THAILAND-GUNMAN/POLICE NEWSER Thai police arrest five suspects linked to bloody clashes in 2010

Record ID: 376941

  • Title: THAILAND-GUNMAN/POLICE NEWSER Thai police arrest five suspects linked to bloody clashes in 2010
  • Date: 11th September 2014
  • Summary: BANGKOK, THAILAND (SEPTEMBER 11, 2014) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** SUSPECTS BEING LED BY ARMED POLICE SUSPECTS BEING ESCORTED BY ARMED POLICE INTO NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM POLICE NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS SUSPECT PULLING UP MASK SUSPECTS AT NEWS CONFERENCE SUSPECT SITTING CAMERAMAN (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) THAI NATIONAL POLICE CHIEF, POLICE GENERAL SOMYOT PO
  • Embargoed: 26th September 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Thailand
  • Country: Thailand
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA23HQAYN5GJ887T7U80GZFKXO3
  • Story Text: Thai police on Thursday (September 11) said they arrested five suspects linked to bloody clashes in April 2010 that left 91 people dead.
    The authorities added that the five are believed to be linked to gunmen blamed for triggering bloody clashes between the army and red-shirted demonstrators.
    The then-government led by former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said several hundred militants trained in combat were among protesters in their sprawling encampment in downtown Bangkok, well-armed and ready to attack security forces if they try to disperse the crowd.
    It said the rebels, who wore black and covered their faces with hoods and balaclavas, appeared in the crowds of protesters under the cover of darkness and opened fire on troops, triggering chaos and prompting panicked soldiers to fire back in self-defence.
    Government officials at that time and the army said they believed the men in black were politically aligned with the red shirt movement and sought to cause bloodshed severe enough to force Abhisit to call a new election.
    "The police and military officials managed to arrest five of those who were involved in the violent attack (on April 10, 2010), while two are still on the run. All of the five suspects and two who are still at large have been issued with arrest warrants by the court," Thai National Police Chief, Police General Somyot Poompanmuong said on Thursday.
    Somyot told reporters that authorities will carry out further investigation before they forward the case to the Department of Special Investigation.
    Somyot also said that police found evidence linking the suspects to red-shirt activist Kritsuda Khunasen.
    "All of these suspects have links to (red-shirt activist) Kritsuda Khunasen, from the evidence that we have presented to the media, documents that were confiscated while searching her residence. We found clear evidence that Kritsuda was the one who transferred money to these people," he said.
    Kritsuda was detained for nearly a month by the Thai military after it toppled the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on May 22. Kritsuda said she was beaten by soldiers and was hooded with a plastic bag until she blacked out.
    Junta chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha has dismissed Kritsuda's claims as "totally untrue" and ignored calls by the United Nations for an investigation.
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