A woman and a guard for the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship have been sentenced to prison for detaining and attacking soldiers during red-shirt rallies in 2009.

On 15 Oct, the Criminal Court found Naruemon Warunrungroj and Kittisak Chinkhajon guilty of forcing with arms, detaining, and assaulting others during red-shirt rallies on 25 Feb 2009.

The two were the third and fourth defendants in the case who appeared in court, while the first two, Sonchai Sidi and Prachuap Bunsantia, are at large.

Naruemon was sentenced to one year in prison under Section 295 of the Criminal Code, and Kittisak three years under Section 309 (2) of the same law.

After the verdict was read, both defendants were immediately held in custody and sent to prison.

Their lawyer Suphap Phetsi requested their release on bail, placing 300,000 baht and 100,000 baht as cash guarantees for Kittisak and Naruemon, respectively.  However, the court sent the bail petitions to the Appeals Court for consideration, which will take about 3 days.

According the indictment, on the night of 25 Feb 2009, the four defendants forced and threatened Sgt Amnuay Thongrin and Pvt Watchara Saensikaew, who had been assigned to observe the red-shirt rallies.  The defendants locked them in a steel barricade near the rally stage, and physically assaulted them.  Naruemon was alleged to have used a 2-foot wooden stick to hit Sgt Amnuay, causing his head to bleed.  

In a separate case, Naruemon, 50, had previously been accused of firing at a military helicopter on 10 April 2010, and been detained for one year, 4 months and two days, without bail, before being acquitted by the court.

Source: http://www.prachatai.com/journal/2012/10/43176