her son was able to identify his attackers.