ONB orders crackdown on 'misbehaving' monks; police chief tells force to pull up
The North Bangkok district court initially sentenced each to four months in prison, but halved the sentence following their confession. The judges said the seven would be immediately imprisoned because their acts were outrageous and committed during a state of emergency.
Of the seven, one male suspect was also fined Bt50 for carrying a knife in public, while another suspect, Natthaphorn Siriphojjanakul, is under court custody facing trial because he pleaded not guilty.
The process for seeking bail, each set at Bt40,000, was underway at press time.
In addition, another seven men, also arrested at the same incident, are in the custody of the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation as investigation into their alleged crimes is underway.
In a separate incident, two men - one a 17yearold minor - were arrested yesterday for possessing weapons while travelling on a motorcycle in eastern Bangkok. The suspects were pulled over by Bang Mod police.
The unidentified minor, who was riding pillion, was holding a vintage MK2 hand grenade in a bamboo container, while the other suspect, Yothin Nantha, was caught with a replica gunshot. Yothin said he had bought these items from a friend and had no intentions of using them to incite violence amid the ongoing turmoil. Bang Mod police said both suspects had criminal records as drug users.
Meanwhile, the Office of National Buddhism (ONB) said yesterday that monks who "misbehaved" in the redshirted protests or any political activities were subject to arrest on sight. Those caught with fake ordination certificates or without their certificates can be defrocked immediately, senior ONB official Amnart Buasiri warned.
"Civilian officials or police can initially hold such monks in rooms, not detention cells, while their status is being verified," he said. "If they are found to have been legally ordained, officials may contact the local monastic officials or chiefs to take them back to their temples and punish them under the monastic discipline."
After being reportedly slammed by the government for their inaction, the police force is starting to keep a keen eye on illegal activities related to the redshirt demonstration. Acting police chief Pol General Patheep Tanprasert issued an urgent directive detailing proactive rules of engagement and "immediate actions within the police force".
Part of the directive read: "Police have been under the watchful eye of the public who want to see how they can effectively perform their duties to efficiently enforce law."
The duties highlighted in the directive include immediate apprehension of criminal suspects suspected of involvement in riotrelated activities.
The police and the Department of Special Investigation have jointly set up four investigation teams to hunt down attackers and masterminds behind the numerous bomb attacks in Bangkok and elsewhere.
Three teams are assigned to deal with arrests of people related to attacks using M67 hand grenades, using M79 grenade launchers, as well as attacks involving small firearms in driveby shootings or other assaults. The fourth team has been given the job of compiling evidence to support the other three.
Police is also seeking arrest warrants for two people whose ID cards were found in a motorcycle on Wednesday carrying 62 grenades to be used with an M79 launcher.
DSI directorgeneral Tharit Phengdit said Pol Senior SgtMajor Parinya Maneekhote, who owns the motorcycle, had been arrested earlier. The men whose ID cards were found are Thairath Srisamai and Jutha Wongphithak.