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Seven people were charged in Chiang Rai, including Visan Techateeravej, a former Thai Rak Thai party executive who has been banned from politics for five years. Most of those charged were accused of blocking Chiang Rai's main highway and holding an assembly of more than 10 people, a law dating to Thailand's dictatorial period.

In Lamphun, Pheu Thai MP for the province Sathaporn Maneerat was charged, and in Chiang Mai director of Rak Chiang Mai Community Radio Petchawat Wattanaphongsirikul, DJ Kanyapak "Pom" Maneejak and a third person.

The Chiang Mai, three are seeking bail.

Meanwhile, the opposition Pheu Thai Party claimed yesterday that six members of the anti-government Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD) remained missing with one feared dead as a result of last week's political turmoil.

Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit said two persons from Udon Thani had been reported missing, one from Prachuap Kiri Khan and one each from Nonthaburi, Maha Sarakham and Nan.

Prompong said there was one new death and identified the person as 29-year-old Chaiyaporn Kanthang from Phrae. His body is now at Lat Phrao temple, he said.

The Pheu Thai spokesman said relatives of one of the two dead people found floating in the Chao Phya had been pressured by the government to have the body cremated. He added that many reported that a monk, too, had been killed on Monday at Din Daeng Delta.

He said absence of media reports of the deaths might be due to the crackdown having begun at 4am when there was no electricity and few reporters covering the clashes.

He urged the government to lift the emergency decree so that the judicial process could go ahead unimpeded.

Meanwhile, Democrat Party deputy spokesman Varong Dejkitvikrom challenged Pheu Thai to offer solid proof to substantiate the claims.