I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH CRACKDOWN, SAYS SOMCHAI

       Former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat has denied that he ordered a violent crackdown on the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) on October 7 last year.
       The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) ruled on Monday that it would file criminal charges against Somchai, then deputy premier General Chavalit Yongchaiyut, national police chief General Patcharawat Wongsuwan as well as other high-ranking police officers for malfeasance and their involvement in the crackdown.
       Two PAD protesters were killed and nearly 500 wounded when police fired teargas at them while they were protesting near Parliament and at the Metropolitan Police Bureau headquarters.
       Holding up a document on the resolution of a special Cabinet meeting on October 6 last year, Somchai said yesterday that Chavalit was the one given the responsibility of maintaining law and order after the PAD blocked the Parliament with the intention of obstructing the government's delivery of policies.
       He said the Cabinet did not order the use of violence to disperse demonstrators and that the police were just carrying out their duty in maintaining law and order.
       While the Parliament was besieged by PAD, Somchai called a special Cabinet meeting on October 6 at which it was resolved the police should help members of Parliament as well as members of the Lower House and Senate enter the building so the policy package could be presented as scheduled.
       Somchai told a press conference yesterday at the Pheu Thai Party headquarters that he believed the police and government officials on duty that day should be rewarded for a job well done rather than being punished.
       If there are similar incidents in the future, he said, the police would do nothing because they might be afraid of facing disciplinary charges later.
       As for the people wounded during the incident, the former premier said he wanted the cases to be further investigated to see how exactly they were injured.
       Somchai stressed that he had not given the police specific instructions on dealing with the protesters because his government was far too preoccupied with presenting its policy to Parliament before taking full control of the administration.
       The former PM said he was not denying his responsibility but wanted to present the truth, and that he would gather documents and information to clarify his defence and fight against his accusers.
       The NACC should investigate the crackdown against the red-shirted Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship during Songkran last year when military personnel and guns were used, but he added, no guns had been used in the crackdown on the PAD protesters.
       Somchai said he felt sorry for Patcharawat because he was facing criminal and disciplinary charges.