Protesters to sue police for Bt16 million damages

BANGKOK, Aug 30 (TNA) -- Lawyers of the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) are expected to file a lawsuit demanding that Thailand's national police pay some Bt16 million in compensation for the personal belongings of protesters which were damaged after police stormed into their protest site on Friday.

Pipop Thongchai, a core leader of the so-called democracy movement, said
his group planned to assign lawyers to file a lawsuit against the National
Police Bureau demanding that it pay for he demonstrators' personal effects
destroyed or damaged when police dismantled the PAD's rally site at the
Makkawan Bridge near Government House on Friday. Several protesters were
also injured following the physically rough encounter.

Hours later, the demonstrators regained control of their demonstration
base camp, across the intersection from the UN Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) as police withdrew from the
area.

Meanwhile, police deputy spokesman Pol. Maj-Gen. Surapol Thuanthong said
police did not fire teargas at the PAD demonstrators while they were
rallying at Bangkok Metropolitan Police headquarters Friday night.

The protesters dispersed after a brief scuffle with police and the firing
of the teargas.

In another development, Somsak Kosaisuk, another PAD core leader, charged
that a third party had secretly taken fuel drums into the Government House
compound in an attempt to "create confusion".

But no such canisters were found inside at Government House, now occupied
for the fifth day Saturday by the PAD protesters.

The five PAD core leaders are now using the official office of Prime
Minister Samak Sundaravej as their command headquarters for the rally,
while another building within the same compound is being used by the
rank-and-file protesters.