Protest leaders not allowed to leave Thailand

BANGKOK, February 7 (TNA) - The caretaker government-run Centre for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO) has banned 19 anti-government protest leaders, whose arrest warrants have already been approved by Bangkok's Criminal Court, from leaving Thailand. Department of Special Investigation (DSI) Director General Tharit Pengdit, who is also a CMPO member, told journalists on Friday that the decision was made at a CMPO meeting earlier in the day. Under the ban, Tharit said, authorities of immigration offices nationwide must arrest the 19 leaders of the anti-government People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), plus 39 other PDRC members whose arrest warrants will be issued soon. Earlier this week, the Criminal Court approved the arrest warrants against the PDRC leaders, including PDRC secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban, on charges of obstructing the January 26 advance voting and the February 2 general election. According to the DSI chief, the CMPO is also expected to announce a list of 136 names accused of financing PDRC by next Monday with their bank accounts to be then seized, pending the conclusion of the CMPO's probes against them.(TNA)