Court drops arson charges against two teenage boys

The court ruled that the public prosecutors lacked evidence and witnesses to prove that the 16-year-old boy and 17-year-old boy had taken part in setting fire to the shopping mall.
The two boys were charged with collaborating with Saichon Paebua and Pinij Channarong and other people, who were still elusive, in setting fire to the shopping mall during the crackdown on red-shirt protesters, causing a man to be killed inside the mall. The man was identified as Kittipong Somsuk.
The court ruled that the two boys were arrested at 5 pm but the authorities did not find any item on them that could be used to implicate them in the arson. Moreover, the two were not caught on security camera setting fire to the mall. The two testified that they were afraid of the crackdown and simply hid inside the mall.
The two boys and their lawyer asked the government to pay remedy to them, saying the long trial against them caused them to lose their job and cause them to leave school.
The Nation