BANGKOK — Six former leaders of the Yellowshirt movement were sentenced to two years in jail today for occupying Bangkok's Government House for nearly four months during a protest in 2008.

All six defendants are founders of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), an umbrella organization of the Yellowshirt movement that first organized street protests against then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2005.

The 2008 protests were launched in an effort to oust the government led by a political party allied to Thaksin, who was removed in a coup in 2006.

Yellowshirt protesters erect barricades at the Government House, 28 August 2008

On 27 August 2008, tens of thousands of PAD protesters seized the Government House in Bangkok and held the venue as a headquarters until the protests came to an end on 3 December, following a court ruling that dissolved the ruling People’s Power Party.

The six men – Chamlong Srimueng, Sondhi Limthongkul, Pipob Thongchai, Somkiat Pongbaiboon, Somsak Kosaisuk, and Suriyasai Katasila – were found guilty today of intruding into a state agency and damaging public property.  

The criminal court dismissed the activists' defense that they tried to dissuade protesters from damaging property inside the Government House.

"Although the six defendants contested that they had no knowledge about the intrusion into the Government House by the demonstrators, and that they had tried to encourage the demonstrators not to cause damages inside the Government House, the court sees that those are only dubious claims that can be dismissed," the court said.

The verdict continued, "As for the defendants' argument that it was an unarmed protest, the court sees that intrusion into the Government affected the rights and liberty of others, and does not constitute as a peaceful assembly under the Constitution."

Another part of the verdict read, "Although the defendants have an intention to protect the national interest, they are guilty as charged." 

The court then handed down a sentence of two years in prison for each of the six leaders. 

PAD camp site at the Government House, 11 September 2008

Suwat Apaipakdi, the lawyer who represented the men, said his clients will appeal the court verdict. He said he has posted a bond of 200,000 baht for each defendant to secure their release on bail. 

The six PAD leaders are also facing separate charges for occupying Bangkok's two international airports as a part of their anti-government campaign in 2008.

The court has postponed the trial for the airport intrusions 18 times over the past six years. The latest postponement was ordered in December 2014, with a new trial date set in July 2015. 

BANGKOK – Ambassadors from twelve countries are visiting Bangkok today as a part of the Foreign Ministry's effort to form a new diplomatic bloc that promotes Thailand's standing in the international community, a government spokesperson said.

"They visited Thailand through our program of creating a network of alliances for Thailand – called Friends of Thailand – which has been formed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," said Maj.Gen. Weerachon Sukhonthapatipak.

The diplomats, who are ambassadors to the United Nations, hail from Antigua and Barbuda, Burundi, Central African Republic, Comoros, Dominican Republic, Gabon, Ghana, Kiribati, Hungary, Nauru, Vanuatu, and Cameroon.

According to Maj.Gen. Weerachon, junta chairman and Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha met with the UN ambassadors today and told them that Thailand is undergoing a period of national reforms, and will hold an election by September 2016. 

"The Prime Minister and the government will not interfere [with the election]," Maj.Gen. Weerachon said. "And he insisted that he did not want to hold on to power, and is not seeking personal gain. He is enduring all of this for his country. In the past, various conflicts prevented the country from moving forward, so it was necessary for him to step in and take care of the situation. And he insisted that Thailand is building a sustainable system of democracy." 

Gen. Prayuth overthrew an elected government on 22 May 2014 following months of pro- and anti-government protests, which claimed lives of more than 30 people.

His military government and steady suppression of civil rights has come under criticism from democratic nations, including the United States and the European Union, who have said that full-scale diplomatic relations will be not be restored until Thailand returns to democratic rule.

Analysts say the junta has responded by seeking closer ties to other superpowers who are more accepting of the regime, such as China and Russia. 

Speaking at a press conference today, Maj.Gen. Weerachon told reporters that representatives from all twelve nations expressed support for Thailand's military government. 

"The diplomats spoke with one voice, that Thailand is a good place to live, and it is full of friendship," Maj.Gen. Weerachon said. "They also gave moral support to the administration, which has clearly proven to them that it is working to benefit the Thai people and spread happiness. The diplomats unanimously agreed that in order to move the country forward, stability and national security have to come first, then other things will follow." 

The "Friends of Thailand" ambassadors did not ask any questions related to "allegations about human rights violations" in Thailand, the spokesperson added. 

On the one-year anniversary of the coup last week, Human Rights Watch published a report describing how the junta has "systematically" suppressed human rights in Thailand. The report noted the junta's ban on political activities and protests, regular intimidation of the media, and use of arbitrary detention and martial courts. 

In the latest act of repression, police forcefully broke up an anti-coup protest organized by student activists in Bangkok that marked the first anniversary of the coup. More than 30 students were arrested.

"A full year since the Thai military declared martial law and took power, we are seeing how peaceful dissent is still being steamrolled in the streets," Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Director saidon 22 May 2015. "The authorities must respect and even protect peaceful dissent and lift draconian restrictions on expression and assembly in Thailand – in law and practice."

BANGKOK – Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) listened to testimony from student activists who say they were abused by security officers who forcefully broke up their anti-coup protest last week.

The protest was organized by student activists in front of the Bangkok Art and Culture Center in downtown Bangkok on 22 May 2015 – the first anniversary of the coup d'etat that brought the current military junta to power.

Plain-clothed officers drag a student activist away from the BACC anti-coup protest on 22 May 2015.

The demonstration was planned as a peaceful “sit-in” that would last 30 minutes, but security officers (mostly plain-clothed) quickly moved in and aggressively dragged each student away, arresting all 33. They were released the next morning without charges.

Niran Pitakwachara, director of the NHRC's subcommittee on civil rights, told reporters today that the Commission spoke to some the students who were at the protest last week.

"During the crackdown, many students were physically assaulted. They were beaten and kicked," Niran said. "Some also reported being electrocuted. And there were reports of security officers lifting the students up and throwing them on the ground, and of officers taunting students to fist fights."

The students provided video footage and photographs of the crackdown to the NHRC as evidence, Niran said.

Female officers drag a student activist away from the BACC anti-coup protest on 22 May 2015.

Public protests of any kind are currently banned by the military junta, known formally as the National Council for Peace and Order. Police also arrested activists who held two other small gatherings to mark the coup anniversary on 22 May 2015 in Bangkok and Khon Kaen province.

Kraisak Choonhavan, another member of the NHRC, said he believes the students' protest was lawful.

"I don't think the students have done anything that is above the boundary of the laws," said Kraisak. "It's just their expression of opinion may be different to the government. Based on the subcommittee's inquiry, we found no instance of the students violating other people's rights." 

Kraisak said the NHRC will summon police and military officers who were involved in breaking up the 22 May protest to give testimony next week. 

However, speaking to reporters today, junta deputy chairman Prawit Wongsuwan dismissed the allegation that security officers abused the students at the protest.

"We didn't suppress anyone, and security officers did not harm the students," said Gen. Prawit, who also serves as Minister of Defense, "There were [problems] when they tried to control the situation, so there were slight clashes. It is because the students broke the laws."

The general added, "We have opened space for them to speak, but the space is not opened for display of conflicts. Anyone who broke the laws has to be treated accordingly."