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Murder charges against former Thai premier Abhisit Vejjajiva dismissed

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Murder charges against former Thai premier Abhisit Vejjajiva dismissed


Relatives of victims of 2010 protest crackdown say decision to drop indictments against Abhisit and his deputy is politically motivated

PUBLISHED : Thursday, 28 August, 2014, 11:20pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 28 August, 2014, 11:34pm

Agence France-Presse in Bangkok

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Abhisit Vejjajiva. Photo: Reuters

A Thai court yesterday dismissed murder charges against former premier Abhisit Vejjajiva and his ex-deputy over a bloody 2010 protest crackdown, prompting relatives of the victims to criticise the surprise decision as politically motivated.

The charges were brought to court under a previous government led by Abhisit's rivals who have since been ousted by a pro-establishment military coup.

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Suthep Thaugsuban. Photo: EPA

Scores of demonstrators died under Abhisit's establishment-backed leadership in street clashes between mostly unarmed "red shirt" supporters of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra and security forces firing live rounds in Bangkok.

A criminal court, which had agreed to hear the charges, ruled that it did not have jurisdiction in the case against Abhisit and his then-deputy Suthep Thaugsuban because they were holders of public office at the time and acting under an emergency decree. It said the only court with the authority to consider the allegations was the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions.

The ruling comes three months after the military seized power from Abhisit's political opponents. Army chief General Prayut Chan-Ocha, last week picked as prime minister by a junta-appointed legislature, is often described as the crackdown of the 2010 crackdown.

"It's 100 per cent about politics - soldiers are among those accused," said Phayaw Akkahad, the mother of a nurse shot dead in the grounds of a Bangkok temple while treating injured during the crackdown. "My daughter was murdered. A woman like me will not give up," she added.

In August last year, an inquest found that soldiers had used "high-velocity machine gun" fire to target victims including Phayaw's daughter. No member of the armed forces has been prosecuted over the deaths.

Critics accuse Thailand's courts of being politically influenced, particularly in favour of the Bangkok-based elite who revile Thaksin and his allies.

Abhisit and Suthep both denied charges of issuing orders that resulted in murder and attempted murder by the security forces.

Chokchai Angkaew, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, who include relatives of the victims, said they planned to appeal against the dismissal, adding: "It's not over."

The National Anti-Corruption Commission is now expected to consider whether the pair abused their power with the crackdown. If it believes there is sufficient grounds, the panel can forward the case to the attorney general for possible submission to the Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions.

Suthep - who went on to lead months of street protests against Abhisit's successor Yingluck Shinawatra - appeared in court sporting a shaven head and the orange robes of a Buddhist monk after entering the clergy. Abhisit was seen smiling after the ruling.

Thailand's long-running political conflict broadly pits a Bangkok-based middle class and royalist elite, backed by parts of the military and judiciary, against rural and working-class voters loyal to Thaksin.

Thaksin, a billionaire tycoon turned premier, was toppled in a coup in 2006 and lives in self-exile to avoid prison for a corruption conviction. Yingluck, his younger sister, was removed from office in a controversial court ruling in May this year, shortly before the military seized power.


 
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