Court staff seek protection for Jatuporn case briefing

The Office of the Constitution Court yesterday cancelled its planned press conference to clarify its petition seeking revocation of red-shirt leader Jatuporn Promphan’s bail for fear the move would provoke his supporters, a source said.

Before the decision to cancel the press conference, court officials called a meeting, according to the source, who said they also discussed Jatuporn’s attack on the court during his address at a red-shirt gathering on Sunday.

“It was agreed that a press conference would only provoke the red shirts further. Also, the petition has already entered the Criminal Court’s proceedings,” the source said.

Spokesman for the Constitution Court Somrit Chaiwong said that as the Criminal Court had accepted its petition seeking revocation of Jatuporn’s bail, the Constitution Court had decided to refrain from acting in a way that could be viewed as attempting to interfere with the Criminal Court’s authority. 

The Constitution Court yesterday also issued the same explanation in cancelling its press conference. It said that the Constitution Court would not give any further comments on the matter now that the Criminal Court had summoned Jatuporn for testimony on July 23.

The press conference had been scheduled for yesterday after Jatuporn threatened to file a police complaint against the Constitution Court for allegedly fabricating a statement against him in seeking bail revocation. Jatuporn was granted bail in a criminal case stemming from 2010’s unrest and riots.

The spokesman said yesterday that a request for police protection had been made by the court for Jatuporn’s planned visit today to seek the court’s explanation. “We are concerned he may bring his [red-shirt] supporters,” the spokesman said. He added, however, that the judges were not worried.

The Constitution Court’s chief spokesman, Pimon Thammapitakpong, said that Jatuporn had not made any formal request to the court. “I don’t think there will be any confusion and the court does not feel any pressure about this,” he said.

Jatuporn yesterday denied he had threatened any Constitution Court judge, as had been alleged. “I want to ask the Constitution Court president Wasant Soypisut if he was really threatened,” he said.

The red-shirt leader reiterated that the Constitution Court had no authority to seek his bail revocation and that only the public prosecutors could take such action. 

Jatuporn also threatened to stage a hunger strike and march from the Democracy Monument to his appointed jail if his bail was revoked.

Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, commenting on Jatuporn’s threat to lead his supporters on a protest at the Constitution Court, yesterday criticised any attempt to deny the court’s authority and to involve it in a dispute. He said this was a tactic used by government politicians and red shirts aimed at pressuring judges in their ruling on cases.