8 Pheu Thai bigwigs turn themselves in
3 hit with sedition rap for press conference
Eight heavyweight Pheu Thai Party politicians turned themselves in to police yesterday to acknowledge charges related to the press conference they held last week on the junta’s performance before being released on bail.
The eight — Watana Muangsook, Chaturon Chaisang, Chusak Sirinil, Noppadon Pattama, Chaikasem Nitisiri, Phumtham Wechayachai, Pol Lt Gen Viroj Pao-in and Kittirat Na-Ranong — reported to the Crime Suppression Division yesterday.
They were divided into different groups, each facing different sets of charges.
Mr Watana, Mr Chaturon and Mr Chusak are charged with colluding to stage a political gathering of more than five people without permission from the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and with sedition under Section 116 of the Criminal Code.
Mr Noppadon, Mr Chaikasem, Mr Phumtham, Pol Lt Gen Viroj and Mr Kittirat are charged with colluding to hold a political gathering of more than five people without permission from the NCPO.
Also, a charge has been pressed against administrators of the website which published content from the press conference for allegedly violating the computer crime law.
After meeting with the police, Mr Chusak, also the Pheu Thai’s legal expert, noted the police had acted unusually fast in seeking the Pheu Thai politicians’ prosecution.
He insisted the sedition charge could not be laid against them because the press conference was not intended to bring about changes to the law or provoke a popular uprising.
“We broke no law, plain and simple. “The police investigators should study the facts before pressing charges against anyone. Otherwise, they will end up enforcing Section 116 to stifle free speech,” he said.
Mr Phumtham, Pheu Thai’s acting secretary-general, said the law was not being applied fairly or justly. Political parties, as people’s representatives, have the right to comment or criticise the government’s performance.
He explained the Pheu Thai Party had nothing to do with its members speaking at the press conference as they were acting independently. Therefore, there are no grounds for dissolving the party, which many speculate could transpire as a result of the charges.
He added the investigation process was not impartial and could cause social conflict to spiral out of control.
Mr Chaturon said he and seven other Pheu Thai politicians had been singled out for prosecution. He reasoned the press conference should not be regarded as a political gathering either in substance or form.
The politicians were considering whether to file a counter-suit against the police, he said.
On May 17, the NCPO sent its legal team, led by Col Burin Thongpraphai, to the party’s headquarters on Phetchaburi Road to warn members they were violating an order which bans political gatherings of five or more people, among other transgressions. Despite the warning, the conference went ahead anyway.
On hearing the police warning, the party cut the number of speakers to three — Mr Chusak, Mr Chaturon and Mr Watana.
Other key figures from the party were among the attendees. They included Pol Lt Gen Viroj, Mr Phumtham, Mr Noppadon and Mr Chaikasem.
After the eight politicians arrived at the CSD yesterday, they were individually questioned by inquiry officers. Deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul took part in questioning the politicians.