Police press more charges against former Thai FM

BANGKOK, March 14 (TNA) - Former Thai foreign minister Kasit Piromya acknowledged more charges Wednesday in connection with the seizure of Thailand's main Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang Airports in late 2008. Kasit met interrogators at the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok to acknowledge the charges of illegal assembly, use of force and threats to use force for assault and unrest instigation in connection with the seizure of Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi Airports. The move followed an order from public prosecutors for police to conduct additional interrogation and to press more charges against 46 suspects out of a total of 114 suspects. Kasit denied all the charges and will send his written defence in 30 days. Meanwhile, Police General Somyos Pumpanmuang, a senior police adviser who heads the interrogators in the case, said that six suspects have not yet to acknowledge their charges, after they were summoned by police, and that the police would seek warrants for their arrest if they failed to show up within the deadline of their third summons on March 16. Kasit was among key yellow-shirt demonstrators of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) who rallied at the two Thai airports to protest against the previous government of Somchai Wongsawat. The rallies were part of political unrest from 2005 to 2010 and were also aimed at protesting against exiled ex-Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. (TNA)