DSI prepares venue for protest leaders to acknowledge charges

BANGKOK, January 21 (TNA) - The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has prepared a building inside the Ministry of Justice's Department of Corrections as the venue for anti-government protest leaders to acknowledge their charges over the next three days. DSI Director-General Tarit Pengdith told journalists on Tuesday that his office has summonsed 55 anti-government protest leaders, mostly are those of the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), to acknowledge their charges from January 22-24 and he expects the protest leaders to turn themselves in to acknowledge their charges. Tarit said police, corrections officials and DSI staffs will be deployed at the venue to secure order, assessing that some protest leaders would show up and some others would have their lawyers postpone their surrender. The DSI chief revealed that his office has summonsed PDRC leaders for the second round, while Police Major Yutthana Phrae-dam, an investigator of the case, admitted that none of the protest leaders have informed him that they would turn themselves in. Meanwhile, Deputy Metropolitan Police Chief Police Major General Adul Narongsak told reporters that 12,495 police officers would be deployed to secure polling on the advance voting date on January 26 and the new general election date on February 2 and they will work together with relevant officials to ensure order, while suppressing crime and taking legal actions against those violating the election law during the election dates.(TNA)