Yellow-shirts report to police, face jail term

[Flashermac]

Bangkok Post

10 May 2011

 

 

Leaders and supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) charged by police in connection with the blockade of Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports in 2008 reported to the Crime Suppression Division on Tuesday.

 

[color:red]CSD investigators have decided to recommend indictment of 114 PAD suspects on charges of illegal assembly for the seizure of the two airports.[/color]

 

Some of the suspects, mostly leading PAD figures, are additionally charged with terrorism under Articles 113 and 116 of the Criminal Code.

 

Of the 114, some had earlier reported to the CSD, leaving 83 to do likewise today.

 

As of noon, 27 of them had reported to the CSD. They included such leading figures as Maj-Gen Chamlong Srimuang, Somsak Kosaisuk, Pibhop Dhongchai, Somkiat Pongpaiboon, Saranyoo Wongkrachang, Sarocha Porn-udomsak, Anchalee Paireerak, Prapan Khoonmee, Panthep Pongpuapan and Jindarat Charoenchaichana.

 

Of the yellow-shirt leaders summonsed, four of them sought to postpone reporting to the CSD. They included Sondhi Limthongkul, who went to the Chachoengsao Court, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, who was still abroad, and Pol Lt-Col Santhana Prayoonrat.

 

Those who already reported to the CSD were subsequently handed over to Wichian Thanompichai, chief of the prosecutors handling the case.

 

Mr Wichian said the suspects had been told to return on June 9 when the prosecutors would decide who among them are to be indicted and on what charges.

 

[color:red]Meanwhile, five of the six yellow-shirt supporters charged with the armed hijack of a Bangkok bus in 2008 were each sentenced to two years in jail today.[/color]

 

Thiradet Wanna, Chaiwat Thapthong, Thani Artsawang, Somchai Thongkiat, Pongpat Kachan and Somchai Hongsa were each charged with stopping a No.53 city bus and using weapons to force the driver to take them from Prachathippatai road to the main PAD protest site at Government House on November 24, 2008.

 

They were arrested after police shot out the tyres and stopped the bus.

 

[color:blue]The charges against Thani were dropped because he died before the reading of the verdict.[/color]

 

The Criminal Court today initially sentenced each the five surviving defendants to three years imprisonment and a fine of 100 baht each for carrying weapons.

 

Because they gave useful information during the trial, each jail sentence was commuted to two years and the fine to 66 baht.

 

The court additionally fined Thiradet, the first defendant, 4,000 baht for illegally carrying a police communication radio. The fine was commuted to 2,000 baht.

 

 

 

Link

[Bangkoktraveler]

So much for democracy and freedom to protest.

[Coss]

Well this is good that people are being held to account for their actions.

 

I'll be interested to see if a balanced number of people are prosecuted and appropriate sentences are handed out to both the the Red and Yellow sides, but I don't know enough to keep score myself.