Thai ex-PM grilled over deadly rally crackdown

BANGKOK–Former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva reported to police on Friday for questioning over a deadly military crackdown he oversaw on mass opposition protests in Bangkok last year.

Abhisit, now opposition leader, smiled but made no comment to reporters as he arrived at the Bangkok Metropolitan Police headquarters, where he was summoned as a witness, according to an AFP reporter.

About a dozen protesters gathered outside with signs that read “Murderer” and “Whoever gave the kill order must face karma”.

More than 90 people, mostly civilians, were killed and nearly 1,900 were wounded during the April and May 2010 rallies, which drew about 100,000 “Red Shirt” demonstrators at their peak.

On Thursday Abhisit’s former deputy Suthep Thaugsuban, who was in charge of national security at the time of the demonstrations, was grilled by police.

It is the first time that top members of the previous government have been summoned for questioning over their handling of the protests, which ended when soldiers firing live rounds stormed the fortified rally site.

Thailand now has a new government allied to the Red Shirts’ hero, fugitive former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, whose sister Yingluck is prime minister.