Thai Court Jails 27 Protesters For Six Months

[webfact]

Thai court jails 27 protesters for six months

BANGKOK (AFP) -- A Thai court on Saturday handed six-month jail sentences to 27 protesters arrested during clashes with troops in the capital, a senior security official said.

"To the families of people at the protest: tell them that the rally is illegal and the court will hand down heavy sentences without probation," said Tarit Pengdit, head of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).

The demonstrators had faced up to a year in jail under emergency laws invoked in Bangkok, but their sentences were commuted by the district court because they confessed, he said at a news conference.

But he noted that the sentences were tougher than earlier ones handed out to demonstrators arrested in the recent unrest.

At least sixteen people died and dozens were injured in Friday's fighting in the heart of the capital between soldiers and "Red Shirt" protesters seeking to overthrow a government they see as elitist and undemocratic.

-- ©Copyright AFP 2010-05-15

Published with written approval from AFP.

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[webfact]

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[webfact]

Fourth journalist wounded in Thai unrest

BANGKOK (AFP) -- A fourth journalist has been shot and wounded while covering the latest clashes between the Thai army and anti-government protesters in Bangkok, one of his editors and a relative said.

Chaiwat Pumpuang, a photographer for The Nation newspaper, was shot in the leg and taken to hospital, said Veena Thoopkrajae, an editor at the Thai paper.

His brother told AFP that Chaiwat was in a serious condition after a bullet shattered a bone in his leg.

Two other Thai photographers were wounded in the leg Friday, while a Canadian cameraman for the France 24 news channel was gravely wounded the same day after being hit in the leg, torso and wrist by three bullets, his employer said.

The Canadian, Nelson Rand, was out of danger on Saturday, said a staffer at the hospital where he was being treated.

A Japanese cameraman was among 25 people killed on April 10 when clashes broke out during an attempt by troops to clear protesters from an area of the capital.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), in a statement received Saturday, said it was "gravely concerned" about the deteriorating situation for journalists as government forces and protesters clashed.

Another media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), called on the army and protesters "to guarantee the safety of the journalists" in the capital.

"The confusion reigning in various parts of Bangkok does not suffice to explain the shooting injuries sustained by several Thai and foreign journalists since April," it said in a statement.

-- ©Copyright AFP 2010-05-15

Published with written approval from AFP.

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Thai army threatens crackdown as three more die

by Anusak Konglang

BANGKOK (AFP) -- The Thai army on Saturday threatened a crackdown to clear a vast protest site in the capital where at least three more people died in fresh clashes between troops and "Red Shirt" demonstrators.

Scenes of urban warfare erupted on the southern and northern fringes of the anti-government Red Shirts' sprawling encampment in the heart of Bangkok, after the army moved in Thursday to seal off the area.

Soldiers opened fire on demonstrators, some of them armed or hurling Molotov cocktails.

Three bodies could be seen lying in the Rajaprarop Road area just north of the main rally base, according to an AFP photographer.

A foreigner living in the area who asked not to be named told AFP that he had seen about 20 Red Shirts carrying a Thai flag approach some troops.

"They advanced about 20 metres (65 feet) and then, without warning, the troops fired straight ahead," he said.

The military posted a sign declaring the area a "live-firing zone".

A nearby hospital reported that three bodies had been taken there Saturday but it was not clear if they were the same victims.

Several hours later another man was also seen shot in the same area.

In the Silom business and tourism hub, close to the protesters' main base, two men were shot and left badly wounded after about 30 protesters -- one armed with a small handgun -- clashed with troops, an AFP photographer said.

The Red Shirts were throwing stones and Molotov cocktails when the shooting occurred. One victim, who was wearing a helmet, appeared to be hit in the head, the witness said.

Protesters rolled burning tyres at soldiers and launched fireworks at helicopters hovering over the capital, which is under a state of emergency.

The army warned it would move against the demonstrators' main rally site unless they disperse, but it gave no timetable for the action.

"There is a plan to crack down on Ratchaprasong if the protest does not end," said the army spokesman, Sunsern Kaewkumnerd.

"But authorities will not set a deadline because without effective planning there will more loss of life."

For two months thousands of protesters have turned a large area of Bangkok into a virtual state within a state, crippling a retail and hotel district and disrupting daily life for residents in the city of about 12 million people.

The mostly poor and working class Reds say the government is elitist and undemocratic because it came to power in a 2008 parliamentary vote after a court ruling ousted elected allies of Thaksin.

"The current situation is almost full civil war," said a protest leader, Jatuporn Prompan.

"I am not sure how this conflict will end," he said after clashes between army troops and protesters on Thursday and Friday left at least 17 dead and about 150 wounded, according to the official Erawan emergency centre.

Numerous M-79 grenades had been fired at security forces in various areas on the fringes of the protest site overnight, a government spokesman said.

The kingdom has been riven by years of political turmoil since the Reds' hero, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was ousted in a bloodless coup in 2006.

Its society is deeply divided between the urban elite and rural poor.

The rally site, where demonstrators sleep on mats on the ground and listen to speeches and music blasted from giant speakers, stretches for several square kilometres and is fortified with bamboo stakes and tyres.

Friday's injured included three journalists, among them a Canadian television journalist with the France 24 television station.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva last week shelved a plan to hold early elections because the protesters refused to disperse.

The army then announced a lockdown at the rally site, cutting telephone and electricity services and setting up checkpoints on roads into the area. The army also warned it would deploy snipers.

On Thursday night renegade general Khattiya Sawasdipol, a key Red Shirt supporter, was shot in the head near the rally site.

His condition had slightly improved Saturday but he was still in a critical state, said Chaiwan Charoenchokethavee, director of the Vachira hospital.

-- ©Copyright AFP 2010-05-15

Published with written approval from AFP.

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[Thaihog]

'without probation' doesn't say that anything about bail. As usual the culprits will go to court, bail is set at 10 baht and they go free, bloody joke........

[LazyYogi]

'without probation' doesn't say that anything about bail. As usual the culprits will go to court, bail is set at 10 baht and they go free, bloody joke........

Bail is for when there is trial/verdict/sentencing set for a later date. It seems here that if they already received their sentences, then they must have been put through some super-expedited trial procedure. I'd assume then that their 6-month sentence would begin immediately. If they already confessed and pleaded guilty I don't think there is much chance of an appeal, though I'm no lawyer.

Edited May 15, 2010 by LazyYogi

[ozzieman05]

News reporters have to put them selves in danger these days to get a good story

This all started back in the 60's and continues today

They understand the danger they are in and to get just a shot in the leg is a small price to pay for the rewards they might make

Many die in the attempt to get that No. 1 story

[webfact]

A 10 year old boy shot dead today.

[ozzieman05]

'without probation' doesn't say that anything about bail. As usual the culprits will go to court, bail is set at 10 baht and they go free, bloody joke........

That is not the way I read it

They can be jailed up to 12 months

but as the confessed (confessed to what crime would be interesting)

they were given 6 months

This is a good start if true

the courts getting serious

the word will get back to the Redshirts up north

6 months in jail means ho money at harvest time

[MaxLee]

Only six months??? Are you kidding me??? How about giving them a gift set in value of 600,000 Baht instead, man...????

[ozzieman05]

My Thai wife asks for 5 mins with the childs parents

we have a child together and her love for her child is greater than any cause in Thailand

She can not believe any Thai lady would put her child in such danger

so she walks around the house and says

[snip]

[luangtom]

Certainly can be Thai. What of those children whose parents trade them for a refrigerator or guarantee of an income if they just go to the city to "work in a restaurant"? It is no surprise to see children amongst the protesters. It is no stretch of the imagination to think we will see more of them lying dead in the streets. TIT....

[Laughing Gravy]

Regardless if they committed any crime or not. They should have a right to an attourney or lawyer to hear their case. Well that's what happens in a democracy and a country with civil rights. But if this isn't a place why not put the in a concentration camp without any rights? I am hoping Thailand is better than that.

Lets not go backwards. Go forwards. This is not a detterent. The -ankers on here who support any colour would like to see the times of the middle ages, with hands chopped off and branding. If people do wrong by all means punish them. But at least give them a chance to express themselves and have a defence case. What has happened to everyone? Whatever your politics, don't forget your moral human compassion.

Edited May 15, 2010 by Laughing Gravy

[stub]

A 10 year old boy shot dead today.

Do you have a link for this? Last I heard he was wounded - collateral damage along with a wounded taxi driver from soldiers stopping a van the hard way at a checkpoint.

[muntergok]

Only a monster would order anyone to fire live rounds at women and children. It was the lowest point in British history when we behaved the same way in India.

[Arkady]

'without probation' doesn't say that anything about bail. As usual the culprits will go to court, bail is set at 10 baht and they go free, bloody joke........

Bail is for when there is trial/verdict/sentencing set for a later date. It seems here that if they already received their sentences, then they must have been put through some super-expedited trial procedure. I'd assume then that their 6-month sentence would begin immediately. If they already confessed and pleaded guilty I don't think there is much chance of an appeal, though I'm no lawyer.

Not an expert on Thai criminal law either but, yes, if they have pleaded guilty they may have little avenue for appeal. I would think they could perhaps appeal the sentence but that seems to have been reduced due their "co-operation". So I think nil chance for bail and probably, under the Emergency Decree, no chance of bail for red shirt leaders, if they are ever arrested. One of the problems leading to the current crisis is of course that the yellow shirt leaders should have been arrested without bail and given a verdict within a reasonable period. The red shirt leaders who led the protest in Pattaya and the Bangkok riots last year should also be on remand without bail. The double standards can be applied to anyone with influence and money behind them, whether red or yellow or just common criminals. It is lack of rule of law and corruption that have made Thailand a failed state.

[anon467367354]

I wonder if it's only a year sentence because "admitting" to a crime is the same as loss of face and just as harsh. Why not make it a 5 year sentence and then let them plead guilty? I guess 6 months is better than nothing. Time to get the children home, call it a day. RIP young uns that are the victims of having reckless parents.

[bassep]

isnt this the ten year olod that was shot as a bystander when the troops fired on a van carrying supplies to reds did not stop at barricade (checkpoint)?

[geovalin]

My Thai wife asks for 5 mins with the childs parents

we have a child together and her love for her child is greater than any cause in Thailand

She can not believe any Thai lady would put her child in such danger

so she walks around the house and says

The child must come from Cambodia

Can not be Thai

Only a monster would order anyone to fire live rounds at women and children. It was the lowest point in British history when we behaved the same way in India.

TRUE munter.

The child can be Cambodian as ozzie pretends (all of us know he's Thai), is it a reason to shot him like a rabbit? Shame on who did gave the order to shoot.

Now, it looks that for Thai people it's not a big deal but in western countries this story would be on the first page.

Far more important than the "one more Abisith speech".

As it looks Thai newspaper does not care about this poor kid, I suggest the western newspapers and all of us try to find the truth.

Who is this boy?

Where are his parent?

Is he alive (I hope so)?

Where is he from?

WHO DID SHOT AT HIM?

How did it happen?

If we do not have the answers and if we only speculate, please delete this info. The life of a child (even Thai) is too important to tell fables about it.

Edited May 15, 2010 by geovalin

[janderton]

...

She can not believe any Thai lady would put her child in such danger

so she walks around the house and says

The child must come from Cambodia

Can not be Thai

same ol' story...

if there's something wrong, must be foreigner....

from now on, i'll stop ever lady i see with 2 or 3 children clinging to her while driving motorcycles then i'll ask "whel u com flom"..

[Chunky1]

A 10 year old boy shot dead today.

Do you have a link for this? Last I heard he was wounded - collateral damage along with a wounded taxi driver from soldiers stopping a van the hard way at a checkpoint.

Troops shot at a Van that had food supplies and wanted to get into the rally. The boy, was of course, outside of the rally and he caught a stray bullet.

A paramedic has been shot in the head attempting to help an injured protester.

A coke delivery man was also shot outside of the protest area.

If the Army is being attacked from two sides, and being forced to shoot into areas with civilians, then they need to consider, shall we say, perhaps expediting this process or simply giving up and calling new elections/negotiating.

They keep going at it half assed and its going to be slower and more bloody. Get in and out fast. Geez.

Edited May 15, 2010 by Chunky1

[Creation27]

A 10 year old boy shot dead today.

The Thai Armies have Cross too many lines to go back.

The Thai Government has now become a Rouge Nation.

The Chinese Government in their worst day never Opened Fire on a Crowd of Protestors.

Sure they beat people to death with Clubs, but never have they SHOT 10 Year Old Children and Elderly WOmen.

The Thai Government has become a Rouge Nation.

[fullcave]

Thai army threatens crackdown as three more die

by Anusak Konglang

BANGKOK (AFP) --

Its society is deeply divided between the urban elite and rural poor.

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Question for Anusak: If you repeat a lie enough times does it eventually become reality?

[sausageandmash]

and only an idiot would bring their child to a war zone

Only a monster would order anyone to fire live rounds at women and children. It was the lowest point in British history when we behaved the same way in India.

[tgw]

A 10 year old boy shot dead today.

The Thai Armies have Cross too many lines to go back.

The Thai Government has now become a Rouge Nation.

The Chinese Government in their worst day never Opened Fire on a Crowd of Protestors.

Sure they beat people to death with Clubs, but never have they SHOT 10 Year Old Children and Elderly WOmen.

The Thai Government has become a Rouge Nation.

Rouge, you mean, like "Red" in french?

[kratiam]

Yes, let's give up to violence.......whatever they want. The only thing for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. (Can't remeber who said it).

Of course, the loss of INNOCENT life is tragic and everything must be done to avoid it.

Other than that...I think this poster's views are banal in the extreme.

[ndw]

A 10 year old boy shot dead today.

Do you have a link for this? Last I heard he was wounded - collateral damage along with a wounded taxi driver from soldiers stopping a van the hard way at a checkpoint.

If the Army is being attacked from two sides, and being forced to shoot into areas with civilians, then they need to consider, shall we say, perhaps expediting this process or simply giving up and calling new elections/negotiating.

This has already been tried. The red shirts turned down an offer of early elections.

[khunjamespittman]

'without probation' doesn't say that anything about bail. As usual the culprits will go to court, bail is set at 10 baht and they go free, bloody joke........

Bail is for when there is trial/verdict/sentencing set for a later date. It seems here that if they already received their sentences, then they must have been put through some super-expedited trial procedure. I'd assume then that their 6-month sentence would begin immediately. If they already confessed and pleaded guilty I don't think there is much chance of an appeal, though I'm no lawyer.

The Army is used to kill Thais. Why do you think they would bother with a trial?

[ndw]

The red shirts by refusing to end their illegal occupation of Bangkok are creating an environment where it is not safe for politicians to campaign in safety. This is a key part of democratic elections. So it seems that the very actions of the red shirts are showing that they are not interested in elections. They want a communist style revolution.

[khunjamespittman]

A 10 year old boy shot dead today.

The Thai Armies have Cross too many lines to go back.

The Thai Government has now become a Rouge Nation.

The Chinese Government in their worst day never Opened Fire on a Crowd of Protestors.

Sure they beat people to death with Clubs, but never have they SHOT 10 Year Old Children and Elderly WOmen.

The Thai Government has become a Rouge Nation.

Rouge, you mean, like "Red" in french?

If that was meant to be funny, you failed. Please show a little respect.