Opposition parties today lodged a complaint with Crime Suppression Division police (CSD) accusing the commander of the Fourth Army Region, Lt-Gen Pornsak Poonsawat, and Maj-Gen Burin Thongprapai, a specialist with the forward command of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), of making false allegations.

The Opposition bloc referred to the complaint, filed by Maj-Gen Burin with the Pattani provincial police accusing 12 politicians and five academics, including leaders of Pheu Thai and Future Forward parties, claiming they had made comments which incited public unrest and sedition in violation of Section 116 of the Criminal Code.

The Opposition complaint claims that the 12 accused had participated in a public forum as part of their campaign to amend the Constitution, which is also a policy of the government, adding that their comments were their expression of opinion, as is their right under the Constitution, and there was no distortion of facts as claimed by the military.

They are demanding that the police investigate the two military officers for allegedly making false accusations in violation of Sections 137, 172, 174, 26 and 328 of the Criminal Code.

The comment which prompted ISOC to take legal action against the panellists participating in the forum, was made by Kasetsart University lecturer Dr. Chalita Bandhuwong, who proposed amending Section 1 of the Constitution as a means to resolve the unrest in the Deep South.

Section 1 states that Thailand is a single and indivisible Kingdom.