Rally aims to highlight supposed double standards in govt enforcing the law Thousands of red shirts will descend today on a forest reserve at Khao Yai Thiang in Nakhon Ratchasima for a protest designed as a prelude to a showdown in the capital to oust the government.
Today's rally aims to highlight a supposed double standards in law enforcement. The red shirts claim the government has failed to evict Privy Councillor Surayud Chulanont from his vacation home despite doubts in regard to his ownership of the property.
Red shirts began to congregate near the home, the designated rally site, yesterday afternoon.
A 1,000-strong riot force has been deployed at the mouth of a road leading to the rally site. Provincial Police Region 3 commissioner Lt General Dechawat Ramsompop was personally supervising the crowd control operation.
Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit called for Surayud to take responsibility for encroachment on the forest reserve and quit the Privy Council.
A leading figure such as Surayud, who had been a prime minister just after the coup, should know it was unlawful for him to possess the plot, Prompong claimed.
A Cabinet resolution dated April 29, 1975 allocated parts of the forest reserve for villagers to settle on but it did not permit the transfer of ownership from original settlers to outsiders such as Surayud, he argued.
Instead of promptly returning the plot to the state, Surayud chose to act in defiance of the law, he said.
Prompong claimed the authorities might mobilise about 5,000 people from certain northeastern provinces, including Buri Ram - the stronghold of faction leader Newin Chidchob - to hold a counter rally against the red shirts.
"I warn those trying to disrupt the red-shirt rally to stop immediately and the government must assume full responsibility if violence erupts," the Pheu Thai spokesman said.
He urged forest conservationists and concerned activists to step forward to help the red shirts protect the forest reserve.
But Democrat MP Sathit Pitudecha said the red shirts no longer had cause to attack Surayud after the Office of the Attorney General explained the reasons it had not prosecuted the former Army chief.
The OAG said there was no evidence of Surayud having any malicious intent to encroach on the forest reserve and he got the plot from a lawful owner.
Despite a Cabinet resolution banning land transfers to outsiders, there were no penalties for such an offence.
Prosecutors said any decision to "recall" the disputed plot was up to local officials. It depended on the discretion of forest authorities.
Another Democrat, Thepthai Senpong, said fugitive ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra attempted to question the impartiality of the justice system by telling half-truths.
Thaksin sent a Twitter note that alleged double standards. He said former PM Samak Sundaravej was convicted for a conflict of interest while Surayud eluded justice for "forest encroachment".
Thepthai said Thaksin omitted to mention the whole truth - Samak's verdict clearly spelt out evidence of intent while the prosecution order to drop all charges against Surayud was based on the lack of intent.
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