PRIME MINISTER General Prayut Chan-o-cha clarified yesterday that he did not really plan to “shut down” the country. He said that Thailand prior to the coup last year was on the verge of disaster – prompting him to draw a comparison to the “Shutdown” rallies prior to the takeover – in remarks to the “five rivers” last week.

“What I really meant is that if conflicts are still not resolved, our country will head towards a situation just like before May 22 [when the military staged the coup],” he said.

Read more: The Nation