Public prosecutors will decide on March 5 whether to indict PDRC leaders, including Phra Suthep Prapakaro, on insurrection charges in connection with their protests to oust the Yingluck Shinawatra government.
PDRC leaders including Suthep Thaugsuban, now Phra Suthep Prapakaro, hold a press conference before reporting to the Office of the Attorney-General to hear the insurrection charges on Wednesday. Prosecutors will decide on March 5 whether to indict them. (Photo by Pattanapong Hirunard)
The date was set after People's Democratic Reform Committee secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban, now a monk by the name of Phra Suthep Prapakaro, and 27 other PDRC key figures reported to the Office of the Attorney-General on Wednesday to hear the insurrection charges. They were brought in by Department of Special Investigation officials who recommended indictment for the group.
All 28 submitted a petition requiring the prosecutors to look into whether the charges brought by the DSI were biased and too serious.
PDRC spokesman Akanat Promphan said the PDRC's leaders respected judicial process and were ready to fight all the charges in court without fleeing. The movement, peacefully fought alongside with the so-called muan maha prachachon, or the great mass uprising, was to protect national interests and loss of lives were incurred from violent attacks by dissidents wanting to protect their wealth and power.
He said it should be noted that all serious charges were pressed against PDRC members by the DSI, when it was headed by Tarit Pengdith, who was openly hostile to PDRC, despite the fact that the Civil Court issued an order on Feb 19 banning the Yingluck government from using the state of emergency decree to break up the protests on the ground that “the rally was peaceful”.