Foreigners charged with inciting violence

Two foreigners have been charged for their part in Thailand’s red shirt riots.

Last Thursday at Pathumwan Municipal Court, Briton, Jeff Savage, 48, and a 30-year-old Australian citizen, Conor David Purcell, were indicted on rabble-rousing charges.

The accusations stem from the recent anti-government protests in Bangkok. Both men are accused of violating the government issued emergency decree during the protests. If convicted they could serve two years in prison.

During the two month long protests, the men are alleged to have provoked violence or arson in support of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD). The UDD, usually referred to as the red-shirts, have staged several anti-government demonstrations.

Mr Savage will appear in court again on July 28, while Purcell’s next hearing is in late August. Witnesses, including core Red-Shirt leader Dr Weng Tohjirakarn, are expected to attend. The men have been held at Bangkok Remand Centre since their arrests last month.

The two denied all charges. Purcell, who made inflammatory speeches on the Red-Shirts’ main stage, told reporters that he was sure he would beat the charges.

A video clip posted on YouTube supposedly shows Mr Savage saying that he and unnamed others were going to loot and burn CentralWorld, Bangkok’s biggest shopping centre, before it happened.

Mr Savage says that he did not go to CentralWorld, but was at Channel 3’s TV station when that was set alight. Mr Savage denies participating in the actual arson.

The two men appeared in court wearing prison garb. Savage, who comes from Kent, is said to have told reporters that Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was a murderer.