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Published on February 23, 2008

Pratya Preechawet filed a civil lawsuit in the Phra Khanong Court yesterday that names the Royal Thai Police, national police chief General Seripisut Temiyavej and his deputy, General Patcharawat Wongsuwan, as defendants. Patcharawat headed the investigation into the six blasts across Bangkok on December 31, 2006,

The court will announce on May 12 whether it will allow Pratya to file his case as a pauper's lawsuit.

The 34-year-old musician claims sloppy police work led to him and his friend, Yutthapong Kiti Sriworaphan, 36, being accused of planting the bomb found at the Seacon Square shopping mall, and that the issuing of a warrant for his arrest had tarnished his reputation, causing him to lose 10 business projects and be out of work for a year.

He said his two-year-old son could not go to a local kindergarten and so was sent to stay with relatives outside Bangkok, while he was still living with paranoia.

Pratya and Yutthapong reportedly closely resembled two suspects captured by the shopping mall's security cameras. On the basis of this, police issued warrants for their arrest on charges of terrorism, public endangerment and carrying explosives in a public place.

The duo requested the court to cancel the arrest warrants, claiming they were not the men in security footage, but the court decided to wait for the conclusion of the police investigation. Investigators finally decided not to prosecute Pratya or Yutthapong on any of the charges.

On January 7 this year, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) ruled that the police's actions had violated Pratya and Yutthapong's human rights and integrity.

It said Patcharawat's comment about insufficient evidence against the two men, along with their appeal to the court and actions after learning they were wanted, led it to believe they were innocent.

The NHRC also ruled that the police should compensate the men for the damage done to their reputations.

The Nation