Turkey- Sentences of ousted Thai PM supporters upped for arson
Date
12/16/2015 3:52:11 AM
(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) A Thai court has increased the sentences of several supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin for arson at the height of a May 2010 confrontation with the military according to local media.
The Supreme Court of Thailand increased the sentence of Pichet Thabutda one of the leaders of the political protests from one year in prison to the death penalty before commuting it to life in prison Tuesday.
It also handed 33-year sentences to two other activists Likhit Suthiphan and On-anong Banpachart who had previously been given two-year terms.
The trio -- members of the “Red Shirt” movement supporting Shinawatra a deeply divisive figure who served as premier from 2001 until a 2006 coup -- were found guilty of burning down Ubon Ratchathani Provincial Hall during a nationwide crackdown on protesters.
During the political violence of May 2010 protesters torched several provincial halls in the countryside and several buildings in Bangkok.
The army under orders from then Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva violently cracked down on the protesters killing scores in the process.
At least 90 people -- the vast majority demonstrators -- were killed in Bangkok in political violence in April and May of 2010.
Shinawatra a billionaire who became hugely popular because of his populist policies went into exile in 2008 shortly before a court sentenced him to two years in jail for abuse of power.
The traditional establishment -- backed by the bureaucracy the military and a large part of the middle class -- oppose Shinawatra because his overhaul of the political system threatened their privilege and various accusations of corruption within his political clan.
Last month two men were sentenced to 13 years in jail and two others were given three years for vandalizing and setting a city hall ablaze in Khon Kaen a Red Shirt fiefdom in Thailand’s northeast.
By CS Thana
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.