BANGKOK, Jan 31 — Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha is scheduled to visit and chair a rice meeting in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima next Monday.
Gen Prayut will chair the meeting in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Phimai district as well as meeting the people there.
Interior Minister Gen Anupong Paojinda said on Saturday that so far the situation was normal and there was no unusual movements and he believed a protest opposing the premier's visit would not reoccur like the incident he encountered in Khon Kaen last November.
The rice meeting is organised by the Commerce Ministry.
As for the visits and talks between a high-ranking US embassy official with co-leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) in the northeast, Gen Anupong said he was informed by provincial governors where their meetings took place that the situation remained quiet.
The US embassy officer could gather information, but he should realise that the government is accelerating the solving of problems confronting Thailand as well as promoting reconciliation among the people, he said.
The government has no intention to exercise its power in an improper way, said Gen Anupong.
He said the US embassy officer should understand and separate the Thai government's performance and an impeachment lodged recently by the National Legislative Assembly against ex-prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra from each other as the subjects were not related.
The general atmosphere in the country was considered positive with an improvement in the economy and recovery of tourism industry, therefore, chaos should not occur place again, he said.
Thais should not get overly emotional about the meetings between the US embassy officer and UDD members, he said.
Foreign relations must be treated in a constructive way because people in the world must coexist peacefully.
Gen Anupong said Thai people would not meddle in US internal affairs and hoped that the US would also “not interfere in Thailand’s affairs.” (MCOT online news)
