Red-shirt lawyers on Tuesday asked the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) not to allow bail for ex-prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his former deputy Suthep Thaugsuban.
Lawyers Karom Phonpornklang and Winyat Chartmontri were accompanied by relatives of protesters killed in the 2010 political violence when they handed the petition to DSI chief Tarit Pengdit.
Mr Abhisit and Mr Suthep are scheduled to report to DSI investigators on Thursday afternoon to acknowledge charges of authorising the killing of anti-government protesters by soldiers during the April-May 2010 violence in Bangkok.
Mr Karom said Mr Abhisit and Mr Suthep were facing serious criminal charges and could be sentenced to years in prison, or even death, on the murder charges if found guilty. Their cases were being closely watched by the international community and their requests for release on bail should not be approved.
These two cases should proceed in the same way as those brought against the red-shirts. This could be done by asking the court to detain the two suspects. If Mr Abhisit and Mr Suthep were to be released on bail they must also be required to strictly comply with bail conditions, the same as the red-shirts, he added.
Mr Tarit said after accepting the petition that he would quickly take it a meeting of DSI investigators for consideration.
There were two options in proceeding on these cases -- using the Criminal Code’s section 134 to seek permission from the court to detain Mr Abhisit and Mr Suthep for further questioning, or to consider releasing them at an investigator level on set conditions, he said.
The decision whether or not to allow bail for Mr Abhisit and Mr Suthep rests with the investigators, he added.
Mr Tarit said justice will be given to all parties and called on red-shirt group to accept the investigators’ decision, whether or not it is in line with their demand.