A Thai cabinet minister accused by police of making offensive remarks against the king in 2007 resigned today as growing anti-government protests ignited fears of a military coup.
Jakrapob Penkair, Minister to the Prime Minister's Office, said his resignation was meant to head off more protests, which are similar to the campaign against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra before his removal in a 2006 putsch.
"My resignation should end talk of another coup and a bid by those people who are using me as an excuse for their campaign," Mr Jakrapob said.
His comments about King Bhumibol Adulyadej at a panel discussion about democracy and patronage are difficult enough to understand.
The most serious sentence, which has been published in Thai newspapers, appears to be: "His being in Thailand has been promoted to the state of myth."
The opposition Democrat Party this month made it a major political issue in a country where insulting the monarch can be punished by up to 15 years in jail and any criticism is taboo.
Mr Jakrapob's decision came after calls to quit from Mr Thaksin's opponents - the royalist establishment, the army, and the street campaign leaders who mustered 100,000 protesters at one point in their 2006 campaign against Mr Thaksin.
Supreme Commander Boonsrang on Thursday voiced the "deep concern" of the military at MrJakrapob's comments, which were made at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand in August.