The Supreme Court has sentenced two more red-shirt members to four years in prison for their involvement in the forced closure of the Asean Summit at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort Hotel in Pattaya a decade ago.
The court also fined them 200 baht each.
Samroeng Prajumrua and Worachai Hema were among 18 core members of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship on trial for their roles in the disruption of the summit on April 11, 2019.
The pair failed to show up when the Supreme Court's ruling was read by the Pattaya provincial court on Sept 11. They claimed they had not been notified of the date.
The court on Oct 31 postponed the reading to Tuesday after they showed up and changed their plea to guilty. The court dismissed their plea, saying the confession could not be made at the Supreme Court. If they really wanted to confess, they should have done so earlier.
Since another suspect, Palang Pratcharath MP Pol Lt Col Waipot Arpornrat, failed to show up in court on Tuesday, the court issued an arrest warrant for him. It will read the Supreme Court's ruling against Pol Lt Col Waipot on Jan 15 next year.
Pattaya prosecutors charged 18 red-shirt members with trespassing and causing damage to properties; sedition; creating unrest, disobeying officials’ orders, blocking traffic and leading an assembly of more than 10.
During the trial, three fled and three others were acquitted.