Former Thai PM Abhisit pleads not guilty to murder charge

[webfact]

2010 POLITICAL VIOLENCE
Ex-PM pleads not guilty to murder charge
KESINEE TANGKHIAO
THE NATION



Abhisit posts bail as court sets hearing for March; Suthep's lawyer seeks delay

BANGKOK: -- Former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is determined to appear in court to fight accusations that he is responsible for the deaths and injuries of many people during the bloody dispersal of red-shirt demonstrators in 2010.

He showed up at the Criminal Court yesterday to acknowledge charges that two deaths and one injury took place as a result of his order. He denied any wrongdoing.

"I would like to thank all the people who have opposed the amnesty bill. You have made it possible for me to prove my innocence. I trust the judicial system," Abhisit said in a Facebook message yesterday.

Abhisit is being prosecuted on charges of conspiring to have others kill or attempt to kill another person during his tenure as prime minister. In 2010, while premier, his order led to the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES) mobilising armed soldiers to reclaim areas occupied by red-shirt demonstrators. The military operations led to bloody clashes, which resulted in heavy casualties.

At the Criminal Court, a number of the victims' relatives showed up yesterday morning. As soon as they saw Abhisit, they hurled abuses at him. Abhisit's supporters, however, also showed up and confronted them. The two sides engaged in a heated verbal dispute but there was no violence.

The Criminal Court deployed a company of police officers to ensure order was kept.

Former Democrat MPs such as Sirichok Sopha and Thepthai Senpong were at the court to express moral support for Abhisit, who is still the Democrat Party's leader.

After Abhisit entered a not-guilty plea, the court scheduled the first hearing to examine evidence on March 24 next year.

The court approved Abhisit's bail request.

He was released on a Bt600,000 bond and barred from travelling outside Thailand without approval.

Abhisit left the court without giving any interviews.

Suthep Thaugsuban, who is now the secretary-general of the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), was scheduled to appear in court yesterday to face the same charge as Abhisit. In 2010, Suthep served as a deputy prime minister and the CRES director.

However, Suthep yesterday sent his lawyer to ask the court that his indictment be postponed until January 16.

Spokesman for the Office of the Attorney-General, Nantasak Poolsak, said Suthep would be required to produce more documents by December 16. "Then we will reschedule his indictment," he said.

The PDRC is staging a massive rally against the so-called "Thaksin regime". In the face of PDRC pressure, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Monday ordered a House dissolution.


-- The Nation 2013-12-13

[NongKhaiKid]

BBC World News reports Suthep's lawyer told the court he was ' TOO BUSY ' leading anti-government protests to attend court and asked for extension of bail etc.

What about tthe rule of law ? Too Busy to attend court, TIT.

[daboyz1]

BBC World News reports Suthep's lawyer told the court he was ' TOO BUSY ' leading anti-government protests to attend court and asked for extension of bail etc.

What about tthe rule of law ? Too Busy to attend court, TIT.

You got that right. There is no rule of law. Only in Thailand can a wanted fugitive on the run control the government through his sister and try to push through an amnesty bill to clear himself of all charges.

[Bender]

"I would like to thank all the people who have opposed the amnesty bill. You have made it possible for me to prove my innocence. I trust the judicial system," Abhisit said in a Facebook message yesterday.

yeah i guess at his trial, Abhisit will use the "tony blair defense", you know : "its not me, i was just a poodle".

For Suthep i saw on facebook, translated by a thai friend, he will use the "chewbaba strategy" , does anyone know what its mean?

Edited December 13, 2013 by Bender

[JoeThePoster]

"I would like to thank all the people who have opposed the amnesty bill. You have made it possible for me to prove my innocence. I trust the judicial system," Abhisit said in a Facebook message yesterday.

yeah i guess at his trial, Abhisit will use the "tony blair defense", you know : "its not me, i was just a poodle".

For Suthep i saw on facebook, translated by a thai friend, he will use the "chewbaba strategy" , does anyone know what its mean?

Suthep's from South Park, so Chewbacca Defense, I think.

[Bender]

"I would like to thank all the people who have opposed the amnesty bill. You have made it possible for me to prove my innocence. I trust the judicial system," Abhisit said in a Facebook message yesterday.

yeah i guess at his trial, Abhisit will use the "tony blair defense", you know : "its not me, i was just a poodle".

For Suthep i saw on facebook, translated by a thai friend, he will use the "chewbaba strategy" , does anyone know what its mean?

Suthep's from South Park, so Chewbacca Defense, I think.

so Suthep will use the "chewbacca defense" at his trial, no doubt he will win

I did search on google, and found this , and yes its make sense!

ps: here for a full version: http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/103454/the-chewbacca-defense

and yes this video clip remember me all the insane message from the yellow fan.

Edited December 13, 2013 by Bender

[Alwyn]

BBC World News reports Suthep's lawyer told the court he was ' TOO BUSY ' leading anti-government protests to attend court and asked for extension of bail etc.

What about tthe rule of law ? Too Busy to attend court, TIT.

You got that right. There is no rule of law. Only in Thailand can a wanted fugitive on the run control the government through his sister and try to push through an amnesty bill to clear himself of all charges.

and only can a wannabe dictator tell the police, military and courts of law to suck a large hairy one while he goes about his daily business of creating chaos.

[ratcatcher]

BBC World News reports Suthep's lawyer told the court he was ' TOO BUSY ' leading anti-government protests to attend court and asked for extension of bail etc.

What about tthe rule of law ? Too Busy to attend court, TIT.

You got that right. There is no rule of law. Only in Thailand can a wanted fugitive on the run control the government through his sister and try to push through an amnesty bill to clear himself of all charges.

and only can a wannabe dictator tell the police, military and courts of law to suck a large hairy one while he goes about his daily business of creating chaos.

I'm starting to think Suthep took a leaf out of Thaksin's book titled "<deleted> U2." Only diff is that he's doing it here in LOS, right in their faces and not from several thousand miles away, by Skype

[tingtongteesood]

BBC World News reports Suthep's lawyer told the court he was ' TOO BUSY ' leading anti-government protests to attend court and asked for extension of bail etc.

What about tthe rule of law ? Too Busy to attend court, TIT.

Since Yingluck and Thaksin the fugitive mastermind's other puppets and brown nosers have shown repeatedly they don't give a rats ass about the rule of law and even tried to whitewash 7 years of lawbreaking ( all for the benefit of Mr. fugitive ), why in the hell should Suthep give even a single second's thought to a trumped up bullshit charge that is purely a spiteful ploy to make him agree to the bs amnesty ?!?!?!?! Give us one good reason why, now think hard....

[DonThaiToMe]

BBC World News reports Suthep's lawyer told the court he was ' TOO BUSY ' leading anti-government protests to attend court and asked for extension of bail etc.

What about tthe rule of law ? Too Busy to attend court, TIT.

You got that right. There is no rule of law. Only in Thailand can a wanted fugitive on the run control the government through his sister and try to push through an amnesty bill to clear himself of all charges.

and only can a wannabe dictator tell the police, military and courts of law to suck a large hairy one while he goes about his daily business of creating chaos.

I'm starting to think Suthep took a leaf out of Thaksin's book titled "<deleted> U2." Only diff is that he's doing it here in LOS, right in their faces and not from several thousand miles away, by Skype

It´s funny how the Suthep-fanbois always defends their Dear Leader with something like:"But Thaksin did this and/or that". I actually don´t see much people, if anyone defending Thaksin, just people calling out Dear Leader Suthep for what he is, a true Looney...

[daboyz1]

It´s funny how the Suthep-fanbois always defends their Dear Leader with something like:"But Thaksin did this and/or that". I actually don´t see much people, if anyone defending Thaksin, just people calling out Dear Leader Suthep for what he is, a true Looney...

I'm no fan of Suthep. I just find it shocking that he hasn't split to some foreign country like the man actually running Thailand has.

[thairookie]

BBC World News reports Suthep's lawyer told the court he was ' TOO BUSY ' leading anti-government protests to attend court and asked for extension of bail etc.

What about tthe rule of law ? Too Busy to attend court, TIT.

Since Yingluck and Thaksin the fugitive mastermind's other puppets and brown nosers have shown repeatedly they don't give a rats ass about the rule of law and even tried to whitewash 7 years of lawbreaking ( all for the benefit of Mr. fugitive ), why in the hell should Suthep give even a single second's thought to a trumped up bullshit charge that is purely a spiteful ploy to make him agree to the bs amnesty ?!?!?!?! Give us one good reason why, now think hard....

I guess it's a case of two wrongs make one right. Justifying a wrong on the basis of another wrong.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[tingtongteesood]

BBC World News reports Suthep's lawyer told the court he was ' TOO BUSY ' leading anti-government protests to attend court and asked for extension of bail etc.

What about tthe rule of law ? Too Busy to attend court, TIT.

Since Yingluck and Thaksin the fugitive mastermind's other puppets and brown nosers have shown repeatedly they don't give a rats ass about the rule of law and even tried to whitewash 7 years of lawbreaking ( all for the benefit of Mr. fugitive ), why in the hell should Suthep give even a single second's thought to a trumped up bullshit charge that is purely a spiteful ploy to make him agree to the bs amnesty ?!?!?!?! Give us one good reason why, now think hard....

I guess it's a case of two wrongs make one right. Justifying a wrong on the basis of another wrong.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I didn't say that at all, but in my opinion this completely frivolous court case ( which was only brought in efforts to try and strong arm both AV and ST into agreeing to the bullshit amnesty nonsense ) is completely unimportant and Suthep is actually doing something good for the country by trying to rid it of those awful Shin people so let him finish that first.

[X pat]

Looks like Thailand is on the fast track to becoming a banana republic.

[Baerboxer]

"I would like to thank all the people who have opposed the amnesty bill. You have made it possible for me to prove my innocence. I trust the judicial system," Abhisit said in a Facebook message yesterday.

yeah i guess at his trial, Abhisit will use the "tony blair defense", you know : "its not me, i was just a poodle".

For Suthep i saw on facebook, translated by a thai friend, he will use the "chewbaba strategy" , does anyone know what its mean?

Your guess may well be wrong then. I expect he'll use the defense that as the legal PM at the time (whether you like it or not) he was compelled to authorize live fire as the rebellious terrorist insurgent element were targeting security forces and bystanders with fire bombs, sling shots, grenades and live rounds.

Of course it may well come out in court who financed and controlled the insurgency, maybe some financial trails have been uncovered to certain bank accounts. Vdieo and phone company records might prove interesting etc.

Maybe the evidence that comes out will help the AG in reviewing his predecessor's decision not to prosecute someone connected because they happen to be out of the country avoiding serving a prison sentence and facing many serious other charges.

Interesting to see.

[CockneyGit]

BBC World News reports Suthep's lawyer told the court he was ' TOO BUSY ' leading anti-government protests to attend court and asked for extension of bail etc.

What about tthe rule of law ? Too Busy to attend court, TIT.

You got that right. There is no rule of law. Only in Thailand can a wanted fugitive on the run control the government through his sister and try to push through an amnesty bill to clear himself of all charges.

Wow! It took just 2 posts to turn a topic regarding Abhisit into an anti-Thakisn rant.

Impressive work!

[GentlemanJim]

Looks like Thailand is on the fast track to becoming a banana republic.

Nope, it's there. It is on the slow track to rid itself of it's status as a banana republic.

[englishoak]

BBC World News reports Suthep's lawyer told the court he was ' TOO BUSY ' leading anti-government protests to attend court and asked for extension of bail etc.

What about tthe rule of law ? Too Busy to attend court, TIT.

Since Yingluck and Thaksin the fugitive mastermind's other puppets and brown nosers have shown repeatedly they don't give a rats ass about the rule of law and even tried to whitewash 7 years of lawbreaking ( all for the benefit of Mr. fugitive ), why in the hell should Suthep give even a single second's thought to a trumped up bullshit charge that is purely a spiteful ploy to make him agree to the bs amnesty ?!?!?!?! Give us one good reason why, now think hard....

Because the electoral system needs reform he claims so lead by example by respecting the law and appear before the law courts when a charge is made....he'd be bailed in 5 mins just like abshit anyway so whats the problem ?

Ignoring the law just shows how much integrity the guy really has and he claims to want reform ? try proving it by respecting the court summons then. Or does that need reforming too ?

Edited December 13, 2013 by englishoak

[phitsanulokjohn]

Looks like Thailand is on the fast track to becoming a banana republic.

Yes and that label should suit Thai politicians,or most politicians for that matter.They're very akin to a bunch of bananas.Never a straight one amongst them.

[wonder6281]

Given Abhisit is now facing court and has been charged, this would suggest he won't be eligible for the up-coming election. Is this correct? If so very good planning by the government to eliminate one of its opposition.

[diehard60]

BBC World News reports Suthep's lawyer told the court he was ' TOO BUSY ' leading anti-government protests to attend court and asked for extension of bail etc.

What about tthe rule of law ? Too Busy to attend court, TIT.

You got that right. There is no rule of law. Only in Thailand can a wanted fugitive on the run control the government through his sister and try to push through an amnesty bill to clear himself of all charges.

I think you should check things out before openning mouth. If the bill has passed it would have cleared Abisit and suthep of murder charges also.

[ratcatcher]

BBC World News reports Suthep's lawyer told the court he was ' TOO BUSY ' leading anti-government protests to attend court and asked for extension of bail etc.

What about tthe rule of law ? Too Busy to attend court, TIT.

You got that right. There is no rule of law. Only in Thailand can a wanted fugitive on the run control the government through his sister and try to push through an amnesty bill to clear himself of all charges.

I think you should check things out before openning mouth. If the bill has passed it would have cleared Abisit and suthep of murder charges also.

And annoyed a lot of the red shirt supporters too.

[nithisa78]

"I would like to thank all the people who have opposed the amnesty bill. You have made it possible for me to prove my innocence. I trust the judicial system," Abhisit said in a Facebook message yesterday.

yeah i guess at his trial, Abhisit will use the "tony blair defense", you know : "its not me, i was just a poodle".

For Suthep i saw on facebook, translated by a thai friend, he will use the "chewbaba strategy" , does anyone know what its mean?

Suthep's from South Park, so Chewbacca Defense, I think.

[daboyz1]

You got that right. There is no rule of law. Only in Thailand can a wanted fugitive on the run control the government through his sister and try to push through an amnesty bill to clear himself of all charges.

I think you should check things out before openning mouth. If the bill has passed it would have cleared Abisit and suthep of murder charges also.

Yet Abhisit and Suthep oppose the bill. That speaks volumes about what a sham it is. I'd argue that Abhisit and Suthep were charged with murder solely with the hope they would go along with the bill. Turns out they're not as self serving as Thaksin and didn't support a bill that would've cleared them of these obviously trumped up charges.