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Soldiers enter Thai journalists' club to detain ex-minister Chaturon Chaisang
Reuters - May 27, 2014
The dramatic event took place after Mr Chaturon had denounced the coup as a disaster. Mr Chaturon had been on the run after refusing to turn himself in to the military after being summoned in the wake of the May 22 coup.
Shortly before the soldiers appeared, Mr Chaturon had told a packed Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand that he expected to be arrested. "They're just doing their duty," a smiling Mr Chaturon said as he was led away.
Other former ministers were detained by the military after the coup, although most – including former premier Yingluck Shinawatra – have now been freed, even if their movements are being monitored.
Mr Chaturon had told reporters the coup would only exacerbate conflict. "I believe that from now on there will be more and more arrests, society will be in a worse situation," he said.
"The economy will be in a bad situation if we let these coup-makers do what they like. It will be a disaster. They have a big weakness. They have no knowledge or experience to run a country. They don't have the support of the international community or the Thai people."
He said he had not been in touch with Ms Yingluck, the sister of deposed former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
'Ready to fight'
Mr Chaturon also said he believed the coup had been a conspiracy between Suthep Thaugsuban, a former deputy premier who led six months of protest against Ms Yingluck, the royalist establishment and the judiciary.
"A coup was what Suthep and his followers always wanted," he said. "This is the work of those who fear their own people. They don't believe in elections. They created a system where they can remove any government they want."
The coup leader, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, said on Monday he hoped to hold elections soon though he gave no timeframe. He has said broad political reforms were needed first.
Mr Chaturon said he believed the military had used violence on the streets as an excuse for the coup. The military said it had to intervene to prevent more serious bloodshed. "A coup d'etat doesn't solve the problems. It will make conflict worse," he said.
He said he was ready to face the consequences of his defiance. "If I'm prosecuted, I'm ready to fight," he said.
Mr Chaturon said those in detention were not being treated badly. "The problem is, we don't know how long they'll be detained. What I worry about most is those who will fight for democracy," he said.
"It seems General Prayuth may want to hold power for some time, he has assigned a lot of soldiers to administer this country, but these are tasks they know the least."
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