Police arrested two co-leaders of the anti-government People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) in Bangkok on Friday.
Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, a PDRC co-leader, is escorted from the National Institute of Development Administration, where he was arrested yesterday. He and other protest leaders have been charged with insurrection and illegal assembly. APICHIT JINAKUL
Officers from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) arrested Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, a former rector of the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida), at the institute late yesterday morning.
According to Tarit Pengdith, the DSI director-general and Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order (Capo) secretary-general, Mr Sombat was arrested while parking his car as he arrived at the Nida building in Bang Kapi district.
In the afternoon, another police team detained Yossak Kaisokayanont, a law lecturer at Kasem Bundit University, near his house in Soi Lat Phrao 91.
Both Mr Sombat and Mr Yossak were taken for questioning at the Capo on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road.
Mr Sombat was later taken by police to appear before the Criminal Court.
The PDRC co-leader was released on the order of the Criminal Court, which decided there were no grounds to justify detaining him.
It was unclear whether or not Mr Yossak was also freed yesterday.
According to Wanthongchai Chamnankit, a member of the PDRC team of lawyers, the court turned down a DSI request to detain Mr Sombat further because prosecutors had not brought an indictment statement along with the suspect to court.
Throughout Friday, the DSI tried to work with prosecutors to prepare the indictment documents to be presented to the court, Mr Wanthongchai said.
However, Mr Sombat was released before any indictment documentation was filed.
Mr Sombat said after his release yesterday that he had intended to surrender because he was an academic and had no plans to avoid arrest. He denied all the charges against him.
Mr Sombat and Mr Yossak are among 30 PDRC leaders named in arrest warrants recently issued by the Criminal Court as requested by the government.
The PDRC leaders have been charged with various offences including insurrection and illegal assembly.