Arisman gets bail but freedom is shortlived

Red-shirt leader Arisman Pongruangrong was finally released on Bt6 million bail yesterday from Bangkok Remand Prison where he had been held in a case connected to last year’s political unrest.
But his freedom was brief as police immediately detained him in another case. He was taken to Prachacheun police station to face libel proceedings brought by a Democrat MP.
At 5.45pm yesterday, Arisman stepped out of the prison, prostrated himself at the feet of his parents and held his daughter while showing the “I Love You” sign to 100 waiting supporters.
He had a brief chat with red-shirt leaders Weng Tojirakarn and Waipoj Apornrat while a vehicle played on loudspeakers an interview he gave on the day he turned himself in.
Some supporters followed Arisman to Prachacheun police station where the police planned to detain him for libel against Democrat MP Sirichok Sopha.
Earlier, the Court of Appeals yesterday overturned a lower court’s bail review and granted the temporary release of Arisman.
Arisman walked out of his remand cell hoping to celebrate the holiday season with his family pending trial on charges related to terrorism in connection with last year’s political disturbances.
“The defendant would have been well aware of the legal consequences before deciding to report himself to face charges, therefore there is no cause to suspect he would flee,” the high court said in its appellate decision.
The lower court ruled twice to reject Arisman’s bail application on grounds of flight risk as he had fled following the May 19, 2010, dispersal of red-shirt rallies at Ratchaprasong.
The defence posted the initial bail but failed to secure Arisman’s release on December 7 before petitioning for the appellate review on Monday.
The high court set bail at Bt6 million and prescribed three conditions – a ban on travelling abroad before applying for an advanced judicial permit, a court order against involvement in any disturbances and another order not to tamper with evidence.
Defence lawyer Suchaiwuth Chaosuankluay said he argued for bail based on Arisman’s earlier surrender to Pattaya authorities to face charges relating to the disruption of the Asean Summit in 2009.
 The Pattaya Provincial Court granted bail after the defence argued that Arisman did not want to evade the law but fled for fear of his life in the face of assassination threats against the red shirts, Suchaiwuth said.
Arisman’s wife and Pheu Thai MP Rapeephan said earlier that she viewed the bail for her husband as a New Year’s gift granted by the high court to their family.
“This is an invaluable gift that everyone in the family could be together to celebrate the New Year,” she said.
She said her husband would fight to the full extent of the law to clear his name. She also said she was taken by surprise after their nine-year-old son asked whether his father would face punishment by execution. “I am very disturbed that my child should have come up with such question because he heard his friends speculating about it,” she said.