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| Southeast Asia |
| 17 Red Shirts deny charges |
| 2010-08-17 |
| [Straits Times] SEVENTEEN Thai anti-government protest leaders on Monday pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges and will now face trials for their role in recent political unrest, their lawyer said. Many of the top 'Red Shirts', all of whom denied the accusations at Bangkok's Criminal Court, have already been held in detention for almost three months. 'They all pleaded not guilty,' the Red Shirts' lawyer Karom Poltaklang said. 'We are confident we can prove they are innocent'. Mr Karom said the court agreed to proceed with trials and set September 27 for both sides to provide evidence before the hearings begin. Prosecutors agreed last week to submit the case to court after the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) concluded its work saying 19 people were guilty of terrorist actions. They include key protest leaders such as Red Shirt chairman Veera Musikapong, lawmaker Jatuporn Prompan and Kokaew Pikulthong, who stood as an opposition candidate in a recent Bangkok by-election. But Jatuporn and another accused protester, Karun Hosakul, did not appear before court on Monday as they are both opposition lawmakers and therefore have immunity during the parliamentary session. |
| Posted by:Fred |