BANGKOK, Oct 5 (TNA) - Core leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) which has been demonstrating calling for the ouster of the Thai government for over four months said Sunday that the pending
negotiations between between the activists and the authorities are unlikely to happen due to the arrests of two PAD chiefs. PAD core leader Somsak Kosaisuk said the arrests showed the government to be insincere and that the PAD leaders would "not hold talks with irresponsible people". His remarks were made after PAD core leader Maj-Gen. Chamlong Srimuang was arrested early Sunday after casting his ballot in the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) election to choose a new governor. On Friday, police apprehended PAD core leader Chaiwat Sinsuwong, who is now being detained at Bangkok Special Prison.
Police on August 27 issued arrest warrants for nine of the group's leaders on charges of insurrection, conspiracy, and illegal assembly on the part of more than 10 persons and refusing orders to disperse. The warrants imposed on the nine leaders spelled out serious criminal charges punishable by death or life imprisonment. The charges were filed after the PAD seized Government House, the seat of the Thai government, as well as several ministries and state agencies on August 26 in a bid to oust the government which it accused of being a proxy of ousted, fugitive prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. PAD members and supporters have occupied Government House since then. The coalition government assigned Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh to negotiate with the Peoples' Alliance core leaders with the intention of ending Thailand's political deadlock shortly after the new administration took office late last month. Asked whether the arrest of Gen. Chamlong was a PAD plan to mobilise more critics of the government to gather, core leader Pipop Kosaisuk said "the government created the conditions, and it is its duty to solve the problem.
"The PAD will continue demonstrating peacefully", Mr. Pipop asserted.
Meanwhile, about 50 PAD members processed to Region 1 Border Patrol Police headquarters in suburban Pathum Thani where Gen. Chamlong is being detained. The activists were able to meet and give him morale support after police gave the permission to visit. Two PAD lawyers said that on Monday they will petition the Criminal Court to revoke the arrest warrants issued against the nine coalition core leaders because they held that the charges against them were against the law. But a spokesman of the Royal Thai Police insisted on Sunday that the police only performed their statutory duty in arresting Gen. Chamlong as warrants for the arrest were issued for the nine PAD core leaders. The police spokesman said the Appeals Court is scheduled to rule Monday afternoon whether to revoke arrest warrants requested by the nine. If revoked, the case would be contested under a judicial process, he said. (TNA)
Political News : Last Update : 16:27:41 5 October 2008 (GMT+7:00)
Chamlong Srimuang 
Police in Thailand have announced the arrest of Chamlong Srimuang, a retired general and former Bangkok mayor who is one of the leaders of protests against the current government. Chamlong and other protesters who have occupied government buildings for several months accuse the incumbent government of acting as proxy for deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Chamlong is the second of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD - Thai: พันธมิตรประชาชนเพื่อประชาธิปไตย) protest leaders to be arrested; Chaiwat Sinuwong was arrested on Friday as he left the occupied prime minister's compound. Former mayor, Chamlong had today left the security of the protest site to vote in the city's elections.

Protests have been ongoing, led to a September, 2006 military coup, and have centred around corruption allegations initially championed by Sondhi Limthongkul against Thaksin Shinawatra who the coup deposed and left in exile for in excess of a year. Following the dissolution of Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party, and an October, 2006 election, the protesters have focused on removing what they perceive as Thaksin's ongoing influence on the country's government. In June then-PM Samak Sundaravej and his cabinet narrowly survived a no-confidence vote. Last month saw him replaced with the incumbent, Somchai Wongsawat following a court decision. Somchai was appointed as the result of a parliamentary vote, protesters are particularly incensed at this as he is former PM Thaksin's brother-in-law.

Charges of insurrection, illegal assembly, and inciting unrest have been brought against nine of the protest leaders, including Chamlong; police have vowed to arrest all the protest leaders although there are no plans to employ force to carry this out. The charge of insurrection in Thailand is the equivalent of treason, the sentence can be life imprisonment or even the death penalty.

Government proposals for the deputy prime minister, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, to negotiate with the PAD have been scuppered by the two arrests. According to the Thai News Agency, the leaders of the PAD state that the negotiations are unlikely to take place now. The arrests were described as indicating the government was not sincere and the PAD will "not hold talks with irresponsible people".

The outstanding arrest warrants are for the PAD founder, Sondhi, the group's leaders and spokesman, Somsak Kosaisuk, Pibhop Dhongchai and Suriyasai Katasila, MP Somkiat Pongpaibul, and protest organisers Therdpoom Chaidee and Amorn Amornrattannond. An appeals court challenge against the arrest warrants is pending and a decision is expected Monday; if the warrants are revoked, it is expected that the Royal Thai Police will instigate a judicial process to contest this.