K Thong, charged with inciting rebellion, refused freedom
Suspended Army specialist Maj Gen Khattiya Sawasdipol and six other men were released on bail by the Criminal Court yesterday.
However, Phornwat "K Thong" Thongthanaboon, charged with inciting rebellion following a YouTube message threatening civil war and daily bombings in Bangkok, has been denied bail and remains in jail.
Khattiya and the six others were each released on Bt200,000 bail. Khattiya was specifically ordered not to make any public statements threatening violence or causing worry to the public. The seven were arrested on Sunday and charged with carrying firearms without permission and hiding Phornwat, who was wanted for his YouTube video message.
Meanwhile, Bangkok's South Criminal Court approved detention of two men accused of carrying out a grenade attack on a Bangkok Bank branch on February 27. It was the first detention out of seven ordered at the request of Yan Nawa police.
Ekkachai Moolkes and Sawai Yangsanthia, a nephew and his uncle, confessed to the crimes after their arrest last Saturday. They have been charged with possessing firearms without permission and causing explosions that could harm others.
Despite his temporary release, Khattiya is facing a new charge after police found that a van in which he and seven others - including K Thong - were travelling to the Crime Suppres-sion Division compound was carrying a fake licence plate. The Army has verified the plate was fake and will soon file charges of document forgery against Khattiya.
K Thong has been charged with inciting rebellion among the public and intimidation, as well as violation of computer-related laws, following his YouTube video message threatening civil war and daily bomb attacks in Bangkok. He has also been charged with carrying a handgun without permission.
The Criminal Court judges who turned down his request for bail said he could commit the same crimes if he were released.
Speaking after the court appearance, Khattiya said he was considering lodging a complaint against a deputy commander of the Crime Suppression Division, Pol Colonel Sanit Mahathaworn. He said Sanit arrested him despite his plea that he was merely seeking to hand over K Thong to police.
"He stabbed me in the back even though I was trying to hand in K Thong, and he also recommended against my release by the court. He's a disgrace to the Thai police," he said.
Khattiya said he did not work for the Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship, but rather only gave promised to serve it in a security role, to guard against "a third party's disruption" during major rallies next week.
He said he would delete a list of 53 names of people with an anti-Thaksin Shinawatra stance from his website, having earlier said they "had been marked on the forehead".
