The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has insisted university lecturers and students must be better informed about why the coup was declared.
Col Naruedol Taowrit, Commander of the 1st Artillery Regiment (King’s Guard), said after a talk last week on the necessity of the coup at Thammasat University, officers received positive responses from scholars and students.
The talk was organised by NCPO chief Prayuth Chan-ocha in a bid to improve students’ and scholars’ understanding.
The university was no longer being used for political activities since the NCPO put a stop to political events there, particularly at the Lan Pho grounds during the coup’s initial stages.
Previously, about 40 people, mostly women, had been picketing at the Lan Pho grounds inside the Tha Pra Chan Campus with placards calling for freedom of speech to be restored.
A source said Gen Prayuth placed great emphasis on the need to educate scholars and students at Thammasat University on NCPO objectives as the campus is an important venue for anti-coup protesters and Nitirat Group members.
"If the security situation improves and a legislative assembly is set up, political activities would be allowed,” Col Naruedol said.
A source from the NCPO said Gen Prayuth plans to personally meet and talk with Thammasat University’s professors and students.
Col Songwit Nunpukdee, 11th Commander of the Infantry Regiment, said yesterday the NCPO has already discussed the coup with academics and students from Kasetsart University, as well as with representatives of the International Student Centre of Thailand.
He claimed the groups now had a better understanding of why the NCPO was forced to seize power.
Meanwhile, Thailand has told the UN Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva that the political situation in the country improved after the military seized power on May 22.
Foreign Permanent Secretary Sihasak Phuangketkeow provided evidence to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, on the situation in Thailand while delivering a speech to OHCHR recently.
He told Ms Pillay that the military’s detention of activists and political figures was merely to calm down warring factions and that detentions did not exceed seven days.
Most of the detainees had been released, Mr Sihasak added.
Gen Prayuth received a letter from the OHCHR expressing concern over potential human rights violations in the country, especially the detention of 440 politicians, academics and activists, and calling for Thailand to lift measures that violate or limit the principle of human rights.
Mr Sihasak also updated Ms Pillay on the latest developments in Thailand, including lifting the curfew, allowing TV channels to adopt normal programming and allowing both local and foreign media to report without restrictions.
“We have asked the OHCHR to closely monitor developments and progress in Thailand, so that it can be aware of the steady development underway,’’ Mr Sihasak said.
He also expected that after this clarification, the OHCHR would send another letter to Gen Prayuth to show it understood recent developments.
Mr Sihasak said the OHCHR was welcome to request any information it may need for its investigations as it had no political agenda.