Key government figures protest court's ruling

BANGKOK, March 24 (TNA) - Key figures of Thailand's caretaker government wear black this week to protest against the Constitution Court's ruling last Friday to nullify the February 2 general election. Among them is Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul, who told journalists on Monday that his group was protesting against the Constitution Court's ruling, which has caused more than 20 million voters casting their ballots in the February 2 national poll meaningless. Surapong announced that his group would wear black for seven days in compliance with the resolution of his Pheu Thai Party. Surapong also demanded the Election Commission of Thailand (EC) to take responsibility for the state budget of over 3 billion baht wasted in the February 2 election, claming that the EC was directly responsible, not the caretaker government, which always supported the election. The caretaker deputy prime minister also demanded the Democrat Party to admit that the party and the anti-government People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) are the same group and to join the next general election. The caretaker deputy prime minister denied the possibility of PDRC secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban's proposal that a neutral prime minister be appointed by virtue of Section 7 of the Constitution, noting that the practice is non-democratic. Suthep led his demonstrators to march from the Lumpini public park to woo public support for their demand for national reform before the next election, saying that the PDRC has planned such campaign marches from March 24-28 and stage a new big rally on March 29. Meanwhile, former Democrat prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva appeared at the Criminal Court on Monday morning and denied all charges against him concerning crackdowns on then red-shirt anti-government protesters in 2010. The public prosecution charged Abhisit and Suthep, his then former deputy prime minister, with jointly committing or ordering murder against others in relation to the fatal crackdowns on the red-clad United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD)'s protesters in 2010. A man injured in the 2010 violent incident and relatives of another man killed received permission from the court to become co-plaintiffs with the public prosecution in the same case. Abhisit denied all charges and as the case involves malfeasance allegations, the court will seek opinions from the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and has, therefore, postponed the testimony and examination of witnesses and evidence in the case to June 23, 2014. The court earlier approved an arrest warrant against Suthep, as he has repeatedly failed to meet the public prosecution, reasoning that he is leading anti-government protests. In another development, pro-government demonstrators broke through two companies of riot police and chased anti-government protesters from an area in front of the NACC office on Monday morning. The pro-government demonstrators vowed to stay there to demand the resignation of the NACC. Staffs of the NACC office left their premises after pro-government demonstrators had chased the opponents. On March 31, Caretaker Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is expected to meet the anti-graft panel to defend herself from its charge of her negligence of duties in relation to her administration's rice-pledging scheme. (TNA)