In Thailand, “another military coup could happen” “if there are too many protests”. Such a statement, which was voiced by the Minister of Digital Economy, Chaivut Tanakamanusor, was circulated by the local mass media. The reason is the current Thai Prime Minister: the protests are scheduled for Friday, September 30, the day when the Constitutional Court of Thailand will announce its decision on the 8-year tenure of Prime Minister Prayuth. To what extent this protest will be felt for the country, which has just lifted the covid-19 bans and is trying to bring back tourists, is still a big question.
The fact is that Article 158 of the Thai constitution states that “the prime minister shall not hold office for a total of more than eight years, regardless of whether he holds a consecutive term or not.” The whole question is how long the current prime minister is in power. The current prime minister took office in August 2014, three months after he led a coup against the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra, opponents say, and the court should remove him from power. Prayuth’s supporters say his tenure began in April 2017, when His Majesty the King of Thailand ratified the military-drafted constitution.
Official sources, in turn, want to “put an end to rumors that the Thai army is planning another coup d’état.” This was the statement made by the spokesman of the Ministry of Defense of Thailand, General Kongchip Tantravanich: “I assure you that there is no coup at all. I cannot answer what the next mission will be for General Prayuth,” he said. Let’s see in the coming days…