Red shirts leaders burning city hall given life sentence
THE Supreme Court yesterday handed down a life sentence to the leader of red-shirt arsonists who set fire to Ubon Ratchathani City Hall during the crackdown on red shirts in May 2010.
Pichet Thabuddha, who the court believed was the leader of 13 arsonists, got life in jail for his role in ordering others to set fire to the city hall building, according to Ubon Ratchathani provincial court judge Tulya Phankawong.
Chatchawan Srichanda, whose role in the arson attack was not detailed, also got life in prison. Previously, he was acquitted by the Appeal Court.
Of 13 people convicted in the case, six, including two women, were jailed 33 years and four months. They are On-anong Banpachart, Pattama Munmin, Likit Sutthiphan, Sanong Ketsuwan, Somsak Prasansap and Theerawat Sajjasuwan.
The five others were given one to two years’ jail, according to the judge.
The Supreme Court ruling is final. Somchit Sutthiphan, who was given a year in jail, was one of |the five released as he was in prison longer than the term imposed, lawyer Wattana Chantasil said.
The group set the city hall on fire during the nationwide uprising against the Abhisit Vejjajiva government in mid-2010.
Nearly 100 people including security officials and red-shirt protesters died during the protest and crackdown.
Many cases related to these incidents are still going through court trials, while political conflict between the red shirts and the “elite” continues.
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