Thai coup protest leaders detained on court order

BANGKOK, July 26 (Reuters) Nine leaders of a violent anti-coup protest in Thailand were ordered to jail today after being charged with organising an illegal demonstration, instigating unrest and obstructing police.

Police took several hours to remove the nine, a mix of academics opposed to last September's military coup and supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, from the court, which was packed with around 80 distraught family and friends.

The group denied the charges and refused to apply for bail after the Criminal Court gave police permission to detain them for two days to fingerprint them and conduct further inquiries.

''I will not acknowledge the court's decision,'' former Thaksin spokesman Jakrapob Penkhair said as anti-coup demonstrators booed and jeered, some shouting ''There is no justice in this country''.

Police carried one protest leader, former judge Manit Jitchanklab, out in his chair after he refused to budge from the courtroom.

About 30 protesters gathered at the police station, shouting anti-coup slogans as the nine were marched inside for the night.

They are due to appear in court tomorrow.

Sunday's clashes injured around 100 police and demonstrators during a rally outside the house of former prime minister and chief royal adviser Prem Tinsulanonda, whom Thaksin loyalists say masterminded the coup.

Six protesters were arrested for throwing rocks and bottles at police lines during the incident, the first outbreak of violence since the removal of Thaksin in what was Thailand's 18th coup in 75 years of on-off democracy.

As a result of the trouble, the army-appointed government has said any future protests must stay within the confines of Sanam Luang, a large parade ground in front of the glittering spires of Bangkok's Grand Palace.

ARMY MAY STEP IN Police have also been told they can use force, including tear gas and batons, to break up unruly demonstrations.

''Initially, the government will let the police control the situation. If they can't, then the army will come in either by emergency decree or martial law, depending on the situation,'' Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas told parliament.

At face value, the coup stemmed from middle-class street protests in 2006 against Thaksin's autocratic style and huge personal wealth, which his opponents say he wielded unfairly to secure unassailable support from rural voters.

But analysts say it was as much about a royalist military and corporate elite removing a nouveau riche, ethnic Chinese businessman who had encroached too far on their traditional turf.

Thaksin was in New York at the time of the coup and has spent most of the interim in London, where he has bought an English football club, or travelling round Asia playing golf and giving interviews and lectures.

Reuters PD GC2029