Leader of red shirts who burnt Ubon city hall given life sentence

[Plutojames88]

The reality is the people doing the sentencing are representing a bunch of generals who themselves have overthrown a democratically elected government and rule by terror and gun.

The military seem to enjoy long sentences .

Lets see when their turn comes ...as it will one day , if they as approving when The Hague or even more menacing Thaksin himself casts the first stone on their fates.

[The Deerhunter]

Of course these arsonists deserve prison time. But life sentences are a joke. The leaders of the million man march are all free, outside the country or on numerous bails for a variety of offences.

It certainly appears that the lowliest foot soldiers are the only ones who are fair game for any actual prison time. Pathetic

Dead Right. There are two other senior Redshirts who were arrested and released 2 weeks ago on another matter who have been on bail since 2010. About damn time they saw the inside of a court for the actual trial for those 2010 charges, which as I recall include, incitement to arson.

[scorecard]

The reality is the people doing the sentencing are representing a bunch of generals who themselves have overthrown a democratically elected government and rule by terror and gun.

The military seem to enjoy long sentences .

Lets see when their turn comes ...as it will one day , if they as approving when The Hague or even more menacing Thaksin himself casts the first stone on their fates.

Oh the Hague, no doubt your meaning crimes against humanity, and no doubt that's why you mention / connect to the paymaster.

Edited December 16, 2015 by scorecard

[mrrizzla]

ahh djjamie is still here then on certain topics. Seems to be relatively quiet these days....

Anyways, the two policemen that were also complicit in this crime? They are immune then hmm?

[h90]

Did the rich guy, the Red Bull Heir who killed the policeman whilst high on Cocaine and booze ever see the inside of a prison ?

These sentences are ridiculous and are aimed at putting the poor in their place, you have Army Generals who are USD Multi Millionaires which is impossible on their Salary, Police Chiefs who are also USD Multi Millionaires, again impossible on their salary given free reign to do anything they please, as long as they keep the super rich that run Thailand safe from the poor, and safe from any questions as to how they came by their vast wealth.

Hence the defamation laws, there purely to protect the corrupt from criticism.

If you're poor in Thailand you'd better do what the rich men tell you to do, they have thousands of armed thugs in uniforms and the Judiciary at their disposal.

While it is complete wrong that the Red Bull Heir went free, you can't compare that.

He was crazy and had an accident, he never planned to kill anyone, it was not on purpose. He didn't want to cause any harm.

These red shirt leaders planned and did it on purpose.

(I also need to point out that if they find Somchai on a pee test with cocaine in the blood (like on a regular check in a discotheque, without causing harm to anyone), he is in big troubles......RB Heir: Nothing)

[mrrizzla]

Did the rich guy, the Red Bull Heir who killed the policeman whilst high on Cocaine and booze ever see the inside of a prison ?

These sentences are ridiculous and are aimed at putting the poor in their place, you have Army Generals who are USD Multi Millionaires which is impossible on their Salary, Police Chiefs who are also USD Multi Millionaires, again impossible on their salary given free reign to do anything they please, as long as they keep the super rich that run Thailand safe from the poor, and safe from any questions as to how they came by their vast wealth.

Hence the defamation laws, there purely to protect the corrupt from criticism.

If you're poor in Thailand you'd better do what the rich men tell you to do, they have thousands of armed thugs in uniforms and the Judiciary at their disposal.

While it is complete wrong that the Red Bull Heir went free, you can't compare that.

He was crazy and had an accident, he never planned to kill anyone, it was not on purpose. He didn't want to cause any harm.

These red shirt leaders planned and did it on purpose.

(I also need to point out that if they find Somchai on a pee test with cocaine in the blood (like on a regular check in a discotheque, without causing harm to anyone), he is in big troubles......RB Heir: Nothing)

Hmm I'd argue that deliberately setting fire to a building where people maybe hurt is pretty comparable to deliberately getting into a sports car while knowing you are heavily under the influence.

Both reckless and life endangering.

[h90]

The reality is the people doing the sentencing are representing a bunch of generals who themselves have overthrown a democratically elected government and rule by terror and gun.

The military seem to enjoy long sentences .

Lets see when their turn comes ...as it will one day , if they as approving when The Hague or even more menacing Thaksin himself casts the first stone on their fates.

I haven't seen a democratically elected government here in the last 15 years. I have seen someone buys the votes or buys the MPs (Abhisit government).

Can't see any difference between the richest buys himself into power or the strongest takes it. It is both equal wrong.

I prefer these who do better for Thailand and are less corrupt and this is Prayut.....Actually beside being less pretty I can't see much intellectual difference to the previous PMs....

[Baerboxer]

Reading and comprehension is sometimes a real challenge:

"Chatchawan Srichanda, whose role in the arson attack was not detailed, also got life in prison. Previously, he was acquitted by the Appeal Court."

So, what's your point?

The point should have been obvious. whybother attempts to correct JAG, whilst JAG was referring to another person. JAG is correct if the OP is to believed.

One person (Pichet Thabuddha) was initially sentenced to Death and has now received life in prison whilst another person (Chatchawan Srichanda) also got life in prison, whilst initially being acquitted.

Not really difficult now is it.

Not really difficult at all.

Chatchawan Srichanda was convicted, appealed and was acquitted by the Appeals Court, and was re-convicted when the case went before the Supreme Court.

Seems something of a normal chain of events in the Thai legal process.

So he's now been convicted and sentenced.

[TimmyT]

terrorists deserve nothing but death sentence!

[DM07]

My favorite troll is back!

terrorists deserve nothing but death sentence!

[Prbkk]

Very nice to see. I must admit the death penalty was a bit harsh.

This will hopefully make one think twice before burning buildings down and more importantly trying to make excuses to justify it.

But then again , you would not even punish those responsible for the airport siege ( and the loss of billions on Baht as well as major inconvenience to tourists/businesses) because you would view their destrcution as legitimate. The lead loony from that mob is as free as a bird.

[Artisi]

A life sentence truly deserved , I think.

Just to give a sense of balance though, whatever happened to the people who instigated the shut down of the airport.

I could be wrong and would hope to be corrected, but isn't that still going through the justice system despite being 4 years previous to the red shirt demonstrations.

ongoing, but as a matter of interest, if you were a judge handing out a sentence what would it be for a peaceful disruptive protest such as this one

Thanks for replying, I was curious.

Im not a judge so hard to say what I would do, but, as you asked my opinion, I would say it would be necessary to make an example. They did shut down an airport, no small matter!

If you are referring to the yellow shirts, no they didn't shut down the airport, the airport authority did that.

[elgordo38]

Acquitted by the appeal court, but subsequently given a life sentence?

These brutal sentences tend to cower the masses. Makes ruling easier. My g/f is scared shitless now when she is on FB and other sites and this is exactly what the government wants.

[elgordo38]

Great. Good to see justice actually being done.

Selective justice is not justice. Yes these men deserved a stiff sentence but there are so many other blatant issues crying for justice that get ignored. The shrimp slaves, the Royhinga (investigator flees to Australia and seeks asylum) to name a few.

[MZurf]

The reality is the people doing the sentencing are representing a bunch of generals who themselves have overthrown a democratically elected government and rule by terror and gun.

The military seem to enjoy long sentences .

Lets see when their turn comes ...as it will one day , if they as approving when The Hague or even more menacing Thaksin himself casts the first stone on their fates.

I haven't seen a democratically elected government here in the last 15 years. I have seen someone buys the votes or buys the MPs (Abhisit government).

Can't see any difference between the richest buys himself into power or the strongest takes it. It is both equal wrong.

I prefer these who do better for Thailand and are less corrupt and this is Prayut.....Actually beside being less pretty I can't see much intellectual difference to the previous PMs....

"I haven't seen a democratically elected government here in the last 15 years."

Then you should start paying attention. The international election observers and the international community as a whole considered the last few elections relatively fair, and the vote buying had no significant impact on the results.

"I prefer these who do better for Thailand and are less corrupt and this is Prayut.....Actually beside being less pretty I can't see much intellectual difference to the previous PMs...."

It's hard for me to fathom how anyone brought up in a democratic country is not disgusted and scared by what's going on in this country, with the increasingly Orwellian and paranoid actions of the junta. Peaceful protesters being interned indefinitely in undisclosed locations, people pulled out of hospital beds and jailed for clicking like on Facebook, etc, etc.

Congratulations to the junta. They have actually made me miss the YL government, and that's no small feat!!!

[MZurf]

This will probably piss-of most of the red skirts and end the so called "reconciliation"

not sure there are too many left, only the hard hitters and those well up the Thaksin payroll remain it seems

And how do you "seem" that? Have I missed a recent election that could have cleared this issue up??

[elgordo38]

Great. Good to see justice actually being done.

Life sentence for arson ? Or did people die in the arson ?

If you set fire to something, anyone inside dies. The fact nobody did is luck.

This was terrorism. The ringleader got the highest sentence.

Justice has been done. Now they just need to go after the people that instructed the guys in the provinces to burn down city halls.

We are on a roll now lets go back and try all the guilty parties of all serious crimes. Again your talking selective justice. Vigilante style.

[khunken]

Two points.

1. As Pedro has posted these arsonists have got what they deserved according to the law. It is not very clever to compare this case with the Red Bull case as that one never reached a court. Blame the corrupt RTP for that.

2. There was another case of arson in 2010 where the Central WTC at Ratchaprasong was set alight by arsonists. From memory two people died in that fire. No one has been convicted for that, not even the paid thug who incited that very act on a stage right outside the WTC.

[scorecard]

This will probably piss-of most of the red skirts and end the so called "reconciliation"

not sure there are too many left, only the hard hitters and those well up the Thaksin payroll remain it seems

And how do you "seem" that? Have I missed a recent election that could have cleared this issue up??

"And how do you "seem" that? Have I missed a recent election that could have cleared this issue up?? "

You get this weeks prize for best twist with an attempt at humor.

[paddyjoe41]

About the crime of fire,what would happen if the hall was packed with children or adults at that time??Come on lets not try to get away with this fact,total disregard for life,deserves never to see daylight again even through a window,unthinkable act and totally selfish.

[waitforusalso]

Arson - with intent to endanger life in the UK has sentences of around 10 years.

No matter what the yellow cheer leading team say, this will be seen as blatant injustice and strengthen disdain for the junta, & allegiance to PT.

[sjaak327]

Section 218. Penalty

Whoever sets fire to:

1. A building, vessel or floating house in which a human being dwells;
2. A building, vessel or floating house used for storage or manufacture of goods;
3. A house of entertainment or meeting place;
4. A building which is domain public of State, public place or place for performing religious ceremonies;
5. A railway station, airport, or public parking or mooring place for cars or vessel;
6. A steam-boat or motor-boat of five tons upwards, airplane or train used for public transportation, shall be punished with death, imprisonment for life or imprisonment of five to twenty years.

There is a huge difference between 5 years in prison or for life. Now considering no one died, I personally believe the sentence should be somewhere in the 5-20 year bracket, but alas this is Thailand, not known for fair and reasonable applied justice.

[pedro01]

Section 218. Penalty

Whoever sets fire to:

• A building, vessel or floating house in which a human being dwells;
• A building, vessel or floating house used for storage or manufacture of goods;
• A house of entertainment or meeting place;
• A building which is domain public of State, public place or place for performing religious ceremonies;
• A railway station, airport, or public parking or mooring place for cars or vessel;
• A steam-boat or motor-boat of five tons upwards, airplane or train used for public transportation, shall be punished with death, imprisonment for life or imprisonment of five to twenty years.

There is a huge difference between 5 years in prison or for life. Now considering no one died, I personally believe the sentence should be somewhere in the 5-20 year bracket, but alas this is Thailand, not known for fair and reasonable applied justice.

But the law of the land states that life is the sentence. So how does anyone's personal opinion matter?

Just like this case in Los Angeles http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/01/death-penalty-forest-fire-arson-families-react.html

Bottom line is it doesnt matter what the layman thinks.

What the conspiracy theorists need to ask themselves is - Who took the case to the appeals court? When not happy with the appeals result, who took it to the supreme court?

The accused....

If they didn't keep appealing, they wouldnt have been in the supreme court in the first place.

So despite this result seeming to fit your narrative, it really is a case of them being better off serving the initial sentence.

Darwin would be proud.

Edited December 16, 2015 by pedro01

[thelonius]

Two points.

1. As Pedro has posted these arsonists have got what they deserved according to the law. It is not very clever to compare this case with the Red Bull case as that one never reached a court. Blame the corrupt RTP for that.

2. There was another case of arson in 2010 where the Central WTC at Ratchaprasong was set alight by arsonists. From memory two people died in that fire. No one has been convicted for that, not even the paid thug who incited that very act on a stage right outside the WTC.

Your memory is wrong. There were a number of deaths on that day including the 6 civilians shot in the supposed safe haven of the wat and the death of Fabio Polenghi who was shot in the back, all at the hands of the military but NO deaths as a result of the arson at Central World and Zen.

[pedro01]

Two points.

1. As Pedro has posted these arsonists have got what they deserved according to the law. It is not very clever to compare this case with the Red Bull case as that one never reached a court. Blame the corrupt RTP for that.

2. There was another case of arson in 2010 where the Central WTC at Ratchaprasong was set alight by arsonists. From memory two people died in that fire. No one has been convicted for that, not even the paid thug who incited that very act on a stage right outside the WTC.

Your memory is wrong. There were a number of deaths on that day including the 6 civilians shot in the supposed safe haven of the wat and the death of Fabio Polenghi who was shot in the back, all at the hands of the military but NO deaths as a result of the arson at Central World and Zen.

Correct - and none of those cases were considered by the supreme court when considering this specific arson case.

If you are against corruption, then you should be against anyone being let off without punishment because of corruption and you should be FOR anyone being punished in accordance with the law.

Or would you prefer to see these people let off the arson charge in return for a Baht bung?

[tbthailand]

a life sentence for arson doesn't sound like justice. But I guess since the accused were red shits, justice has been served right ?

Stil waiting when the sharp shooters are going to face justice...

It was part of a co-ordinated terror attack across the whole country.

Doesn't matter who it is - it is a very serious crime.

A terror attack in which the main victims were a few buildings. Oh I forgot about the coordinated terror attack on over 90 thais in the streets of bangkok of course. However the guilty party of that coordinated attack will never face justice of course.

Give me a break please. Life sentence for Arson is ridiculous.

just as a bit of extra info, the gentleman who was sentenced to death and had that reduced to life in prison was actually found guilty and sentenced to 1 year for arson.

It was the supreme court that then stepped into the cow-pie and gave him a death sentence.

Thai justice under the junta...

[tbthailand]

Two points.

1. As Pedro has posted these arsonists have got what they deserved according to the law. It is not very clever to compare this case with the Red Bull case as that one never reached a court. Blame the corrupt RTP for that.

2. There was another case of arson in 2010 where the Central WTC at Ratchaprasong was set alight by arsonists. From memory two people died in that fire. No one has been convicted for that, not even the paid thug who incited that very act on a stage right outside the WTC.

re: point 2 ... it's possible that no one was ever arrested because the entire area was under military control at the time that it went up in flames...

just sayin, ...

[EnglishJohn]

This will probably piss-of most of the red skirts and end the so called "reconciliation"

not sure there are too many left, only the hard hitters and those well up the Thaksin payroll remain it seems

And how do you "seem" that? Have I missed a recent election that could have cleared this issue up??

30% of the poll even with no opposition and 90% of polling booths open at the last count. If that doesn't teach you anything, I don't think you are able to be taught.

The reason we haven't seen this big uprising (nor will we) is that normal people got fed up with the lies and corruption - particularly when there was no money left for them. All we have now are the hard-core nutters who got collectively spanked for stealing from the tuck-shop and have gone into that insane rage of spite which is a very Thai quality shared by a section of society here. A bit like those boys murdering someone because they beat them at a video game.

Everyone else is hoping something better will come along. Thaksin threw his loyal supporters under a bus for his own personal amnesty. How many red-shirts could be out of prison now ?. Anyone who things he gives a damn about them at this point are either unbelievably gullible or are just hypocrites who actually want a more corruption-friendly government.

And red-shirts have precisely zero interest in any reconciliation with any other group. They never have. That has been clear for a long time. Remember Yinglucks big party with Blair and the others ?. Followed swiftly by the amnesty bill. Save your hypocrisy for your village meetings.

[sjaak327]

Section 218. Penalty

Whoever sets fire to:

• A building, vessel or floating house in which a human being dwells;
• A building, vessel or floating house used for storage or manufacture of goods;
• A house of entertainment or meeting place;
• A building which is domain public of State, public place or place for performing religious ceremonies;
• A railway station, airport, or public parking or mooring place for cars or vessel;
• A steam-boat or motor-boat of five tons upwards, airplane or train used for public transportation, shall be punished with death, imprisonment for life or imprisonment of five to twenty years.

There is a huge difference between 5 years in prison or for life. Now considering no one died, I personally believe the sentence should be somewhere in the 5-20 year bracket, but alas this is Thailand, not known for fair and reasonable applied justice.

But the law of the land states that life is the sentence. So how does anyone's personal opinion matter?

Just like this case in Los Angeles http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/01/death-penalty-forest-fire-arson-families-react.html

Bottom line is it doesnt matter what the layman thinks.

What the conspiracy theorists need to ask themselves is - Who took the case to the appeals court? When not happy with the appeals result, who took it to the supreme court?

The accused....

If they didn't keep appealing, they wouldnt have been in the supreme court in the first place.

So despite this result seeming to fit your narrative, it really is a case of them being better off serving the initial sentence.

Darwin would be proud.

Huh, no, the quoted text says that the sentence ranges from 5-20, life or death, period. So in light of the fact that nobody died, I think the punishment is too severe.

Not sure about conspiracy theories. Thailand's justice system is a complete mess, and always has been. And a certain bias is certainly not absent, otherwise please explain to me why the court didn't apply the punishment in the lower brackets.

But I am still waiting when the sharpshooters and the ones that order them to kill over 90 people will have their day in court, certainly a case that has a much higher priority than some building in Ubon...

And maybe you should read the OP carefully next time, one of the accused initially got a death sentence....

Edited December 16, 2015 by sjaak327

[metisdead]

An inflammatory post has been removed.