Thailand’s army chief slams Thaksin in rare remarks

Bloomberg

Thailand’s army chief slammed exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra in a rare briefing following a disputed election, a further sign that his allies will struggle to form a government.
“He never admits to his crime,” Apirat Kongsompong told foreign media organisations in Bangkok. “If someone has money and is powerful, does that mean you can never go to jail? You can travel around the world?”
The army chief spoke in the wake of Thailand’s inconclusive and dramatic general election on March 24 after nearly five years of military rule. A proxy party for the ruling junta and an alliance critical of the military government both claim they have a mandate to form the next administration.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn revoked royal decorations given to Thaksin because he fled Thailand after being sentenced to prison, which is “an extremely inappropriate behaviour,” according to a statement posted on the Royal Gazette’s website.
Thaksin hasn’t set foot in the country since 2008 after being accused of corruption in a case he has called politically motivated.
Provisional results show the Thaksin-linked Pheu Thai party emerged with the most seats after the vote.

another coup
Thailand’s army chief said staging a coup is difficult and depends on prevailing conditions in the country, while adding that the military doesn’t want to get involved in politics. “Staging a coup isn’t easy,” Apirat Kongsompong said in a rare briefing to foreign media in Bangkok.
“It depends on the situation. Right now it looks like things are going well.”
“The army will not get involved in politics,” Apirat also said.