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Thai police arrest key protest leader

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-10-05 10:54

BANGKOK- Thai police arrested a key leader of a month-long protest inside Bangkok's Government House compound on Sunday, the opposition movement's television channel said.

Chamlong Srimuang, an ascetic Buddhist and retired general who has been a driving force behind the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest, was detained in a Bangkok suburb when he went to vote in the city's mayoral elections, PAD television said.

A court issued arrest warrants for Chamlong and eight other PAD figureheads on August 27, the day after thousands of protesters broke into government ministries and a state television station before overrunning the prime minister's official compound.

The nine were accused of inciting unrest and trying to overthrow the elected government, charges that amount to treason and can carry the death penalty.

However, police were unable to execute the warrants since the nine refused to leave the Government House compound, where hundreds of PAD protesters have barricaded themselves in.

The first of the nine to be arrested, Chaiwat Sinsuwong, was picked up at his home on Friday after leaving the compound.

There was no immediate comment from the police about Chamlong's arrest.

New Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has tried to open negotiations with the PAD, who accuse him of being a political proxy for his brother-in-law, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was removed in a 2006 military coup.

However, no real talks have started and there has been little prospect of the PAD, which claims to be acting in the name of revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, leaving Government House any time soon.

After a meeting with the opposition leader and parliamentary leaders on Friday, Somchai said all sides had agreed on the idea of reforming the constitution drawn up by the army after the coup as a possible way out of the current stalemate.