A POLITICAL activist barged into the Defense Ministry and handed in online poll results showing that the majority want Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan to quit to officials there today (Feb. 5), Thai News Agency reported.
Meanwhile a taxi driver who joined a rally in support of Gen. Prawit on Feb. 1 surrendered to the police to face charges of violating an order of the National Council for Peace and Order banning the assembly of more than 5 persons.
The taxi driver, Mr Adul THamchit, 54, told police he did not know he was breaking the law.
He added that he was on his way to pray at the City Pillar Shrine, but upon seeing the rally outside the ministry joined in, with the placard he displayed in photos published by Thai media being taken from another person at that rally.
Police investigators are going through CCTV footage to identify and summon the 30 others who had assembled to support Gen Prawit that day.
Meanwhile Mr Ekachai Hongkangwan, a political activist, brought the results of the online polls showing that the majority think it is best the Gen. Prawit resign to personally submit to him, with troops and police closely watching as he did so.
However, moments later plain clothes officers took Ekachai on a motorcycle to drink coffee at a shop next to the ministry and then took all the papers from him and submitted them to a representative of the office of the premanant secretary instead.
Gen Prawit is currently attending an Asia-Pacific defense ministers’ conference in Singapore until Feb. 7.
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Top: Ekachai displays copies of online poll results showing the majority think Gen. Prawit should quit. Photo: Thai News Agency