Bid to arrest protest leaders fails: Government spokesman

BANGKOK, April 16 (TNA) — Attempts by Thai police to arrest the leaders of anti-government red-clad movement United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) “failed utterly” Friday morning, according to Panitan Wattanayagorn, deputy secretary-general to the prime minister and acting government spokesman.

Speaking to journalists after police stormed the SC Park Hotel on Praditmanutham Road in Bangkok’s Wangthonglang district in an attempt to arrest top UDD leaders with outstanding arrest warrants but the key leaders escaped, Mr Panitan said it was a failure by the police who must report their action to the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES).

CRES was set up by the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva after the State of Emergency was imposed in Bangkok and neighbouring provinces on April 7.

The centre, he said, will continue seeking the UDD leaders, and will consider options such as apprehending them directly from Bangkok’s Ratchaprasong intersection.

Mr Panitan said it is difficult to arrest UDD leaders because armed terrorists are now among the protesters and innocent people could be hurt if force is used.

Meanwhile, Prompong Nopparit, spokesman for the opposition Puea Thai Party, said he and his party’s legal team will submit a letter to the Board of Special Cases (BSC) chaired by Prime Minister Abhisit on Saturday, opposing its plan to bring last Saturday’s violence for discussion.

Mr Prompong said the protesters died “abnormally and were killed by officials who said they had to carry out orders”. He said it is necessary to conduct autopsies before the issue could enter the judicial system but the CRES opted to twist the cause of the deaths by citing that they were killed by other people by using government-controlled media saying it was within the government’s own right  to take the action.

The government has said that armed terrorists who had mingled with the protesters had killed Thai Army soldiers and protesters alike on April 10. It said terrorists are still infiltrating the protesters.

As the Puea Thai Party plans to oppose the meeting, BSC members on Friday agreed that the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) should handle special cases dealing with terrorism, threats against the government and harming civilians which have occurred since late 2009, according to Tarit Pengdit, the agency’s director-general.

Mr Tarit said the BSC agreed that 10 government-concerned units should work together in order to create transparency and in order to bring peace back to the country and its people. He said it is still impossible to say when the cases could be solved.

The 10 agencies include DSI, the Office of the Attorney General, the Royal Thai Army, the National Intelligence Agency, the National Security Council, the Royal Thai Police’s Special Branch, the Metropolitan Police Bureau, the Central Investigation Bureau, the Judge Advocate General’s Department and provincial police in many regions.

Especially serious cases are expected to be handled by DSI while others will be dealt with within the regular scope of work of the Bangkok police, Mr Tarit said. (TNA)