POLITICS / NO LAWS BROKEN

Charges against PAD for mass street protests to be dropped

Prosecutors plan to drop all charges against publisher and commentator Sondhi Limthongkul and 15 other former leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) for organising street protests to oust then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Sermkiart Woradit, director-general of Criminal Litigation Department, yesterday said his working group had studied the police investigation report against Mr Sondhi and other defendants, and decided it was a basic right of the people to stage peaceful rallies.

Mr Sondhi and 15 other demonstrators were charged with threatening national security, unlawfully staging demonstrations, obstructing traffic and using loudspeakers without permission.

The prosecution decided to drop all charges against the defendants because Thailand had no specific laws to limit the right to peaceful gatherings and that traffic and noise control regulations could not be used to limit the right to peaceful rallies by unarmed people.

Mr Sermkiart said the decision would be forwarded soon to the national police chief. If the police chief objects to the ruling, the attorney-general would be asked to make a final decision.

State prosecutors have also asked police handling a lese majeste case filed against Mr Thaksin to gather more evidence and forward it to them.

Bangkok Post
Friday February 02, 2007