Anti-coup protests dwindle in Thailand

BANGKOK, June 18 (TNA) - Thai police and soldiers say that rallies by demonstrators who oppose a coup staged by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) on May 22, 2014 have declined nationwide, while a leading anti-coup academic has already been released on a 20,000-baht bail. Deputy National Police Chief Police General Somyot Pumphanmuang told journalists of the updated assessment on Wednesday, after his meeting with security authorities concerned, including Commander of the 1st Division King's Guard Major General Apirat Kongsompong, as well as police and soldiers supervising national security. Police General Somyot reported that there were no anti-coup protests recently, as appointments posted on social media, and the number of protesters has also dropped. The authorities believed that the declining number of anti-coup protesters was mainly due to no protest leaders and those who stir up people against the military junta. The deputy national police chief, however, warned people that posting or sharing anti-coup messages on social media, namely Facebook and Line instant-messaging service, are against the martial law and will face up to seven years in jail. A latest poll showed that the majority of respondents wanted to give times to the NCPO to run the country and were satisfied with effective protest control measures used by police and soldiers, as well as good cooperation from stores where protesters appointed as their gathering venues. Meanwhile, key figures and former MPs of the Pheu Thai Party, members of the red-clad United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) and business persons who supported them reported themselves to the NCPO at the Thai Army Auditorium in Bangkok, as ordered on Tuesday night. The NCPO has announced that it only wants to create understanding with people whom it calls in, with those cooperating to be released right away but defiant ones to be liable to a two-year imprisonment and/or a fine of up to 40,000 baht each. A leading anti-coup academic, Worajet Pakeerat, who is a law lecturer of Thammasat University, was, on Wednesday afternoon, released on a 20,000-baht bail as approved by the Martial Court. Worajet was arrested by soldiers earlier in the day and was charged at the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) with defying an NCPO order for him to surrender. His lawyer said Worajet did not intend to defy the NCPO's order, as his wife had sought a surrender postponement due to his illness. The Martial Court first approved Worajet's detention for 12 days as sought by the CSD, before freeing him on bail as requested by his lawyer. (TNA)