The army says that a huge store of weapons found last week in Chachoengsao was intended by political elements to support unrest in Bangkok. However, many are suspicious over the timing of the discovery.
The arms cache was discovered in a rice field in Bang Nam Prieo district. Deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said the weapons are believed to be linked to bombings in Bangkok during the political unrest that took place before the 2014 coup.
However, many critics were sceptical, saying the discovery of the ammunition and explosives was convenient for the government after its PR disaster in the deep South.
Nattawut Saikuar, a key figure of the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), said he wondered why the news of such a large arms cache had suddenly come out at this time. He said authorities must show proof to back their claims that it was intended to support unrest.
The regime's credibility would be damaged further if the issue was found to be an attempt to divert attention from a series of issues that are hurting its image, he said.
These include its handling of anti-coal protests in the South and rumours that hazing led to a military cadet's death.
Korkaew Pikulthong, another key UDD figure, said the government's popularity has been dealt a huge blow since its cabinet trip to the South. He also felt that the timing of the weapons discovery was very convenient.
The government is facing a number of economic, political and social problems. People's incomes are not improving and demands for change are growing louder, said Surachart Bamrungsuk, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University.
Another political scientist who closely follows national security issues, but asked not to be named, said it would be hard for any group to move such a large amount of weapons without the military knowing about it.
He said arms traffickers may have dumped them or the government could have planted them as a diversionary tactic.
