Teerakiat went to his office at the Education Ministry and refused to speak with the media.

A person who identified himself as Teerakiat’s secretary, said in a phone call that the minister “is not comfortable to speak on the matter and will not talk about it again”.

Teerakiat is due to attend a meeting at 3pm at the ministry.

BBC Thai reported that at a reception at the Thai embassy in London last Friday, Teerakiat said that he would step down from his post if he were exposed of being in possession of expensive luxury watches.

Prawit has been embroiled in a watch scandal in recent months. He was seen wearing at least 25 expensive luxury watches on different occasions. He did not declare possession of assets worth more than Bt200,000 when he joined the Cabinet in 2014.

The aide, who asked not to be named, was referring to a remark by Teerakiat that apparently criticised the country’s response to the Prawit watch scandal. Teerakiat said he would step down from his Cabinet position if he was exposed to possess an expensive luxury watch.

The aide said yesterday he was shocked by the remark and urged Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha to deal with the matter urgently as it would affect his boss.

Although Teerakiat expressed his personal opinion it would still have an impact on Prawit, the aide said.

“PM Prayut as the Cabinet chief would likely talk to the Education Minister over what happened. His remark affects the Deputy Prime Minister who oversees national security. So the premier should give justice to Prawit,” the aide said.

Prawit has been under pressure from the public and social media users to resign after he was spotted with about 25 luxury watches since late last year.

Prawit told an anti-graft agency that is investigating him over the watches, that they were borrowed from his friends. Prawit said he had already returned them to the owners.

“I will have him [Teerakiat] explain,” Prayut said before chairing a weekly Cabinet meeting on Tuesday at Government House.

Prayut was responding to Teerakiat’s interview with BBC Thai in London where he said that if he were exposed of possessing a luxury watch he would have stepped down from his post.

Although Teerakiat did not mention Prawit by name, the deputy prime minister is under investigation by an anti-graft agency after appearing in public with about 25 expensive luxury watches on different occasions.

Prayut declined to comment when asked if the remark would create a rift in the Cabinet.

The PM has previously expressed his support for Prawit despite pressure from the public for his right hand man to resign.

Prawit also declined to comment on Teerakiat’s statements as he entered the Cabinet meeting and only smiled to reporters.

Prawit was in Laos for an official visit on Monday.

Without further elaboration, Prawit added that he has ordered responsible agencies to look into the matter.

He was speaking in Vientianne during his official visit to the country at the invitation of Lao government.

Photos of Thaksin and Yingluck shopping in Beijing emerged publicly about a month after Yingluck was spotted in London, where Thaksin runs businesses and owns residences.

Yingluck fled from Thailand shortly before a verdict was issued in the case related to her government’s rice-pledging scheme.

The verdict, which had been delayed for a month, sentenced her to five-years imprisonment without suspension.

The remark, quoted in BBC Thai on Monday, came during a speech to Thai businessmen and students at the Thai embassy in London last Friday,

Teerakiat was comparing the rule of law and ethical awareness between Thailand and the United Kingdom. He said that Thai people were so “thick skinned” they would never resign from a position even when they were hit with a scandal.

Teerakiat did not mention Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan by name. Prawit is under investigation by the anti-graft agency for having about 25 expensive luxury watches.

Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has expressed his support for Prawit despite pressure from the public for his right hand man to resign.

Teerakiat said during his speech that Thailand lacks an ethical conscience.

As an example, he pointed to International Development Minister Lord Michael Bates who offered his resignation last month because he was a few minutes late for a debate at the House of Lords. His resignation was rejected by the prime minister.

“But in Thailand, [one] can survive despite having 25 watches,” he said jokingly.

Teerakait later told BBC Thai that ministers in Thailand would not resign if they were a few minutes late.

“It’s [about] conscience … knowing what is right or wrong. Being late is not against the law but it’s about ethics. Since we did not teach people since they were young to have thin skin it is difficult …Thais are thick skinned,” Teerakiat was quoted by BBC Thai.

“If I were exposed [to have luxury watches], I would have stepped down when the first watch [was exposed]. Other people don’t dare to speak out. I don’t know what they are afraid of. Will I be fired?” he said.

Rirkchapol Poolsilp, 53, a Yala resident, was arrested after an M26 grenade, four homemade pingpong bombs, two pipe bombs and 20 giant firecrackers were found in the room at Muang Thong Thani Condominium.

The suspect admitted that he was one of red-shirt military leader Wuttipong “Ko tee” Kotthammakhun’s men, Deputy Police Commissioner General Pol Gen Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, said.

Srivara said the suspect was among 27 red-shirts who were being monitored by police.

The bombs found in the room were the same type used in the attack at the Ratchaprasong Intersection in 2014, he said.

Police were searching for more suspects as they found other people’s belongings in the room, Srivara added.

Police were alerted when the owner rented the room to a new tenant who sent a maid to clean the room and found the bombs.

Police from the Pakkret police station and bomb disposal officers went to the scene about 8.30pm and found the explosives in the room rented by Rirkchapol.

The bomb disposal officers took about three hours to dispose of the bombs. Other bomb making tools were also found in the room.

Police learned from the owner of the room that the suspect had rented the room for more than five years but the electricity and water had been cut off as he had failed to pay his bills. He also had not paid his rent.

The suspect was arrested at 10pm when he returned to the room. He attempted to run away when he saw police but was caught after a brief chase.

Their representatives spoke to The Nation after attending an event at Government House, which heavily promoted human rights as a national agenda.

It was held amid criticism of the junta government for the purported continual infringement of rights, especially against the expression of political differences for which of many of those speaking out against the military-led regime have either had charges pressed against them or been prosecuted.

“The right to justice and redress, political participation, inclusion of marginalised, disempowered and excluded groups, respect for fundamental freedoms and the rule of law are practical necessities for successfully mainstreaming human rights,” said Cynthia Veliko, regional representative of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for Southeast Asia.

“We hope that the current restrictions on fundamental freedoms, including on freedom of expression, opinion and assembly, will be lifted with urgency to allow for its successful implementation,” she added.

“The EU places great importance on the promotion and protection of human rights all over the world and we are always encouraged when our partners commit to upholding these universal principles,” said Pirkka Tapiola, ambassador to the European Union Delegation to Thailand. “We will continue to engage constructively with Thailand on this.”

“The announcement of this national human-rights policy is encouraging. But many challenges remain, particularly in ensuring that it is implemented effectively at the grass-roots level,” said Dana Graber Ladek, chief of mission for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

“As the UN Migration Agency, the IOM will continue to work together with the Royal Thai government to ensure that the rights and welfare of migrant workers are protected in Thailand,” she said.

“We appreciated the PM and foreign minister’s emphasis that the government is committed to complying with Thailand’s human-rights obligations under the international conventions and agreements to which Thailand is a party,” said the US Embassy’s spokesperson, Stephane Castonguay.

Critics said rights violations were a daily reality, with activists being subjected to strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP) just for exercising their basic freedoms.

Chamnan Chanruang, former chairman of Amnesty International (Thailand), yesterday slammed the latest government tactic as a “pretence”.

“The prime minister may have missed the point. It is true that people have to obey the laws, but the laws have to be legitimate and written by representatives of the people. That is not the case now,” Chamnan said.

He said the government had reacted far too harshly, with many demonstrators facing charges of sedition simply for using their freedom of expression to call for an election.

Angkhana Neelapaijit, a long-time activist and member of the National Human Rights Commission, said the government first and foremost should review certain laws that are impeding personal freedoms.

In particularly, the junta ban on political assemblies of five or more people needed urgent reconsideration, she said.

“Too many activists have faced lawsuits because of this law in recent years. I’d really appreciate it if the government could give some importance to it,” Angkhana told The Nation.

Government House yesterday was the venue for a grand event to promote human rights as part of the national agenda under the “Thailand 4.0” initiative. The event included hundreds of guests, including more than 55 foreign diplomats and representatives from international organisations.

It took place only two days after four pro-democracy activists were prosecuted on charges ranging from allegedly breaking a junta order to committing sedition. They have all been released on bail.

The activists attended a recent demonstration calling on the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to hold an election this year. More and more rallies have been held as the junta faces mounting pressure in its fourth year in power – longer than many of its elected predecessors.

In a speech yesterday, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said human rights had to be carried out based on “laws and respect of others”.

“What’s important is that human rights must not be an excuse to infringe on other people’s rights,” Prayut said. “The government will harshly punish those violating human rights but please differentiate between violations of rights and breaking of laws. There is a fine line between them.”

The premier also said people should not use human rights as a reason to “eradicate everything … Otherwise you will just create clashes with authorities of all types. This sort of problem should not exist any more in this world,” he said.

Some representatives from embassies and international organisations yesterday reiterated their support for the Thai administration in its international commitment to human rights.

“We appreciate the prime minister and foreign minister’s emphasis that the government is committed to complying with Thailand’s human rights obligations under the international conventions and agreements to which Thailand is a party,” said United States Embassy spokesperson Stephane Castonguay.

However, Cynthia Veliko, regional representative of the Office of the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights for Southeast Asia, said: “We hope that the current restrictions on fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of expression, opinion and assembly, will be lifted with urgency to allow for its successful implementation.”

He said they should cooperate with Thailand in sending back fugitive lawbreakers as Thailand did when it was asked to extradite wanted foreign criminals. His remarks came just days after fugitive former premiers Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra were reportedly spotted in Beijing.

Speaking to more than 55 envoys and representatives from international organisations, Prayut asked them to watch out for Thai wrongdoers who had fled abroad.

“When wrongdoers wanted in foreign countries are in Thailand, we make arrests, prosecute them and deport them to the countries of origins,” Prayut said in his speech at Government House.

“This should work vice-versa with every other country. We have due respect for the laws of foreign countries and they should respect ours as well. Thailand also has dignity and human rights,” he said.

At yesterday’s event to promote human rights as a national agenda, Prayut consistently slammed “two people living overseas” who he blamed for lacking respect for the judicial system.

“There are two people who make moves overseas and still stir up trouble in Thailand,” he said.

But the premier refused to refer directly to Thaksin and Yingluck. “I have no comment. It’s about foreign countries and related agencies. They’ve always worked, but it’s not every time that they can bring them [fugitives] back,” he said.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said yesterday the government had received an unofficial report to confirm that Yingluck was in Beijing.

He said Prayut had not made any special instructions regarding the matter. “We do not consider this a matter of life or death,” Don told reporters at Government House.

Deputy national police chief Pol General Srivara Ransibhramanakul yesterday said he had instructed the Royal Thai Police’s foreign affairs division to ask Interpol about the latest situation regarding Thaksin and Yingluck. The Shinawatra siblings are both wanted under Thai law.

Srivara said Thai police wanted to know details about Thaksin and Yingluck’s travels in China, such as their flight itineraries, from where they flew, and what passports they had used. Also, he instructed the Police Forensic Science Office to determine whether the photo of Thaksin and Yingluck purportedly taken in Beijing recently was genuine.

He said the police were still seeking Yingluck for prosecution at home, as had been instructed by the government.

Yingluck fled Thailand last August and was later sentenced to five years in jail for negligence in a case stemming from her government’s corruption-plagued rice-pledging scheme.

The new law on political parties prohibits any political party from allowing intervention by an outsider in its affairs. Violators of the prohibition risk a jail term of between five to 10 years, a fine of Bt100,000 to Bt200,000, or both, as well as being deprived of electoral rights for five years.

A party found to have allowed such intervention could face dissolution, while executives from the dissolved party and people deprived of electoral rights would be prohibited from registering to form a new political party for 10 years, according to the law.

A Pheu Thai source said yesterday that media reports obviously were aimed at destroying the party, while denying that Thaksin and Yingluck had interfered in Pheu Thai’s internal matters.

The source said its executives and politicians were aware of the law and would never allow intervention by an outsider.

Thaksin has been able to travel freely in different countries and often is accompanied by sister Yingluck, who recently joined him overseas, the source said. It was also normal for Pheu Thai politicians to visit Thaksin when he was in countries near Thailand, the source added.

Earlier yesterday, Pheu Thai publicly dismissed media reports that three former prime ministers had met in Beijing to discuss who should become the party’s new leader.

Phumtham Wechayachai, Pheu Thai’s secretary-general, said former prime ministers Thaksin, Yingluck and Somchai Wongsawat had been in the Chinese capital on personal business and they had not had appointments to meet anyone there.

He was responding to reports that factions within the previously ruling party did not want Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, a key Pheu Thai figure with support from the party’s Bangkok politicians, to become the new party leader.

Somchai and his wife, Yaowapa, a Shinawatra sibling who also has a great deal of influence in Pheu Thai, reportedly met Thaksin and Yingluck in Beijing to discuss concerns about Sudarat and possibly replacing her as the next party leader and prime ministerial candidate.

Earlier reports said Sudarat had Thaksin’s backing. They have worked together for a long time, even before Thaksin formed the now-defunct Thai Rak Thai Party in 1998.

In a statement released yesterday, Phumtham said that Pheu Thai “had no need” to find a new leader at present given that it already had a leader, Viroj Pao-in.

Viroj, who is caretaker Pheu Thai leader, is viewed as occupying the position temporarily and lacking the charisma to lead the party in an election campaign.

However, Phumtham said in his statement that as soon as the junta ban on political activities is lifted, Pheu Thai would immediately convene a party meeting to discuss finding a new party leader.