Thai trial over coup to be public

Press, 10 January 1986, Page 6

Thai trial over coup to be public

NZPA-AP Bangkok The Bangkok Criminal Court ruled yesterday that the trial of those charged in an attempted coup against the Thai Government would be open to the public. The Court began hearing the first witness yesterday. The first hearing, originally scheduled for early last month, had been postponed because of a disagreement between the public prosecutors, who wanted the trial closed, and the defendants’ lawyers, who wanted it open. A civil rights lawyer, Thongbai Thongpao, said yesterday that the Court held that most of the information about the coup attempt on September 9 and

the 40 alleged participants had been released to the public. The defendants, who include a former Prime Minister, Kriangsak Chomanand, and several retired high-ranking military officers, have been charged with sedition, which carries a maximum penalty of death.

Mr Thongbai, who represents nine labour union leaders and an academic in the trial, said the Court also declared that witnesses could ask to give some testimony in secret if they deemed it neccessary for the sake of national security. He said the Court would consider that case by case.

The first witness, Com-

mander-In-Chief of the Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Prapan Dhupatemiya, testified that he persuaded the plotters not to use the Air Force for fear that it might escalate the situation, Mr

Thongbai said. Four people, including two foreign journalists, were killed in the attempted coup, which was crushed in 10 hours by forces loyal to the Prime Minister, Prem Tinsulanonda. He said he was taken against his will to the rebel headquarters in the early hours on the day of the coup. He said he told Kriangsak that he would not permit the Air Force to be used for the coup. Kriangsak replied: “Quite right.”