Nattawut, Veerakarn, Weng, Viphuthalaeng sentenced to 4 years, 4 month in prison

[webfact]

Four redshirt leaders received jail sentence for leading protest at Prem’s residence



BANGKOK: -- The Criminal Court today sentenced four redshirt leaders to four years and four months in prison after finding them guilty of leading a thousand of people to protest Privy Council chairman Gen Prem Tinsulanonda at his Sisao Theves official residence on July 22, 2007.

Two other defendants facing the same charges were acquitted, while another received two years and eight months.

The four convicted leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) are Veerakarn Musikapong, Nattawut Saikur, Viphuthalaeng Pattanaphumthai, and Weng Tochirakarn.

They are among seven defendants charged with illegal assembly, assaulting police trying to stop the violent protest in front of the residence calling on the Privy Council chairman Gen Prem Tinsulanonda to step down.

Veerakarn did not attend the hearing of the verdict today due to his sickness.

He was reported to suffer from intestine bleeding, and was admitted to the Police General Hospital since Monday.

The court scheduled September 30 at 9.00 am for Veerakarn to hear the verdict by himself.

The court reasoned that the four redshirt leaders did not show any sign to prevent protesters from assaulting the police while they tried to make arrest of the redshirt leaders launching hot speeches attacking Gen Prem from their loudspeaker truck.

Besides their speeches during the assault of the police did not show they tried to stop them after their lawyer claimed this to seek leniency for their sentence, the court noted.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/four-redshirt-leaders-received-jail-sentence-for-leading-protest-at-prems-residence


-- Thai PBS 2015-09-16

[MaxLee]

Only 4 years,... that's a slap on the.............................. forearm

[lujanit]

What are the odds that not a single one of the sentenced will spend a day in jail?

[AnnieT]

I don't think that's a good sign for Thailand.

[jonclark]

I am totally baffled - how can you be sentenced to 4 years in jail and then seek bail. If you want to appeal surely its done from the actual jailhouse via your lawyer, Not from the comfort of your house whilst sticking two fingers up at the justice system?

[MrBrilliant]

I am totally baffled - how can you be sentenced to 4 years in jail and then seek bail. If you want to appeal surely its done from the actual jailhouse via your lawyer, Not from the comfort of your house whilst sticking two fingers up at the justice system?

More likely it will be done from the comfort of Hong Kong or Singapore....

[peterjackson]

Hospitalised since Monday. How convenient.

[phoenixdoglover]

Once again, in many legal systems if an appeal of the conviction and sentencing is the next step, bail may be granted until the appeal is completed. But not all legal systems.

[djjamie]

Just waiting for the next article to read "jail term suspended for 5 years"

Wait for it. Wait for it.

Those reds never seem to spend a day in jail.

[Prbkk]

Well, if it's 4 years for doing that then exxpect 400 years for the lunatics who took over the airport, right?

[greenchair]

Just waiting for the next article to read "jail term suspended for 5 years"

Wait for it. Wait for it.

Those reds never seem to spend a day in jail.

Yes, that's why the detention centers and prisons are full of red shirt protesters and supporters. Many of them on lm charges. How many high profile Suthep supporters can you count in the prisons.

Get your facts straight.

[Baerboxer]

I don't think that's a good sign for Thailand.

Why?

The only thing wrong is the 8 years it's taken to get the case to court. Now they'll appeal. And after that decision it will go to the supreme court.

Should get a final verdict in about 20 years.

[Baerboxer]

Well, if it's 4 years for doing that then exxpect 400 years for the lunatics who took over the airport, right?

And 800 for the arson and rioting in Bangkok.

Now, who was it who said he'd be responsible for that?

[Cuchulainn]

Great news, but not long enough by far.

[Prbkk]

Well, if it's 4 years for doing that then exxpect 400 years for the lunatics who took over the airport, right?

And 800 for the arson and rioting in Bangkok.

Now, who was it who said he'd be responsible for that?

Unpleasant though it was, the centralworld arson did not cost the country 60 billion baht or cause great loss to 2 million tourists.

[h90]

Well, if it's 4 years for doing that then exxpect 400 years for the lunatics who took over the airport, right?

Don't worry for your heros no one is in jail yet.....

[oneday]

"...redshirt leaders launching hot speeches attacking Gen Prem from their loudspeaker truck..."

Yeah, that sounds like real hard core violence there. I hate it when someone pelts me with a "hot speech".

The real reason, in my opinion, to drag out the time until the next election is so they can trump up enough charges on enough red shirts so there will be no opposition left to run in the next election. The word "purge" comes to mind.

[mikemac]

Well, if it's 4 years for doing that then exxpect 400 years for the lunatics who took over the airport, right?

Don't want to get into an argument with you Prbkk, comparing acts of terrorism and civil disobedience, but after what happened in Bangkok in 2010 the airport protests pale into insignificance.

But you are right, the airport protesters deserve to be punished for what happened at Swampy.

[NoBrainer]

Well, if it's 4 years for doing that then exxpect 400 years for the lunatics who took over the airport, right?

And 800 for the arson and rioting in Bangkok.

Now, who was it who said he'd be responsible for that?

Unpleasant though it was, the centralworld arson did not cost the country 60 billion baht or cause great loss to 2 million tourists.

Maybe not, but I'm sure that the occupation of downtown Bangkok for months on end cost far more than that, in financial terms, and lives lost.

[WhizBang]

Well, if it's 4 years for doing that then exxpect 400 years for the lunatics who took over the airport, right?

And what about the burning of Bangkok in 2010?

The take over of the airport was peaceful and happened due to a total and complete lack of law enforcement (so what's new there?). Not that I am condoning the airport shutdown, that should never have been allowed. BUT, no real damage (to the terminal) was done, as witnessed by the restart within 24 hours of them leaving.

Could you say the reds would have left it operational had they been the ones doing the occupying? Again, I remind you of typical red activity by using the burning of Bangkok as a prime example of red behaviour.

Time to take off your red sunglasses. Your master's goose is well and truely cooked now.

[WhizBang]

And what of the great turd himself? (JP not TS)

[robblok]

Well, if it's 4 years for doing that then exxpect 400 years for the lunatics who took over the airport, right?

And 800 for the arson and rioting in Bangkok.

Now, who was it who said he'd be responsible for that?

Unpleasant though it was, the centralworld arson did not cost the country 60 billion baht or cause great loss to 2 million tourists.

If its about money then YL will have to be in jail even longer.

Fact is that the airport seizure was bad but not half as violent as the burning of BKK

[h90]

Well, if it's 4 years for doing that then exxpect 400 years for the lunatics who took over the airport, right?

Don't want to get into an argument with you Prbkk, comparing acts of terrorism and civil disobedience, but after what happened in Bangkok in 2010 the airport protests pale into insignificance.

But you are right, the airport protesters deserve to be punished for what happened at Swampy.

On the airport they made it pretty smart.....They came in masses, were even officially allowed to park in the VIP area, blocked everything by just standing there and the airport stopped operation on its own for security reasons. At least officially. And everything was done by Chamlong who is a hero of the past, very old, a religious leader and don't own anything.

So they made their homework and planning first to make it difficult to punish them.

Different than the red shirts

[AnnieT]

Well, if it's 4 years for doing that then exxpect 400 years for the lunatics who took over the airport, right?

And 800 for the arson and rioting in Bangkok.

Now, who was it who said he'd be responsible for that?

Unpleasant though it was, the centralworld arson did not cost the country 60 billion baht or cause great loss to 2 million tourists.

If its about money then YL will have to be in jail even longer.

Fact is that the airport seizure was bad but not half as violent as the burning of BKK

the burning of BKK

A real tub-thumper. A bit like 'The great mass of the people'.

No matter how delusional, there's always some cruet who'll believe it.

[scorecard]

I am totally baffled - how can you be sentenced to 4 years in jail and then seek bail. If you want to appeal surely its done from the actual jailhouse via your lawyer, Not from the comfort of your house whilst sticking two fingers up at the justice system?

Have they been released on bail? Maybe I missed that.

[mikemac]

"...redshirt leaders launching hot speeches attacking Gen Prem from their loudspeaker truck..."

Yeah, that sounds like real hard core violence there. I hate it when someone pelts me with a "hot speech".

The real reason, in my opinion, to drag out the time until the next election is so they can trump up enough charges on enough red shirts so there will be no opposition left to run in the next election. The word "purge" comes to mind.

Actually, I was kinda hoping the redshirts and the PTP would be fully "purged" before the next election.

[jonclark]

Well, if it's 4 years for doing that then exxpect 400 years for the lunatics who took over the airport, right?

And 800 for the arson and rioting in Bangkok.

Now, who was it who said he'd be responsible for that?

Unpleasant though it was, the centralworld arson did not cost the country 60 billion baht or cause great loss to 2 million tourists.

If its about money then YL will have to be in jail even longer.

Fact is that the airport seizure was bad but not half as violent as the burning of BKK

The burning of Bangkok - What all of it? Or was it a couple of banks and a shopping center and some cars (perhaps a truck as well) - Maybe the burning of a little bit of Bangkok is more accurate? I know, not as dramatic and lacking a certain spin...but lets deal in facts and maintain a sense of perspective.

[Eric Loh]

Well, if it's 4 years for doing that then exxpect 400 years for the lunatics who took over the airport, right?

Don't want to get into an argument with you Prbkk, comparing acts of terrorism and civil disobedience, but after what happened in Bangkok in 2010 the airport protests pale into insignificance.

But you are right, the airport protesters deserve to be punished for what happened at Swampy.

On the airport they made it pretty smart.....They came in masses, were even officially allowed to park in the VIP area, blocked everything by just standing there and the airport stopped operation on its own for security reasons. At least officially. And everything was done by Chamlong who is a hero of the past, very old, a religious leader and don't own anything.

So they made their homework and planning first to make it difficult to punish them.

Different than the red shirts

The government did asked the military to stop the airport protest which Anupong refused and instead asked the government to resign. That's the difference. It was planned and collaborated to force out the government.

[jonclark]

I am totally baffled - how can you be sentenced to 4 years in jail and then seek bail. If you want to appeal surely its done from the actual jailhouse via your lawyer, Not from the comfort of your house whilst sticking two fingers up at the justice system?

Have they been released on bail? Maybe I missed that.

"seek bail" not released on bail.

[h90]

Well, if it's 4 years for doing that then exxpect 400 years for the lunatics who took over the airport, right?

Don't want to get into an argument with you Prbkk, comparing acts of terrorism and civil disobedience, but after what happened in Bangkok in 2010 the airport protests pale into insignificance.

But you are right, the airport protesters deserve to be punished for what happened at Swampy.

On the airport they made it pretty smart.....They came in masses, were even officially allowed to park in the VIP area, blocked everything by just standing there and the airport stopped operation on its own for security reasons. At least officially. And everything was done by Chamlong who is a hero of the past, very old, a religious leader and don't own anything.

So they made their homework and planning first to make it difficult to punish them.

Different than the red shirts

The government did asked the military to stop the airport protest which Anupong refused and instead asked the government to resign. That's the difference. It was planned and collaborated to force out the government.

Thanks god it worked!