Thai government mulls to sue Thaksin''s lawyer

Bangkok, Feb 2 (TNA) Thai Deputy Prime Minister SuthepThaugsuban said that his government is considering filing acase against "Robert Amsterdam", a Canadian lawyer ofconvicted ex-Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, with theInternational Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague.

Suthep, who oversees national security, acknowledgedyesterday that the Thai government is looking into possiblemeans to file the case with the ICC.

According to the Thai deputy premier, the move is acounter act against the Canadian lawyer-- who earlier filed apetition with the ICC to seek its probe and ruling on analleged crime case against-humanity committed by the Thaigovernment and Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, resulting inthe death of 91 people in Thailand, mainly anti-governmentred-shirt protesters, in April-May last year.

Amsterdam alleged that Thailand''s Democrat Party-ledgovernment set the stage for its deadly crackdown against thered-shirts, aligned with Thaksin. He alleged that they had agroup of state security officers camouflaged as mysteriousarmed men in black to launch fatal attacks on Thai soldiersdeployed to suppress the red-shirt protesters.

Arsonists were also hired to set fire to buildings inBangkok during the country''s political riots last year tojustify the government troops'' deadly crackdown on thered-clad protesters, he alleged.

The Thai deputy premier claimed that the Canadian lawyerhas acted against Thailand in return for a huge sum of cashrewards by the exiled ex-Thai premier and declared him apersona non grata for Thailand.

Suthep said that the Thai government will clarify theissues against Thailand accused by Thaksin''s lawyer to theinternational community to restore Thailand''s image andreputation, and that his government has accelerated itsofficial investigation on last year''s political unrest and thecause of the 91 fatalities. (TNA)