Thai protesters get boost from court

A protest group seeking to unseat Thailand’s government was buoyed Thursday by court rulings that ordered insurrection charges dropped against its leaders and called for the authorities to use “soft means” to quell demonstrations.

The court actions came after violent clashes Tuesday between police and protesters. Much of the media and professional and academic groups said the government had used unnecessary force.

The fighting left 423 protesters and 20 police officers hurt, medical authorities said. One woman was killed, and a man died in what appeared to be a related incident. It was the worst political violence since 1992, when the army killed dozens of democracy demonstrators rallying for the ouster of a military-backed government.

The People’s Alliance for Democracy, which is seeking to topple the new government of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, continued to roar its defiance of the authorities and challenged them to a showdown. They accuse Somchai of being merely a proxy for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup for alleged corruption and misuse of power. Somchai is Thaksin’s brother-in-law.

“It is the final war. We cannot lose. If we lose, the country will be gone,” top protest leader Sondhi Limthongkul said from the grounds of the prime minister’s office compound, which the protesters have occupied since Aug. 26.

A day later, arrest warrants were issued for the alliance’s nine leaders. Only two have been arrested, and they were released Thursday.

The Appeals Court revoked three of the five charges on the warrants -- insurrection, stockpiling of weapons and refusal to disperse. It said it would issue new warrants with the two remaining charges of inciting a public disturbance and illegal assembly, which carry prison terms of seven and three years, respectively.

Sondhi said he and his colleagues would report to police and apply for bail today.

Police insist they only used tear gas and that some demonstrators may have been hurt by explosives they were carrying themselves. Reporters saw police using stun grenades.

Protesters said their gathering was peaceful, but many used iron rods, slingshots, firecrackers and bottles to attack police. At least three protesters were seen carrying guns.

The Administrative Court instructed authorities to “use soft means before using tough measures when they disperse protesters in the future.”