PM rejects DAAD claims Songkran rioting planned by govt

Abhisit said the government had not plotted the violence that broke out at the Interior Ministry and at the meeting venue of the Asean Summit in Pattaya on April 11-12.

He said he was surprised that the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD) leaders had distorted the facts surrounding what happened on those days despite ample evidence that he was facing a life-threatening situation.

Pheu Thai Party MP Jatuporn Promphan had on Thursday said Abhisit and Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban were not in the cars that were attacked by red-shirted protesters at the Interior Ministry. He claimed that the government had soldiers wear red shirts and act violently so as to frame charges against the DAAD.

The Democrat Party leader's personal spokesman, Thepthai Senpong, said he believed Jatuporn had levelled the allegation in order to justify the red-shirt rally tomorrow.

Niphon Promphan, secretary-general to the prime minister, dismissed the allegation made by Jatuporn, saying the red shirts did not attack an empty car and hundreds of protesters and reporters had witnessed the incident.

Army spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd denied that some soldiers had put on red shirts and attacked the prime minister's car, saying there were uniformed military officials standing guard at the Interior Ministry.

Jatuporn said he had pictures that had not been shown anywhere else but that he would expose during tomorrow's rally. The pictures allegedly show Abhisit and Suthep changing cars and leaving the ministry while leaving the other car to lure the red-shirt attacks.

Veera Musigapong, a red-shirt leader, said he would hold a rally at a field near Wat Pai Kiew in Bangkok's Don Muang district tomorrow. He will make a speech titled "Truth Today: Who Hurts Thailand?"

He said former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra would not phone in to the event but that he, Veera, would expose the truth that Abhisit was not in the bulletproof car as he claimed. "He just had the violent scene plotted and made up to justify his imposition of the state emergency,'' he said.

Although Veera said the red shirts would not stage more protests at the Asean Summit in Phuket, another of their leaders, Arisman Pongruangrong, has threatened to lead a protest in Phuket.

Arisman denied that the red shirts had intended to block the Asean Summit in Pattaya. He said they had been assaulted by the blue shirts.

He said the red shirts filed complaints against the blue shirts but police had not taken legal action against them.

However, he added, the red shirts were taking drastic action over what happened. He said he would gather evidence and file a complaint with national human-rights organisations and country leaders who are joining the coming Asean Summit in Phuket.

"If the government does not take any action against the blue shirts, it will certainly see the red shirts in Phuket. We are not going to block the Asean meeting, but only do what we are entitled to do,'' he said.