ROSES FOR RED-SHIRT LESE MAJESTE SUSPECT
- Published: 30/05/2011 at 05:33 PM
- Online news: Politics
- A group of red-shirts of the June 24 for Democracy Group rallied and laid red roses and red paper birds in front of the Bangkok Remand Prison on Monday morning.
- Songchai Wimolpatranont, the group chairman, said the activity was to mark the first month of the detention of Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, a core member of the group, who is being detained on lese majeste charges.
- He called for those in power in the government to stop using Article 112 of Criminal Code, which relates to lese majeste, to intimidate the people and infringe on their rights and liberties.
- Mr Songsai also asked the director-general of the Corrections Department to take good care of the red-shirts still in detention at various prisons.
- The group would set up a stage in front of the Bangkok Remand Prison on Monday evening and its members would take turns speaking. The activity would end before midnight, he said.
- Meanwhile, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) said on Monday it arrested Lerpong Wichaikhammat last week on a charge of lese majeste as a Thai citizen, even though he also holds US citizenship
- DSI deputy chief Yanpol Yangyuen said his department regards Mr Lerpong as a Thai because he still holds Thai nationality.
- Mr Lerpong applied for a new ID card in 2009. He opened a language school and had a trading business in Nakhon Ratchasima's Wang Nam Khiew district.
- Mr Lerpong is also still receiving a 500 baht monthly subsistence allowance from the War Veterans Organisation, Pol Col Yanpol said.
- When arrested last week, Mr Lerpong said he is not a Thai citizen and had told foreign news media that he was a foreigner being arrested and charged in Thailand, Pol Col Yanpol said.
- The DSI had supplied the US embassy with this information, he said.
- The DSI had evidence enough to charge Mr Lerpong, also known as Joe W. Gordon, 55, with lese majeste, he said.
- The evidence included an IP address and communication equipment which showed he operated the website "Nor Por Chor USA" from his house in Nakhon Ratchasima. Thai alphabet characters Nor Por Chor were then widely used initials for the Thai name of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD).
- Mr Lerpong posted articles containing lese majeste content on the website using the name of Sin Sae Jiew, according to the DSI deputy chief said.
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