Thailand court sentences 15 'Red Shirt' members for 2009 riot

[CrazyExpat]

A Thai court issued a four-year prison sentence to 15 members of the political group United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), known as the Red Shirts [official blog], on Thursday, following a conviction for inciting riots in 2009. The Red Shirts are a political group that supports former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra [bBC profile], who was ousted by a military group in 2006 after allegations of corruption and disrespect for the king. In 2009 about 2,000 protesters were demanding that then-prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva [bBC profile; JURIST news archive] call for new elections because they felt he came into office illegitimately after two prime ministers they supported were ousted from office. During the protest, members of Red Shirts stormed a hotel [Guardian report] in Pattaya that was hosting the a summit of leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) [official website]. Some of the leaders were evacuated by helicopter. Red Shirts believe the country’s traditional establishment, royalists and military fear Thaksin’s popularity and influence [AP report]. Past court rulings have condemned Thaksin’s supporters while leaving his opponents mostly untouched.

Thailand’s political system has been unstable since the 2006 Thai military coup [bBC backgrounder] that ousted Shinawatra. Recently, Thailand’s military-appointed legislature voted to impeach Red Shirt backed former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra [JURIST news archive]. In 2013 Yingluck Shinawatra announced [JURIST report] that there would be no early election in response to recent mass protests by citizens who wanted her removed from office. Also in 2013 protesters in Thailand demanded [JURIST report] assistance in overthrowing the government after Shinawatra survived a no-confidence vote by parliament. In response to the protests, Yingluck Shinawatra invoked a special security law [JURIST report] in districts of Bangkok and nearby areas after protesters stormed and occupied several key ministries. A Bangkok Criminal Court in January sentenced Red Shirt supporter [JURIST report] Jatuporn Prompan to two years in prison for defaming former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. Prompan is also currently facing pending charges [JURIST report] for actions sprouting from the 2010 protests by Red Shirt supporters who occupied downtown Bangkok before being dispersed by Abhisit’s government forces authorized to use live ammunition in limited circumstances.
 

http://jurist.org/paperchase/2015/03/thailand-court-sentenced-red-shirt-members-for-2009-riot.php