Surachai Danwattananusorn, also known Surachai sae Dan, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for lese majeste by the Criminal Court on Tuesday, but the sentence was halved because he admitted to the three offences.
Surachai Danwattananusorn, also known Surachai sae Dan (Photo by Surapol Promsaka na Sakolnakorn)
Surachai, 70, from Nakhon Si Thammarat, is a core member of Red Siam - a faction in the red-shirt movement.
He is still fighting another lese majeste case involving a speech he delivered from a Sanam Luang stage in Dec 15, 2008. He also faces trial on a charge brought by Wang Thong Lang police regarding a speech he made at the local Imperial department store in 2010.
"It's all right for the verdict. Now I'm just waiting for the Wang Thong Lang case to proceed as quickly as possible, so that I can seek a royal pardon in one take," said Surachai, implying that he would also confess to this charge.
The three cases he was convicted of involve speeches he gave in 2010 - at Wat Si Boon Ruang in Udon Thani (Oct 29), Doi Saket in Chiang Mai (Sept 11) and at Imperial Department Store Lat Phrao in Bangkok (Dec 18).
Presiding Judge Chanathip Muanpawong detailed a list of Mr Surachai's activities as a member of the former Communist Party of Thailand (CPT), setting off a criminal explosion at a governor's residence, and as a member of the former Thai Rak Thai and People Power parties, and other activities.
Mr Chanathip then instructed the junior judge to briefly read out the penalty, without giving the full text of the verdict.
The court ruled that at the age of 68 (when the crimes were committed) the defendant remained active despite the polarised political situation and that his role had aggravated the conflict within Thai society.
"As an educated person and a former member of the Provincial Administrative Organisation in Nakhon Si Thammarat, he still committed a serious crime defaming, insulting and threatening the King and the Queen and the royal family who have done great service to the country. He was not chastened, therefore his sentence should not be suspended," the younger judge read out from Surachai's verdict.
After the verdict, Mr Surachai said: "If the Yingluck government is really sincere about reconciliation, they have to push forward on [the issue of] royal amnesty."
He would not plead guilty to the charge arising from his speech on Dec 15, 2008.
"I call it a care lawsuit, because Chanasongkram police filed this case as a result of my question about the King not appearing for his birthday speech on Dec 4 (2008), as he usually does," he said.
A dozen or so Red Siam supporters, including Surachai's wife, showed up at the court. Kwan Patcharakarukanon, 71, a former warder at Bang Kwang Prison, was also there to give support for the fiery lese majeste offender.
"Khun Surachai never set the governor's residence ablaze. He was blackmailed by the military in the post-CPT conflict. He is not a bad man at all. He helped me arrest felons inside the prison when he was at Bang Kwang," said Mr Kwan.
Surachai issued a six-page hand-written statement titled, “Don't act as a military leader who destroys his own soldiers," and addressed to the Yingluck government, asking if the ruling Pheu Thai Party was appeasing its former foes, the nobility, by getting rid of the party's comrades and warriors.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (Photo by Apichart Jinakul)
Copies were handed out by his wife.
"The Yingluck government and her party seem to have adopted the wrong strategy, thinking that the victory they won [the July 3 general election] was the ultimate goal and they no longer need to rely on their mass supporters, just as long as they can make a compromise for their mutual benefit with the nobility," Surachai said in his statement.
He said the Pheu Thai Party did not really have full power, otherwise they would have already set free their jailed red-shirt supporters.
"The Abhisit government helped keep those who laid seige to the airports from being jailed, but this government is just appeasing the former foe by threatening those seeking the amendment of the Criminal Code's Article 112 [the lese majeste law]," he said
Mr Surachai warned that the elite group was wiser than the "naive" Yingluck Shinawatra and her party.
"They are applying the same strategy as when they established ties with Beijing in order to sever the CPT support. Now the senior elites are making friends with Prime Minister Yingluck and waiting until this government eliminates it own soldiers and warriors, then the time will come to kick out the government," the statement said.
"This case is politically motivated," Surachai's lawyer Karom Polpornklang said.
Mr Karom said he planned to appeal the verdict.