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Police have arrested five suspects accused of launching several M79 and bomb attacks in Bangkok and elsewhere during the redshirt protests in May.
The five suspects are Wallop Phitheephrome, Somkhid Makwong, Wanchai Sangkhao, Anant Meerod and Chatchai Phokhanuphrab.
Police say Wallop admitted to being behind 12 M79 attacks, including four in Chiang Mai on a business office owned by the fatherinlaw of key government ally Newin Chidchob.
There were no details about the other four suspects. They were allegedly caught possessing many bombmaking materials, explosives, a homemade pistol, munitions and a pickup truck that police say was used in launching the attacks.
They have been charged with possessing explosives and firearms without permission.
The five suspects were also behind many grenade or bomb attacks throughout Bangkok, including an attack on a branch of Bangkok Bank near Pratunam.
Police chief Pol General Wichean Potephosree did not say whether the five men were members of the redshirt movement.
Wallop was the first suspect arrested due to an extensive police investigation into an M79 attack on September 12 on Chiang Mai Construction Co Ltd in Muang district. He was arrested on Monday night at a petrol station in Bangkok in a pickup, found to have also been used in many attacks he allegedly undertook.
Meanwhile, red shirt leader Jatuporn Promphan yesterday said he never threatened to harm another red shirt, former actor Methee Amornwutthikul, who is now a key Department of Special Investigation (DSI) witness, neither facetoface nor over the phone, as Methee had claimed.
Pheu Thai MP Jatuporn was speaking after meeting yesterday with a senior prosecutor. The prosecutor will act soon, at the request of DSI chief Tharit Phengdit, and appeal to the Criminal Court to no longer allow Jatuporn a temporary release from detention after the current parliamentary session ends.
The MP denied ever speaking to Methee, now under DSI witness protection after he was offered immunity from prosecution in exchange for testimony against Jatuporn and other red shirt leaders, for their alleged roles in funding and ordering terror attacks during the redshirt protests in May.
Jatuporn called on Tharit to produce evidence or audio clips of his words threatening to kill or harm Methee.
The MP said he had called on red shirts to not stage a counterrally against their rivals, the People's Alliance for Democracy, who are now protesting outside Parliament, or get near the area.
"If there is anyone staging a rally nearby, I call for arrests of those people, because they are the fake reds," he said.
Somyos Phrueksakasemsuk, a leader of the June 24 Democracy movement, accused the government of a double standard, for allowing the PAD yellow shirts to use loud speakers during their rally while threatening to arrests red shirts for doing the same.
He said each redshirt rally always drew a minimum 5,000people while the PAD rally now had a lot fewer people.
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