Junta chief Prayuth Chan-ocha was met in Italy by noisy protests by a group of Thai and Italian protesters yesterday.
The former general declined to answer a slew of questions shouted by the media on his first trip abroad to attend the Asia-Europe Meeting, or ASEM, in Milan, Italy. European officials earlier decided to allow Prayuth’s participation despite having put formal relations on ice after the military seized power in May.
Not far from the summit, hundreds of Italian and Thai protesters held signs reading “Prayuth is a criminal” and marched against his suspension of democracy in the kingdom. Others held posters calling for “Justice for Fabio” to protest Prayuth’s involvement as military commander in the 2010 death of Italian journalist Fabio Polenghi, who was a Milan native.
Polenghi was shot dead by the Thai army during the crackdown on Redshirt protesters, but no one has ever been held accountable for his death, despite a tireless campaign for the truth by his sister, who died in April.
Arianna Polenghi, another sister of the slain Italian, called Prayuth a criminal and “assassin,” according to Bangkok Post.
Prayuth yesterday met with Shinzo Abe of Japan, an encounter the Post also feebly attempted to suggest was misrepresented by official Thai government channels. According to Japanese media, the focus was on Abe urging Prayuth “to step up efforts to restore democracy.”
In the alternate universe occupied by state-run media, Abe “applauded” Prayuth “for his leadership and attempts to bring Thailand to democracy, reform and reconciliation, all of which are challenging tasks.”
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