Nearly 70 people have been acquitted of charges related to mass protests in Bangkok’s two airports in 2008, which lasted for about 10 days. The protesters, led by the People’s Alliance for Democracy, were opposed to a government aligned with ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The protests also saw the occupation of Government House for three months. The Bangkok Criminal Court ruled that the protesters had not committed serious criminal offenses and that their actions were protected under the constitution since they were peaceful and unarmed.
Witnesses to the 2008 protests reported acts of violence and intimidation by armed guards employed by the PAD, although the individuals acquitted in January and Friday were not found to be involved in such activities. Charges including rebellion and terrorism, which carry a possible death penalty, had been leveled against the 67 defendants in Friday’s case. Former PAD spokesperson Panthep Puapongpan welcomed the court ruling, stating that the actions of the protesters were considered to be for the greater good of the country as they were rallying against a government accused of abuse of power and corruption.
The protesters, popularly known as the ‘Yellow Shirts’ for wearing shirts of that color symbolizing loyalty to the Thai monarchy, occupied Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports during the 2008 protests. Demanding the resignation of the government loyal to Thaksin, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup following Yellow Shirt protests accusing him of corruption, the protesters defied court injunctions calling for them to leave. The siege ended after Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin’s brother-in-law, was forced out of office by a court ruling.
In 2011, the leaders of the People’s Alliance for Democracy were ordered by the Civil Court to pay millions in damages to the state airport authority, leading to their declaration of bankruptcy and the seizure of their assets last year. Thaksin’s return to Thailand in 2021 resulted in his imprisonment due to criminal convictions, eventually leading to his transfer to a state hospital due to reported ill health. After six months of hospital detention, he was released on parole. The ongoing conflict between Thaksin’s supporters and opponents has been marked by years of contention for power, culminating in the mass protests of 2008 and subsequent legal battles for the protesters involved.
