Yongyuth denies calling up local units
Caretaker Natural Resources and Environment Minister Yongyuth Tiyapairat yesterday dismissed as "nuts" reports that he was mobilising forest defence volunteers and tambon administration officials to confront anti-government protesters.
The arms training that forest defence volunteers are completing is not part of a plan to suppress a People's Alliance for Democracy rally, Yongyuth insisted. The training began before he took over his post and is rotating around the country because there are too few firearms for the 44,000 volunteers, he said. "There are people who try to use this training to discredit me. They are nuts," he said. "Who are these officials fighting? Critics just link all these incidents to widen rifts and create an atmosphere of fear.'' He also denied reports the forest defence volunteers would join tambon officials at Wat Phra Dhammakaya next Monday and Tuesday for an event organised by the Interior Ministry to honour His Majesty the King. Yongyuth said the meeting of tambon officials would be held at the temple because it can accommodate large crowds. "We chose to hold the meeting there purely because of the size,'' he said.
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