‘Yellow shirt’ leaders facing possible prison sentence

The Thai Appeals Court has upheld a previous court decision over the involvement of 5 key Thai politicians and activists in violent 2008 demonstrations. A Thai TV news presenter and 3 former leaders of the disbanded People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), widely known as the “Yellow Shirts”, face a year in jail without suspension over their involvement in the 2008 violence.

For their key involvement in the protests, the Appeals Court found 5 offenders guilty of criminal association and causing unrest, among other offences. However, one of the former leaders, Somkiat Pongpaiboon, died last year during the trial.

Phuwadol Songprasert, Yuttiyong Limlertvatee, and Chitiphat Limthongkul, younger brother of a former PAD member, and Sondhi Limthongkul, are the other 3 former PAD leaders facing jail terms. The 4 suspects were given bail of 200,000 baht each by the court, according to…