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BANGKOK : One of the key leaders of the protests that forced prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to step down has defied a subpoena over an alleged insult to Thailand's revered king, police said Monday.
Media tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul, a one-time Thaksin ally who became his most vocal critic, had been ordered to meet police Monday for questioning over
his statements during a rally in March.
Instead, Sondhi sent his lawyer Suwat Apaipakdi, who brought a letter denying that he had insulted the king along with evidence and nine proposed witnesses in his defence.
Suwat said Sondhi could not comply with the subpoena because he was leading a new anti-Thaksin rally in the eastern town of Sa Kaew.
He asked that his appearance before police be postponed to May 17 but police refused the request.
"We will issue another subpoena for Sondhi but the exact date has yet to be decided. If he fails this time, he will face arrest," said Vinai Thaongsaeng, head of the Central Investigation Bureau.
Suwat accused police of making a politically motivated move against Sondhi.
"It's clear that politicians are trying to discredit Sondhi," he told AFP.
Sondhi could face 15 years in prison if convicted of insulting the 78-year-old king, considered a serious crime in this country where the world's longest-reigning monarch is revered.
Sondhi's remarks appeared in a Thai newspaper last month.
The paper apologised for publishing the comments and suspended publication for five days as it pleaded for royal clemency.
Repeating an insult to the king is also a crime in Thailand.
Suwat said Sondhi would file a lawsuit Tuesday against the police, accusing them of misleading the public about his remarks.
Sondhi led two months of street protests against Thaksin, accusing the outgoing premier of corruption and abuse power.
In a separate case, Sondhi and four other protest leaders have been summoned to appear before police on April 20 on charges of threatening national security.
The protests, which unfolded peacefully in Bangkok over two months, and an opposition boycott undermined April 2 elections which Thaksin's party won, forcing the premier to step aside and casting doubt on when parliament will open.
Thailand will hold 39 by-elections on Sunday in a bid to fill seats left empty by the boycott.
Thai law requires all 500 seats to be filled for parliament to convene as scheduled on May 1.
Sondhi's coalition of anti-Thaksin forces, known as the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), agreed to suspend their rallies in Bangkok after Thaksin stepped aside on April 4.
But they are launching a series of rallies in the countryside, where Thaksin still enjoys widespread support because of his rural aid programs.
The group's spokesman Suriyasai Katasila said the PAD wanted to bring its message to the countryside in hopes of drawing more people to their next planned protest in Bangkok after parliament convenes in May.
Even though Thaksin has stepped aside, the PAD has demanded that he leave
politics entirely. - AFP/ch
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