Abhisit pleads for respecting court decisions
Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday that the court ruling on the crackdown against yellow shirts in 2008 would not likely set a precedent. Nor would it compare with the 2010 crackdown on red shirt protesters by his government, as facts in each incident were different, he added.
Abhisit said it is normal for people to agree or disagree with a court ruling, but they must respect that ruling.
In the crackdown during his government, Abhisit said there were clear procedures adopted, with his government petitioning to the court, which then ruled that the gathering was illegal. The government also declared an emergency decree and put in place security measures in place to deal with the protestors. He said people need to think about the specific facts of the two situations and see if they can be compared.
Abhisit said he felt sorry for those people upset by yesterday’s court ruling yesterday, but they should respect the court and opt for legal channels to appeal, in order to not cause more division.
A similar situation could result from the scheduled August 25 court ruling on former PM Yingluck Shinawatra’s alleged breaches in the rice pledging scheme.
The best thing for people to do is to avoid politicising the issue, and instead respect the law so that any possible violence can be avoided.