There are doubts about the credibility of the threats but the Prime Minister wants those responsible found.
Critics said this could be a “political joke” that would do nothing but raise public fears.
The Prime Minister yesterday said his government had started searching for the perpetrators who issued online threats against him and his deputy .
He said that the alleged assassination plot was inspired by certain anti-monarchy Thai expatriates now living overseas.
The alleged online threats have caused a media sensation since Thursday, as the PM brought the issue up himself. The deputy PM said that he had heard of the threats but didn’t know who made them and he wasn’t convinced if they were really true.
However the Army Commander-in-chief confirmed later on Thursday that the threats were true while ensuring that security measures would remain tight as usual.
Pheu Thai Party key figure and ex-PM Yingluck Shinawatra and Democrat Party politician Watchara Petchthong responded by labelling Prayut and Prawit oversensitive given the alleged threats were made via social media and given the duo’s powerful positions.
Their insecurity could alarm Thais and hurt foreigners’ trust in Thailand, the politicians’ said.
Political analyst and orator Sukhum Nuansakul believes that the junta might want to raise such an issue to demonstrate to the public the hardships facing the country’s administrations.
“If the threats are really serious, they shouldn’t be spoken about,” he said.
Police are investigating the alleged threats as well as cooperating with domestic and international security agencies on the matter, according to the deputy police spokesperson .
Details of the investigation were not disclosed ,including the possibility, according to an Army source, that one of the alleged perpetrators could be a shop owner in a famous department store.
The defence minister’s security advisor said that it was not unusual for the country’s top figures to be threatened and security staff evaluated the seriousness of any threat.
He said that people expected a smooth election following the junta’s roadmap. They are also working on reconciliation and if these things affect any dissenter, action may be taken accordingly.
However, the advisor said no such connection had been seen but new security measures would also need to be introduced given the political conflicts in past years.
(Source:The Nation, Thailand)