Deputy Transport Minister Thavorn Senneam is urging the police and security officials to take legal action against Progressive Movement leaders Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit and Dr. Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, accusing both of them of pulling the strings behind the current anti-establishment protests and seeking sweeping reforms of the Monarchy.
Mr. Thavorn, who is also the Democrat Party’s MP for Songkhla province, showed the media today a video clip of Piyabutr giving a speech at the University of London, on the topic of “Is Thailand in a Deeper State of Crisis?” on June 11th, 2016.
In the speech, Piyabutr allegedly accused the late King Bhumibol of exercising influence over judges which, according to Thavorn, is a distortion of fact, adding that the late King, in his address to judges on April 24th, 2006, did not give them any instructions.
The Democrat MP said that Thanathorn, in several speeches, has stressed the need for reform of the Thai Monarchy, adding that the founding of the Future Forward Party, which was dissolved by the Constitutional Court, was intended to achieve that goal.
He accused Thanathorn and Piyabutr of spending more than eight months brainwashing and inciting hatred of the Monarchy among Thai youth, with the intention of turning the protests into riots and, eventually, civil war.
To prevent this, the deputy transport minister urged the authorities to get tough with the people pulling the strings behind the current protests.
“As a Thai citizen and a Democrat MP, I will perform my duty to protect the Nation, the Religion, the Monarchy and the democratic system with the King as the head of state,” said Thavorn, claiming that 90 percent of the Thai population agree with him.
