Allegations by Thailand's prime minister that members of the opposition planned to attack senior officials are baseless and designed to deflect attention from a corruption probe, one of the main opposition groups said on Friday.
Accusations of graft involving a park built to honor Thailand's monarchy are threatening to damage an anti-graft drive by the ruling junta, which seized power last year while vowing to clean up government and protect royal prestige.
The graft accusations, leveled by some Thai media and opposition groups, have transfixed a country anxious over the declining health of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 87.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha accused the United Front for Democracy, which backed a government Prayuth toppled in a 2014 coup, of being behind a plot to attack government figures at a cycling event organized for Dec 11 to honor King Bhumibol.
Police are already investigating allegations of corruption surrounding the event.
UDD spokesman Thanawut Wichaidit said the accusations were meant to divert attention from allegations of irregularities in the funding of the 1 billion baht ($27.9 million) Rajabhakti Park, which features giant statues of past Thai kings.
"Red shirts would never cause trouble on a day of national importance," he said, referring to the name by which the group is commonly known.
(China Daily 11/28/2015 page8)
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