Four of 13 “red shirt” anti-government agitators incarcerated at Pattaya Remand have been released on bail pending appeal to the Supreme Court. They were convicted for storming the 2009 ASEAN summit at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort.
Payap Panket, Somyot Promma and Worachai Hema were released on 1.5 million baht surety around 10:30 p.m. Aug. 18 while Nisit Sinthuprai – facing additional charges in Military Court – was expected to be released several days later.
The three were greeted by United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship members, who had appealed twice for bail for the jailed red shirts. Payap, who was hospitalized for mysterious swelling in May, and Somyot immediately were whisked away in a car while Worachai lingered outside to the prison to pray at the shrine there.
He thanked the Supreme Court for allowing bail and promised to lie low and stay with his family while on temporary release.
Bail appeals are pending before the court for Samrerng Prachamrua, Singthong Buachum and Wanchana Kerddee. The high court previously rejected bail applications for the remaining six, including red shirt leader Arisman Pongruangrong.
The Appeal Court in March upheld the Pattaya court’s 2015 ruling sentencing Arisman and the 12 cohorts to four years in prison for the April 11, 2009 protest that prompted the evacuation of world leaders via helicopter and dealt an embarrassing blow to Thailand’s world reputation.
In its decision, the appellate court upheld the entirety of the Pattaya Provincial Court’s decision convicting them of defying an order prohibiting rallies of more than 10 people and violating traffic regulations. At the same time, it denied bail for all the defendants, all of whom appealed.
