First rally ever at Privy Council Office

About 200 protesters, led by Veera Musigapong, Jatuporn Promphan, Natthawut Saikuar, Weng Tojitrakarn and Jaran Dittapichai, dispersed peacefully after one of their uneventful yet most controversial gatherings to date.

Having targeted Prem's residence and Surayud's retreat at Khao Yai Thiang in previous protests, red-shirted protesters for the first time moved to the headquarters of the Privy Council.

The protesters said they could not accept "double standards" by government officials favouring privy councillors in regard to occupation of public land and demanded Surayud resign for allegedly encroaching on the forest reserve at Khao Yai Thiang in Nakhon Ratchasima. They demanded Prem to resign for allegedly supporting a group of forest encroachers at Khao Soi Dao in Chanthaburi.

Veera linked Prem to the golf course in Khao Soi Dao forest reserve owned by a group of Bangkok Bank shareholders, while Prem was a chief adviser for the bank.

Veera said his group submitted a document on "occupation of land" on Khao Yai Thieng and a report on land occupation for a golf course near the Khao Soi Dao forest reserve to representatives from Office of His Majesty's Principal Private Secretary office's legal department.

Natthawut said he had testimony by Noppadon Pitakvanich, who bought a piece of land from Bao Sinnok, stating that neither Surayud nor his close aides made transactions to buy the land but Colonel Surarit Chantrathip had. Thus, he alleged Surarit was a nominee for Surayud.

The red shirts would let Noppadon clarify the matter in a press conference this morning, Natthawut said. (Tuesday) In a separate development, Senator Ruangkrai Leekij-wattana said yesterday he would file a complaint with the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate whether Privy Councillor Surayud Chulanont had filed a false asset declaration after he finished as prime minister.

Ruangkrai claimed Surayud and his wife Thanpuying Jitrawadee Chulanont changed the assets listing of his Khao Yai Thiang land from "being an owner" to "buying the right to use the land" when they filed an asset declaration on February 5 last year.

He said such a declaration might violate the Constitution because Supreme Court ruling number 90-97/2536 said "a tax receipt issued by a local government is not evidence to claim ownership or possession.''

Surayud declared the Khao Yai Thiang land under assets classified in the rights and concession section.

The asset statement said he purchased the right to use the 21-rai plot of vacant land to plant trees for conservation purposes. Land tax had been paid annually to the local government of Tambon Klong Pai, Nakhon Ratchasima's Si Khiew |district.

Ruangkrai said Surayud's asset declaration included a footnote stating he did not hold possession or an ownership right to the land. So declaring the land among his assets could constitute false declaration of an asset, he said.