Nisit Sindhuprai surrenders to police after fleeing four-year jail sentence over ASEAN summit protest
Red-shirt leader Nisit Sindhuprai turns himself in after years on the run from a four-year sentence for leading protesters to disrupt the 2009 ASEAN summit
Former MP and red-shirt leader Nisit Sindhuprai surrendered to police after years on the run from a four-year prison sentence linked to the 2009 ASEAN summit protest in Pattaya.
On November 6, Nisit contacted officers at the Division 3, Crime Suppression Division (CSD) to arrange his surrender under an arrest warrant issued by the Pattaya Provincial Court (No. 618/2019, dated November 1, 2019) on charges of causing public disorder, property damage, and trespassing. He turned himself in at a highway police post in Suwannaphum district, Roi Et province, to fight the case in court.
The case dates back to 2009, when Nisit, then a leader of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), led red-shirt demonstrators to storm the Royal Cliff Beach Hotel in Pattaya, the venue of the ASEAN summit, forcing its cancellation and causing significant diplomatic embarrassment to Thailand.
Although prosecuted, Nisit later failed to appear for the court’s verdict, prompting the Pattaya Court in 2019 to issue a warrant after sentencing him to four years in prison in absentia.
Following his surrender, Nisit denied all charges and declined to provide further details during questioning. Police have since transferred him to the Pattaya Provincial Court for legal proceedings.
Nisit, once a prominent political figure, is the father of Jiraporn Sindhuprai, former Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office under the Srettha–Paetongtarn administration and a member of the Pheu Thai Party.
