Red shirts get suspended jail terms

The North Bangkok District Court issued a guilty verdict against Pairoj Ngamwiset, Thongsuk Deesui, Koson Theerathamporn and Chan Kuanmoon for refusing to disperse after being instructed to do so by the anti-riot police force.

The court cited their guilty pleas as grounds for leniency.

Initially, the four had been given a six-month jail term each as well as a fine of Bt10,000. However, the guilty pleas influenced the court to cut the punishment in half, and since the convicts had no prior records, their jail terms were suspended once the fines were paid.

In a related development, core red-shirt leader Jatuporn Promphan said Army chief Anupong Paochinda was interfering in the investigation into the Songkran riots by refusing to give testimony.

A quarrel between Democrat MP Sirichoke Sopa and red-shirt leader Nattawut Saikua erupted when the fact-finding committee brought up the issue of bureaucracy.

Later, another war of words broke out when Democrat MP Arkom Engchuan voiced doubts over whether former PM Thaksin Shinawatra was behind the Songkran riots.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Court dismissed the case against the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) for besieging Government House last year, saying that since the group had already moved out of the compound there was no need to continue the case any more.