The Unlawful Court yesterday dismissed a lawsuit filed towards Lt Gen Manas Paorik, former mouthpiece commander of the third Army Region plus another defendant who have been alleged to have illegally possessed military-grade weapons.
The ruling favoured Lt Gen Manas, 73, and Wattana Sapwichien, 59, who were arrested by prosecutors associated with participating in an unlawful organisation and possessing war weapons without having permission.
According to their attorney, Chokchai Angkaew, the particular court ruled in preference of the defendants as it decided the evidence was too weak to aid the accusation against them.
The accusation concerning a criminal organisation was also dismissed, Mister Chokchai said.
Lt Style Manas was amongst 13 suspects wanted by the Crime Suppression Division (CSD). Police arrest warrants were issued by the Saraburi army court in 2014.
Call him by his name cropped up when crucial suspects were hauled in by troops as they confiscated caches of war weaponry in Ayutthaya’s Wang Noi district, Lop Buri’s Muang district and Samut Sakhon’s Krathum Baen area at the time.
Lt Gen Manas, a close aide to deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, had been accused of being at the rear of the “men in black”, or the hooded gunmen who fought army troops during the red-shirt protests.
Among the some other suspects, former PM’s Office minister Jakrapob Penkair, who continues to be at large, is thought to have provided funds to help the organisation procure war weaponry to battle the Someones Democratic Reform Panel in Bangkok plus nearby provinces. The weapons included M16 assault rifles along with ammunition, TNT and C-4 explosives.
But Lt Gen Manas denied having anything to perform with the so-called “men in black”.
He furthermore denied knowing Mister Jakrapob well, stating he had only voiced to him as soon as when he was your PM’s Office minister.