Police have arrested five of the so-called “men in black” believed responsible for the killing of at least five soldiers during red-shirt anti-government protests in 2010.
Five of the so-called “men in black”: Bangkok residents Kittisak Soomsri, 45, Chamnan Phakeechai, 45, and Punnika Churi, 39; and Preecha Yuyen, 24 of Chiang Mai, and Ronnarit Suricha, 33 from Ubon Ratchathani. They were taken into custody Tuesday and charged with illegally carrying and using guns, bullets and bombs. (Photo by Apichit Jinakul)
Bangkok residents Kittisak Soomsri, 45, Chamnan Phakeechai, 45, and Punnika Churi, 39; and Preecha Yuyen, 24 of Chiang Mai, and Ronnarit Suricha, 33 from Ubon Ratchathani were taken into custody Tuesday and the arrests were announced Thursday by Provincial Police Region 1 officials. They were charged with illegally carrying and using guns, bullets and bombs.
Arrest warrants were also issued for Thanadet Ek-apiwat, 39 of Bangkok's Laksi district, and Watthanachoke Chinpui, 23 of Chon Daen district in Phetchabun province, whose whereabouts remain unknown, said deputy national police chief Gen Somyot Phumpanmuang.
Video by Apichit Jinakul
Gen Somyot said the five arrested admitted involvement in the violence that led to the killing of soldiers near the Democracy Monument in April 2010. The arrests clearly show that the infamous "men in black" did indeed exist, he added.
The identification and arrest of the suspects resulted from joint investigations by police and the army, Provincial Police Region 1 officials said.
Five soldiers were killed in the April 10, 2010 clash that began as soldiers tried to clear out protest camps at the Khok Wua intersection near Democracy Monument, Tanao Road and adjacent zones in Bangkok. Among the dead was senior army officer Col Romklao Thuwatham.
The shadowy "men in black" remain one of the lasting images of the 2010 protests by red-shirted supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra who were rallying against the Abhisit Vejjajiva government.
Their existence - and what they had done - became almost folklore as people on both sides of the conflict attributed a number of shootings and bomb attacks to the dark-clad figures.
Violence erupts during an anti-government red-shirt protest on April 10, 2010. (Photo by Apichit Jinakul)