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Thai police arrest opposition leader

Anti-government news mogul Cheunruethainaitham detained under emergency law

Thai police made their first arrest of a senior leader of anti-government protests for violating the country’s emergency law yesterday.

Police detained anti-government news company Tnews’s former managing director Sonthiyarn Cheunruethainaitham, said Department of Special Investigation director-general Tharit Pengdit.

Under the state of emergency law, a suspect can be held for 30 days without charge, but police must seek request for detention every seven days.

Mr Pengdit described the prominent protest leader as “a chief-of-staff” for the movement and the “second most important figure” after protest chief Suthep Thaugsuban.

“We will continue arresting more protest leaders who have violated the law in the same way,” Mr Pengdit said.

Arrest warrants have been issued for 19 anti-government leaders on charges of violating the special law.

Authorities sought court approval yesterday for the detention of 13 other leaders on the same charges.

Mr Cheunruethainaitham is being held for questioning at a border patrol police base in the capital Bangkok’s northern outskirts.

Elsewhere in the city, more than 1,000 farmers protested outside the government’s temporary headquarters over its failure to pay for rice bought under a subsidy scheme that the caretaker administration admits it is struggling to fund.

Troops stood guard behind a barbed wire fence at the Defence Ministry offices while 30 farmers’ representatives were allowed inside to meet Commerce Minister Niwatthamrong Bunsongphaisan and Finance Minister Kittirat Na-Ranong.

But the delegation left after just 30 minutes, saying there had been no progress.

“We will not put up with this any longer,” said Network for Northern Farmers president Kittisak Ratanawarahal.

“We will seize government rice warehouses around the country so the government can’t swindle us anymore.”

The farmers have kept their distance from the broader protest movement, whose leaders have tried unsuccessfully to make common cause with them.

“We are not yellow and we are not red,” said a sign held up by one farmer, referring to Thailand’s colour-coded political divide.

“We are only here to remind you about our rice.”

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