Thai military junta monitors anti-coup group

BANGKOK, June 27 (TNA) - Thailand's army-led National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has ordered authorities concerned to monitor movements of an anti-coup group overseas, called the Organisation of Free Thais for Human Rights and Democracy (FT-HD), which was formed recently. The order was made by NCPO Secretary-General General Udomdej Sitabutr, who is also Deputy Army Chief, at a meeting held at the Royal Thai Army Headquarters in Bangkok on Friday. General Udomdej asked the concerned authorities to not only closely watch out movements of the FT-HD, headed by former Thai interior minister Charupong Ruangsuwan, who is also a former leader of the Pheu Thai Party, but to also try to talk to the FT-HD's members, aimed at creating and ensuring their proper understanding and attitude to prevent any problem to the nation in the future. The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) assessed, meanwhile, that the FT-HD should not be recognised overseas. In another development, the Martial Court has temporarily released on bail a senior Thai anti-coup academic, Worachet Pakeerat, a lecturer at Thammasat University’s Faculty of Law, on conditions that he would neither express his opinions nor attend any political gathering. Worachet, a key member of the anti-coup Nitirat group, was first taken to the Martial Court earlier in the day by police who wanted to seek the court's approval of his 2nd-phase 12-day extended detention, from June 30-July 11, 2014. (TNA)