DSI: Perpetrators of violence can face death sentence for committing crimes

BANGKOK, April 23  – Following the Thursday night series of grenade attacks at Bangkok’s prime Silom Road commercial area, which left one person dead and 87 wounded, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) on Friday warned attackers and those behind the plots or involved with what is officially being termed as “terrorism”, that they could face death sentences for their actions against public order and well being.

DSI director-general Tharit Pengdit, speaking in a special live television broadcast, advised the public to avoid the rally sites or crime scene areas for their safety.

Mr Tharit said the ongoing demonstrations are considered as violating the law and warned that due to the 45 grenade and bomb attacks which occurred recently the situation was considered unsafe for the demonstrators themselves.

The Board of Special Cases (BSC) earlier agreed the DSI should handle special cases dealing with terrorism, threats against the government and harming civilians after the government said armed terrorists had mingled with the Red Shirt protesters, killing soldiers and protesters alike, durign the April 10 clashes.

Twenty-five Red Shirts and soldiers were killed, while more than 800 on both sides were wounded in the day-long April 10 clashes. The most severe casualties occurred at Khok Wua intersection when an unidentified group of gunmen fired grenades and bullets at protesters and army personnel.

Regarding the arrest of Red Shirt ally Methee Amornwutthikul, one among 24 Red Shirt members under arrest warrants, Mr Tharit revealed that the detainee said he had seized the army’s weapons during the April 10 chaos in front of Satriwithaya School and later distributed them all to other red-shirted protesters.

As the police found weapons in Mr Methee’s car during the arrest, the actor-turned-activist finally confessed that the seized weapons were to be used against the troops.

Mr Tharit said that Mr Methee also confessed that his group of protesters had used “extremely dangerous weapons” against the soldiers who were attempting to retake the rally site back from the Red Shirt on April 10, according to the DSI director-general.

Meanwhile, Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan, director of the Justice Ministry's Central Institute of Forensic Science, found an explosive substance in Mr Methee’s car and collected fingerprints and evidence to find DNA samples for further inspection.

The result of her inspection is expected Friday evening.

Red Shirt leader Nattawut Saikua however on Friday denied the group’s involvement with Mr Methee’s moves, saying that the actor had only joined the protests and that his actions were done on his own and not under the order of Red Shirt leaders.

Mr Nattawut admitted that the April 10 incident was chaotic and no one knows who had the weapons, saying that the Red Shirts had already returned all seized arms to the authorities and that the government could take legal action against those who violated the law.

Following the Silom grenade attacks, Mr Nattawut asserted that the Red Shirts were not involved with the incident, expressing regret for the victims and their families.

“[We] Red Shirts reaffirm that the bomb attacks are definitely not the work of the Red Shirts as we already asserted that we will fight through peaceful means,” said Mr Nattawut, urging state officials to take the wrongdoers for legal prosecution as soon as possible.
By: mcot