The National Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday decided to take up an appeal from the opposition party to inquire and impeach Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, his deputy and the Army commander for the military crackdown on the red-shirt protesters.
Anti-graft commissioners Wicha Mahakun and Vichai Vivitasevi have been assigned to handle the case, commissioner Klanarong Chantik said.
The commission will collect information from relevant agencies, such as the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), and from the opposition party, which released a lot of information during the censure debate, he said.
The investigation will be conducted without delay, Klanarong said.
The military crackdown to end the red-shirt protests in April and May killed 87 people, mostly civilians, and injured nearly 2,000.
The opposition accused the government of using armed forces to kill the protesters, while the government said "terrorists" were involved in the protest.
General Anupong yesterday broke his silence for the first time since the raid to deny the allegation that soldiers were responsible for the deaths of protesters, notably the six in Wat Pathum Wanaram.
Some opposition MPs have accused soldiers stationed on the Skytrain tracks on May 19 of gunning down the six in the temple.
The public should understand the military strictly followed the rules of engagement in the operation, Anupong said. The military avoided the use of firearms until armed men, mingling with innocent protesters, attacked the security personnel.
"The Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation [CRES] and the Army have applied appropriate measures to the circumstances and adhered to the principle of not harming the people," Anupong said.
He also said more than half of the soldiers joining in the operation came from the Northeast, home to most of the red-shirt protesters.
The mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of the six in the temple by gunshot became a contentious issue during this week's two-day censure debate. Among the six was a female nurse and a rescue worker.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep rejected the charge, saying the soldiers could not access the area at around 6pm, the time when the incident happened. The security forces conducted a mopping-up operation at and around the temple on May 20.
Prime Minister Abhisit vowed to get the bottom of the matter, in order to ensure justice.
The victims appeared to have been shot from various angles at ground level but not from a high position like the elevated train tracks passing in front of the temple, he said.
Police forensic reports on the six bodies said multiple gunshots from high-power weapons were the cause of the deaths. There was no mention about the firing angle.
Leaks from anonymous police sources claimed the female nurse suffered several gunshot wounds as if from a machine gun.
On Wednesday, following the censure vote, Pheu Thai MPs released the full - and what they claimed to be uncensored - footage of the shooting on May 19.
The news clips, circulated by the opposition and various websites, showed the exchange of gunfire between soldiers and men in black before the discovery of the six bodies. On the elevated train tracks, soldiers and men in black were spotted.
Rescue worker Wasant "Keng" Sairasami from Ruan Duay Chuay Kan said he was present at the scene and heard gunshots fired by soldiers. But other witnesses said they also saw men in black shooting at the crowds.
The government has said it will set up an independent body to investigate the incident but has not named anyone to the panel yet. Businessman Narong Chokwattana said he had accepted an invitation from Abhisit to join the body and expected the government to find other qualified persons to join him.