Thailand's former Democrat PM, red-shirt leaders at Criminal Court

BANGKOK, December 12 (TNA) - Thailand's former prime minister and leader of the Democrat Party Abhisit Vejjajiva and leaders of the red-clad United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) appeared at Bangkok's Criminal Court on Thursday morning on different charges as scheduled. Abhisit met public prosecutors at the Criminal Court, as he was charged by the public prosecutors of fatal crackdowns on red-shirt demonstrators in 2010 when he was prime minister. Abhisit and his then deputy, Suthep Thaugsuban, who was the then director of the Center for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES), have been accused by the public prosecutors of ordering murder, as the CRES launched the crackdowns three years ago and dozens of people were killed and injured during the operations. More than 20 police strictly secured the front ground of the court, where both proponents and opponents of Abhisit showed up. Suthep, who is now leading an anti-government protest under the umbrella of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), however, had his lawyer to seek the postponement of his appearance at the Criminal Court until mid-January 2014. Meanwhile, 24 red-shirt leaders, including Nattawut Saikuar, Jatuporn Prompan, Veerakan Musikapong, Dr. Weng Tojirakarn, Korkaew Pikulthong and Arisman Pongruangrong, also appeared at the Criminal Court for a testimony in a terrorist case against them concerning their protest against the then Abhisit government in 2010. (TNA)