Abhisit, Suthep to testify on protest deaths this week

Former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his former deputy Suthep Thaugsuban will this week testify before the city police's panel re investigating the deaths of 16 people during last year's anti-government protests.

Mr Abhisit, who was prime minister at the time of the unrest but is now opposition and Democrat Party leader, said yesterday he had agreed to testify before the Metropolitan Police Bureau's panel on Friday.

However, Mr Abhisit said the investigators had made the request at rather short notice, which would leave him only three more days _ minus the pubic holiday on Monday _ to prepare official documents necessary for his testimony.

Mr Abhisit and Mr Suthep are required to testify regarding their roles in handling the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship rallies in April and May last year, which featured deadly clashes between protesters and soldiers and concluded in widespread rioting.

Mr Suthep, who was a deputy prime minister in charge of internal security at the time the protests erupted last year, said he had also received a request to testify and he would do so on Thursday.

The request came after he had requested a postponement of his testimony to mid-December, which the police investigators said was too close to their deadline to wrap up the probes into the 16 deaths.

Mr Suthep said he would try his best to compile documents necessary for his testimony.

He said he had already appointed a lawyer in case he faces charges after giving his testimony.

The lawyer will accompany him when he testifies before the Metropolitan Police Bureau's panel.

The 16 deaths being investigated, including that of Japanese photographer Hiroyuki Muramoto, are among the 92 total deaths that resulted from last year's political violence which city police are probing.

The city police have taken over the investigations from the Department of Special Investigation, as ordered by Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung, who reasoned that the DSI's probe into the deaths had not made sufficient progress.