THEY SAID IT
“I CONFIRM THAT THERE WILL DEFINITELY BE AN ELECTION.”
Gen (Ret) Prayut Chan-o-cha, prime minister, head of the ruling military council (NCPO), national roadmap cartographer, reassures a doubting nation.
“I SAW IT ALL HAPPEN. IT IS SOMETHING THAT WILL STAY WITH ME.”
Kasper Schmeichel, grieving goalkeeper, Leicester City FC, on witnessing the helicopter crash that killed club president and King Power tycoon Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
“TO HAVE OTHERS OBSERVING MEANS THE COUNTRY IS HAVING A PROBLEM.”
Don Pramudwinai, Foreign Minister, says “No!” to requests to allow international election monitors.
“THE ENVIRONMENT FOR A FREE AND FAIR ELECTION DOES NOT EXIST.”
Sunai Phasuk, senior Thailand researcher, Human Rights Watch, disagrees with Mr Don.
“A NEW CABINET COULD TAKE OFFICE BY JUNE.” Wissanu Krea-ngam, Deputy Prime Minister, government legal eagle, explains a possible timeline if the election is held Feb 24.
“INITIALLY, WE DON’T FIND ANY VIOLATION OF LAWS.” Pol Gen Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, national deputy police chief, says calendars showing two fugitive ex-premiers may be legal but police seized thousands anyway.
“THE RECORD SHOWS 75 VICTIMS.”
Pol Maj Gen (soon to be three-star) Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, after arresting an army sergeant-major on charges of serial rapes of dozens of young boys he groomed on an internet chat board.
“LIKE NOTHING WE HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE.”
Jeremy Douglas, regional representative, UN Office on Drugs and Crime, on the boom in methamphetamine exports from the Golden Triangle in the past two years.
“A SLOW AND CRUEL ASSASSINATION IS TAKING PLACE.” Christine Ann Hawkins, mother of WikiLeaks founder and self-exiled Australian Julian Assange, blames the United Kingdom and United States for his isolation in the embassy of Ecuador in London.
“I WAS ANGRY WITH DONALD TRUMP.”
Akayed Ullah, Bangladeshi immigrant, explains to the US federal judge why he wanted “to kill as many people as possible” with a failed pipe bomb explosion in the New York subway 11 months ago.