The Army has stayed neutral in the current political conflict all along and would like to call on members of the public not to force it to take sides, deputy spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvaree said yesterday.
He also called on netizens to be selective in their use of information obtained through social-media, which he said contained false information and hate speeches, before deciding whether to believe in the postings or spread them.
The colonel said Army commander Prayuth Chan-ocha had maintained his professional etiquette and showed the Army's neutral stance amid the volatile situations. He maintained that the Army needed to perform its duty to maintain peace and order while ensuring safety to people's life and security along with stability to the country.
Reacting to the anti-government campaign by the People's Democratic Reform Committee and other allied groups, Winthai said the PDRC-proposed reform was important to tackle corruption and other political misconduct, but questioned if it was worth injuries or deaths if there was violence associated with the effort. "The Army, therefore, calls for peaceful activities [by the protesters] and lawful enforcement [of law by the police] throughout the campaign," he added