BANGKOK, June 26 — Thirteen red shirt detainees, charged with torching the Mukdahan provincial hall and intruding into government offices, were released Tuesday from Lak Si temporary prison in the capital.
The release came after the Mukdahan court last Friday granted bail to the detainees, convicted for their roles in the political unrest in 2010 for trespassing state-owned buildings, damaging assets and setting the city hall and municipal offices on fire in the northeastern province of Mukdahan on May 19, 2010.
It was the same day red shirt leaders terminated their marathon anti-government protest at Ratchaprasong in Bangkok’s prime business area.
Earlier, the Mukdahan court ruled that the 13 United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) supporters face 20 years and eight months in jail but the court later granted temporary release with Bt2 million bail bond each, as petitioned by the Lawyers Council of Thailand and the Department of Rights and Liberties Protection.
Welcomed and encouraged by some 150 UDD supporters with red roses, the 13 red shirt activists thanked the Courts of Justice and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, saying that they planned to return to Mukdahan.
Diagnosed with being stressed after being imprisoned for a year and a half, all 13 are now patients of Khon Kaen Rajanagarindra Psychiatric Hospital.
Meanwhile, the Lawyers Council of Thailand on Wednesday will submit a petition seeking the temporary release on bail for another 14 persons detained by the Bangkok court.
