Pheu Thai is threatening to counter-sue the National Council for Peace and Order for laying charges of illegal political assembly and computer crime against the party over Thursday's news conference, when it criticised the military regime's performance in administering the nation.
The NCPO asked police to press four charges in total after the party ignored a warning not to continue the press conference.
On Friday key members of the biggest political party came out in its defence.
"I will wait first, to see which charges police will press. If there is an unreasonable charge, counter legal action will be taken in the party's defence," said Chusak Sirinil, head of Pheu Thai's legal team.
He said the press conference was held because the party had an honest responsibility to protect the national and public interest. It was not a political gathering.
He also denied the NCPO's accusations that Pheu Thai incited insurrection at the press conference and put false information into a computer system in broadcasting it on Facebook.
Phumtham Vejjayachai, acting Pheu Thai secretary-general, said the news conference reflected a political party's constitutional right to expression, which did not violate any order of the NCPO.
Key Pheu Thai members had been criticising the government and the NCPO, but the party had never held any meeting or engaged in any political activity that challenged the NCPO's ban, he said.
On Thursday evening Col Burin Thongpraphai, NCPO legal affairs chief, asked the Crime Suppression Division to press four charges against the Pheu Thai Party:
- violating NCPO order 57/2557 banning existing political parties from conducting a meeting or a political activity;
- violating NCPO order 3/2558 banning a political gathering of more than five people;
- and, breaching the Computer Crime Act.
