Pathumwan district police have notified the lawyer representing three protest leaders, who are currently in-patients at Rama 9 Hospital, that they want to charge them in connection with an illegal rally, held in June in violation of the state of emergency,at Pathumwan skywalk.
The police notification of further charges against Parit “Penguin” Chivarak, Panupong Jardnok, alias Mike Rayong and Panasaya “Rung” Sitthijirawattanakul came after the Ayutthaya Provincial Court rejected a local police request, to hold them on remand pending investigation, on the grounds that the investigation has already been completed and that their further detention is unwarranted.
According to legal procedure, police will read the charges in the presence of the three people named in the documents and will request their acknowledgement and then leave the individuals at the hospital to recuperate.
Yesterday, the Criminal Court rejected a police request to have them detained. The trio were released on bail from Bangkok Remand Prison in the evening.
Before they left the prison, however, Prachachoen police arrived to notify them of new arrest warrants from Ubon Ratchathani, Nonthaburi and Ayutthaya police.
While another protester, Patiwat Saraiyam, was released from custodywithout further charges.
Police in Ubon Ratchathani and Nonthaburi provinces later withdrew their arrest warrants.
Meanwhile, a group of protesters held a brief period of mourning on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, near the offices of the Thai Rath newspaper, to commemorate the 14th anniversary of the suicide of a taxi driver, Nuamthong Praiwan, at the spot inprotest against the 2006 military coup, which toppled theGovernment of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
In his suicide note, Nuamthong said he wanted to rebut an insulting claim, made by Colonel Akara Tiprote, Deputy Spokesman of the then military junta, that no one is so committed to an ideology that they would commit suicide for it.
The attendees placed flowers at the spot and sang an anti-dictatorship song in commemoration of his ultimate sacrifice.
