Suthep Ready To Defend Role In 2010 Red-Shirt Crackdown

[webfact]

Ex Deputy PM Ready to Defend Role in 2010's Red-shirt Crackdown

The former deputy premier in charge of national security insists he is not worried about facing legal action for his role in last year's crackdown on red-shirt protests, saying that the orders he gave during the operation were lawful.

Democrat MP Suthep Thuagsuban, as the former deputy prime minister and former director of the now defunct Center for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation, said he will meet with investigators tomorrow and serve as a witness regarding the Army's operation to disperse the red-shirt rally on April 10 last year.

Suthep said he has already arranged documents, including those that contain his orders related to the operation, and added that he is not worried about discussing it, given his actions during the rally were legitimate.

He then stated that he believes most people do not believe Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung's claim that foreign private investigators, hired by news agency Reuters to find out how its Japanese cameraman was killed, has information about the red-shirt protests that disputes the report published by the previous administration.

The former deputy premier said he will wait and see if the case is exploited and used as a tool to provide amnesty for particular individuals who have not been brought to justice since the 2006 military coup.

Suthep maintained that he is confident in the judicial process and said it is too early to jump to conclusions that police are working in favor of politicians.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit said that at his meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Thailand Seiji Kojima this morning, the two did not discuss the development in the investigation into the murder of the Japanese cameraman, saying they only discussed relations between the two countries.

-- Tan Network 2011-12-07

[tukkytuktuk]

Hes not going down without a fight are you sure you want to take him on at the moment red shirts? This could be the beginning of a yellow protest followed by you know what. My advise to this new government is to put a strong leash on the red shirts demands at this moment in time. Don't they know that there is alot of unhappy stressed people at there at the moment waiting for a spark to ignite them.