Watana summoned by military for comments on student arrests
The 14 arrested students of the New Democracy Movement must be tried in the military court as required by the law, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said on Tuesday.
Mr Wissanu was responding to a call by the students for trial in a civilian court, not a military court.
The 14 students were arrested last Thursday for violating a National Council for Peace and Order order prohibiting a political gathering of five people or more. The law requires they be tried in the military court, he said.
Mr Wissanu said if the students did not seek release on bail, they would be detained for a period as stated by the law. If they were not indicted by the end of that period, they would be freed.
If they were indicted, the military court would have jurisdiction to detain them until a judgement was reached, he said.
Anusit Kunakorn, secretary-general of the National Security Council, said that instead of causing a disturbance and wasting their time, the 14 students, now detained at the Bangkok Remand Prison, should join the reform effort to help improve the country.
The NSC chief believed the students would not put up further resistance since the NCPO had not overused its power to persecute anyone.
As for a group of writers who came out to support the students, Mr Anusit said, they should understand the government's true intention to bring about reforms and reconciliation.