Political mockery involving luxury watches and military figures has allegedly been banned ahead of the 72nd Chulalongkorn-Thammasat Traditional Football Match at the National Stadium in Bangkok on Saturday.
The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), however, denied the claim in the afternoon, saying they were in the area to ensure safety and did not order any ban.
Latthaphol Yimlamai, a Thammasat University (TU) student who is president of the university’s political mockery group, said a high-ranking military officer had prohibited them from using Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon’s luxury watches as a theme in their parade mocking politicians, a traditional highlight of the annual football event.
Effigies of military leaders were also prohibited, as was the mentioning of names of such figures and agencies.
An inspection of all effigies would be conducted before the match, the third-year political science student said. The group was informed of the ban after executives of the TU Alumni Association had been summoned by military officers on Wednesday to discuss the parade’s themes. The armed forces were concerned that student activists could join the event and escalate conflicts.
Mr Latthaphol said six effigies would be presented during this year’s parade, which would involve more than 300 university students. National economic and political issues would be reflected in keeping with tradition.
TU's preparations for the parade have been monitored by military officers, he said.
Mr Latthaphol nevertheless insisted that the parade would stick to the original plan and said that any mockery did not violate human rights or judge people unfairly.
Since this year’s political mockery parade has drawn more public attention than previous years, the group did not want to disappoint the public, he said.
Maj Gen Suwit Gatesri, commander of the 2nd Cavalry Division King's Guard, has since denied the student's claim, saying his men were not in the area to check the effigies.
"They were there to maintain order and ensure safety, along with police and administrative officials," he said.
Maj Gen Pyapong Klinphan, an NCPO spokesman, confirmed the NCPO did not ban anything.
"We simply put up some bomb scanners at the entrances. We know Thammasat will hold a political parade while Chula's will focus on social issues. It's the responsibility of the organisers to check whether they are appropriate," he said.
