Red-shirt leaders report to police over political charge

A legal team of the military’s ruling National Council for Peace and Order had filed a police complaint against the 19 for breaking NCPO Order 7/2557 when they attempted to kick off their referendum-fraud-monitoring centre in Bangkok on June 19.

If they are prosecuted, they will be tried in a military court, as their case involves internal security. 

The alleged offence took place before September 12, when the junta lifted the military’s judicial |power against civilians in cases involving lese majeste and security matters.

In the crackdown, dozens of branches of the red shirts’ centre nationwide were shut down by raiding police and military officers. 

The move came during the run-up to the referendum on the constitution on August 7.

Police yesterday agreed to a request by the red shirts to have their eight witnesses questioned as part of the investigation. 

The red-shirt leaders said they did not think they had violated the NCPO order for setting up the “fraud-monitoring centre”.

Among the proposed witnesses are the Pheu Thai Party’s former ministers and legal experts, such as Pongthep Thepkanchana, Anudit Nakornthap, Chaikasem Nitisiri, Bhokin Bhalakula and Choosuk Sirinil. After an hour-long interview, police decided to allow the proposed witnesses to come for interrogation within 15 days. 

The red shirts told police that they should have their rights protected during legal proceedings, so the witnesses should be allowed to hold grounds come forward, Weng Tojirakarn, a figure in the red shirts’ United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, told The Nation yesterday.

He said the witnesses would defend the UDD by saying it did not unlawfully gang up for political purposes but rather helped watch the referendum process to ensure that it would run freely and fairly.

The 19 UDD leaders were scheduled to report to police next on October 17.