Not content with accusing former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin and his supporters of trying to undermine the monarchy, now it appears that Thai officials are accusing them of defaming the military. The Phukett Gazette reports that the head of the Thai army has filed a complaint of defamation against Robert Amsterdam, the attorney for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his party, the UDD. The complaint reportedly accuses Amsterdam of making defamatory comments about the army in a speech last May at a rally to commemorate the anniversary of Red Shirt protests in Bangkok. Amsterdam says he stands by his comments:
"As declared in a statement published on our Thai blog, Robert Amsterdam stated that he would not be discouraged by General Prayuth’s attempt to intimidate and silence those seeking answers over what happened in Thailand when more than 90 unarmed protesters were gunned down by Army snipers. Representing the Red Shirts, Amsterdam has prepared a number of critical reports including an application to the International Criminal Court advocating the initiation of an inquiry in the violence allegedly ordered by General Prayuth. In late June, Mr. Amsterdam led a delegation of Thai representatives to a meeting with the ICC at The Hague.
"Mr. Amsterdam has also published an open letter to General Prayuth, which reads: “If you were serious about upholding your soldiers’ reputation, you would use your remaining time as Commander-in-Chief not to make excuses for criminal behavior, but to remake the Royal Thai Army into an institution where those who abuse human rights are held to account. Submitting to a proper investigation in which the facts are examined fairly, without regard for the status of the perpetrators, by investigators who cannot be bullied into “apologizing” to you for their findings, would be a useful first step.”"
Here's a video of the speech.
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