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BANGKOK: A Thai court dropped charges of insurrection Thursday against the main leaders of a protest movement bidding to topple the government, two days after the worst street unrest in Bangkok for 16 years.
Two protest leaders were released on bail in rulings greeted by protesters as a victory in their fight against the government, which is looking increasingly crippled as judicial decisions mount against them.
The court rulings followed Tuesday's clashes between police and protesters which saw two people killed and hundreds injured, and left negotiations between the two sides in tatters.
The seven senior protest leaders not yet detained have promised to surrender to police on two lesser charges but show no sign of ending their campaign.
"Seven leaders will surrender ... after that we will bail ourselves out to continue our fight," Suriyasai Katasila, one the wanted leaders, told AFP.
Soon after emerging from prison, senior protest figure Chamlong Srimuang and fellow organiser Chaiwat Sinsuwong returned to the prime minister's offices, which have been occupied by their supporters since late August.
A giant roar went up from the crowd as the retired general Chamlong took to the stage, with thousands of jubilant protesters clapping and cheering.
"I am really, really glad that finally we can have justice," PAD supporter Sitharat Keyoonwong, 52, told AFP.
A court had issued arrest warrants for nine key leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) on August 27 -- a day after they stormed Government House -- and police had detained Chamlong and Chaiwat.
Thousands of anti-government protesters on Tuesday marched to parliament to try to stop Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat delivering a policy address.
Police moved in and the violence left 478 injured and two dead.
Somchai announced that the government would investigate Tuesday's violence, when police fired tear gas on the protesters trying to besiege parliament, and some retaliated with gunfire, authorities have said.
"The committee will investigate who is right and who is wrong, where the problem occurred and who resorted to violence first so that the public will be accurately informed," he told reporters.
He said he hoped it would prove the government had no role in the unrest.
"The government does not intend to harm anybody," he said after a Cabinet meeting which had to be held in an airport terminal converted for their use while the PAD protesters occupy their offices.
In another apparent blow to the government, a senator told AFP the Administrative Court had issued an injunction Thursday ordering police not to crack down on demonstrators, although the court was not able to give details.
That news came hours after the Appeals Court threw out the arrest warrants on three serious charges including treason for the protest leaders, and granted bail of 100,000 baht (2,900 dollars) for Chamlong and Chaiwat.
Two less serious charges of illegal assembly and inciting unrest remain.
Political analyst Thitinan Pongsudhirak said the ruling strengthened the hand of the protesters, who launched their campaign in May claiming the ruling party was too close to ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, Somchai's brother in law who was ousted in a 2006 coup.
"If they're on bail they can keep doing the act and still be under the law. It's a big game for them because now people cannot accuse them of being above the law," Thitinan said.
The PAD claims the ruling People Power Party is running the nation on behalf of Thaksin and only came to power because of vote buying in December elections.
The PPP has been beset by protests and court decisions against it, one of which removed Somchai's predecessor Samak Sundaravej from office last month.
Earlier, Thailand's army chief General Anupong Paojinda promised that the military would not launch a coup and would stay neutral as the crisis unfolds.
"The situation does not warrant staging a coup," he told Thai television, adding: "It's up to the government to decide what to do if it cannot contain the situation."
- AFP/ir
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