Uneasy empathy
Despite misgivings over the military coup a law lecturer said yesterday he understood why it had been staged.
Suraphol Nitikraiphoj, dean of Thammasat University's Faculty of Law, said: "I believe even the coup leaders themselves did not approve of what they did, but they must have had some reasons that made it necessary to do it." "We believe in the coup leaders' statement that they don't want to seize power for themselves, and we will closely monitor the situation to make sure they keep their promise." Sneh Jammarik, former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, said he thought the coup had been unavoidable because of the political situation. "The people had no other choice, though I am not for the coup," he added. He called on the public and the media not to let the coup leaders abuse the power now in their hands. Asked whether the public could trust Meechai Ruchupan, a lawyer approached by the coup leaders to become chairman of an interim charter prior to the full-scale constitution-drafting process, Sneh said Meechai was known for being behind many much-criticised laws and executive decrees.
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