Three days before "Judgement Day", Army chief General Anupong Paochinda yesterday ruled out the possibility of a coup and insisted that he and Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva were "closer than most people think".
In an exclusive interview with The Nation, Anupong said last week's tension between the government and the Army over the GT200 bomb detectors had been largely fanned by the media.
According to Anupong, he and Abhisit are in constant touch regarding how the government and the Army would separately respond to test results showing the device to be useless.
Now, the Army will concentrate on helping the government maintain law and order before, during and after Judgement Day on Friday in ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra's assets-seizure case, Anupong said, adding that all measures to deal with possible unrest would be based on the principles of human rights.
Asked if there were any chance a "pro-Thaksin" coup, probably by young turks loyal to the ousted leader, he said: "One million per cent, no."
In fact, there wouldn't be any kind of coup, he reiterated. The Army chief has repeatedly discounted the possiblity of a coup, but the latest firm denial came as speculation resurfaced thanks to the approaching Judgement Day and tension over the GT200.
Anupong said there were concerns about untoward incidents, but he believed law-enforcement officers would be able to handle the situation. Soldiers will first act as "helpers" and let the police run the show on security. If soldiers are required to take action, they will use only shields and clubs and will not carry firearms, he said.
One of the coup-makers who overthrew the Thaksin government in 2006, Anupong said there was no point giving Thailand's democracy another big setback. "We never want to take power from the people," he said.
The recent gatherings by middle-ranking officers all across the country to protest against rogue officer Maj-General Khattiya Sawasdipol didn't carry extra significance, he insisted. "The officers just wanted to make known their stands on the Army tradition of respecting the commander," he said.
The Army chief categorically dismissed reports about conflicts between him and Abhisit, saying repeatedly, "We are closer than most people think." Just like Abhisit, who has taken a step back in his harsh criticism of the GT200 bomb detectors, Anupong has, for the first time, sounded a note of caution that the device's advocates must take note of the unusual silence of the equipment-maker.
However, the Army chief stressed that, with the absence of a reliable bomb detector at the moment, GT200 remained the only thing soldiers in the deep South had got. "It's like walking in total blackness and you get something that can help your vision by just 10 per cent. You'd have to take it, naturally," he said.
Abhisit on Sunday gave a similar but more cautious message. Stressing that the device was "proven" to be ineffective, southern soldiers might still need them until there was a reliable replacement. The prime minister insisted the device must not be used against people and that Army human resources need to be explained to regarding tests on GT200.
Hundreds of soldiers have been dispatched to help police at checkpoints ahead of Friday's court ruling on Thaksin's assets. But Anupong denied the Army was carrying out surveillance against Thai citizens who are supporters of ex-premier.
"I believe the situation will not get out of control on February 26 or thereafter. However, we are prepared in case something bad happens, in which case soldiers can be called out to enforce law and order," he said.
Under the emergency law, soldiers can block access to important places, carry out searches and cordon off areas. Anupong said that if emergency power were invoked effectively and reasonably, it could avert threats of violence.
