‘He just flew over’: Thai junta head responds to Joshua Wong’s detention

The junta head has said that pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong was not detained by the Thai authorities, but was rather just ‘flying over’ Thailand, adding that there is no difference between sending the activist to Hong Kong or Mainland China since both are the same country.
 
On 5 October 2016, Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader and PM, said Thai immigration officials did not detain or arrest Hong Kong student activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung, a key leader of the Umbrella Revolution. Instead, the authorities just managed to send the activist back to Hong Kong immediately, simply like flying over Thailand, reported Matichon Online.    
 
“He just flew over. He’s gone to China already,” the junta head told the media.
 
Asked whether the Thai government sent the activist to Hong Kong or Mainland China, the junta head said that is not an important issue because both are the same China, adding that the deportation was at the Chinese government’s request.
 
Again, Prayut urged the media not to report stories that could stir up conflict within society.
 
“The media should know that there are efforts leading the society to an 6 October 1976 [massacre]. Do you want that?” the junta head asked the media.
 
After his comments were widely reported, Thai social media created the hashtag “just flew over” (#แค่บินผ่าน) which later became one of the most trending hashtags among Thai Twitter users. Almost 10 thousand tweeters used the hashtag and it ranked as the second most popular hashtag on Twitter at press time.
 
 
Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha

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