BANGKOK — A Thai junta spokesperson has denied that four men were tortured in military custody last week, and threatened to take legal action against those who spread the allegation.

The Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Center released a statement yesterday accusing the military of torturing the four men, who were recently arrested in connection with an alleged "terrorism network" that plotted to stage bomb attacks in Bangkok. 

According to the lawyers, the four suspects were tortured into making false confessions by military officers from 9 – 15 March, when they were held for interrogation at an army barrack.

Col. Winthai Suwaree, spokesperson of the junta, said he has investigated the claim and determined it to be "untrue." 

"Such information is intended to distort the facts and damage the credibility of security officers," Col. Winthai said. "We may further investigate the suspects who provided this information, or certain ill-intentioned individuals who are trying to spread such false information." 

He added, "Our legal team may be involved in the investigation into the details." 

The four men, identified as Sansern Sri-unruen, Charnvit Jariyanukul, Norapat Luepol, and Wichai Yoosuk, have been accused by police of participating in a plot to "create chaos" and draw an intervention from the United Nations by staging bomb attacks around Bangkok.

Police say the same network was responsible for the grenade attack at the Criminal Court on the night 7 March. No one was injured in the explosion, which caused minor damages to the court’s parking lot.

At least 17 arrest warrants have been issued in connection with the case so far. 

One of the four suspects, Sansern, told Prachatai news that he was slapped, punched, and kicked by soldiers during the interrogation. He also showed burn marks on his legs that he said were from elecotrocution, which military officers reportedly applied "30-40 times" becasue he refused to confess. 

Sansern Sri-unruen shows traces of alleged electrocution on his leg applied by soliders [Prachatai].

However, Col. Winthai  argued that there was no reason for the military to coerce suspects into confessing, as confessions obtained through informal interrogation do not have any binding effect in court.

"The information obtained at that level [of interrogation] is only used for preventing and deterring [violent] incidents, in order to restore peace and order in society so that there won't be any further violence," the spokesperson explained.

"When the military transfers detainees to the police, there are physical check-ups that are clearly documented as evidence. No one can distort those facts. I insist that security officers proceed with everything in accordance with the laws and international principles. Such accusations amount to listening to one side of the story and accusing the officers, which contradicts with the legal profession. Lawyers should investigate the facts clearly first."

The four men have been charged with premeditated murder, causing an explosion that potentially harms other individuals or properties, illegally possessing war weaponry, possessing and using firearms and ammunition without permit, carrying weapons into residential areas without due cause, and using firearms in residential areas without due cause. 

Under martial law, which was imposed by the junta after it seized power from an elected government in May 2014, security officers can search properties and detain individuals for up to seven days without court warrants.

BANGKOK (DPA) — The criminal case against Thai former premier Yingluck Shinawatra will be heard in the Supreme Court in May, the court said Thursday.

Yingluck is indicted for her alleged role in a corruption-plagued rice price subsidy scheme, and could face up to 10 years in jail for failing to prevent the loss of billions of dollars.

The trial will open at the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Person Holding Political Positions on May 19, a nine-judge panel ruled Thursday.

Yingluck, who was overthrown in May in a coup led by current Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha, has denied any wrong-doing in the scheme to help the country's impoverished rice farmers.

She has described the case as politically motivated and said she will face trial rather than fleeing abroad to avoid prosecution.

Her elder brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was also overthrown in a coup, in 2006, fled the country to avoid a two-year jail sentence for abuse of power in the sale of Bangkok real estate.

In July, the National Anti-Corruption Commission found Yingluck guilty of negligence for failing to stop the rice subsidy program even after government losses had grown to an estimated 500 billion baht (15.2 billion dollars).

The finding led to her impeachment in January, banning her from politics for five years, and to her indictment in February, starting the current criminal trial.

The rice scheme was popular in the north-eastern provinces, which remain the main political stronghold of Yingluck's Pheu Thai Party.

But it was plagued by persistent corruption and allegations of incompetence, with thousands of tons of unsold rice left to rot in storage facilities.

CHUMPHON — Over 30 foreign tourists were forced to flee for their lives after their tour bus suddenly caught fire on a highway in southern Thailand this morning.

Police were first informed about the fire in Chumphon province at 4 am this morning, but firefighters were not dispatched until an hour later, causing some tourists who were waiting at the scene to boo as the firefighters arrived.

No one was injured in the incident, but the driver of the tour bus, Pongpan Daengduan, said all of the tourists’ bags were lost in the fire because of the delay.

The burning bus on 41 Highway in Sawee district in Chumphon Province, 18 March 2015.

According to Pongpan, 4o, the bus belonged to a tour company called Choke Mali Daeng. He said he picked up 34 European tourists from Khaosan Road in Bangkok on 7:30 pm yesterday to drive them to a ferry port in Surat Thani province, where the passengers would take boats to Koh Samui island. 

The driver said an electrical failure occurred while he was driving, after which he promptly parked the bus on the side of the road. He then smelled smoke and heard a loud noise from the engine.

"So I shouted at the tourists who were sleeping, I woke them up and told them to flee," Pongpan said, adding that he and the passengers had to use emergency exit on the lower part of the bus because two other doors were shut down by the electrical problem. 

Pongpan told police he called police after he was unable to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher.

Police are investigating the incident. 

BANGKOK — The former nurse detained by the military for six days and charged with terrorism has now been accused of insulting the Thai Royal Family, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Nattathida Meewangpla, 36, was charged with lese majeste (defaming the monarchy) yesterday. She is also facing terrorism charges for her alleged involvement in a network that plotted to stage bomb attacks in Bangkok.

The lese majeste charge was filed by Col. Wicharn Joddaeng, a high-ranking officer in the Internal Security Operation Command (ISOC), a Thai counter-insurgency agency.

According to Col. Wicharn, who heads the ISOC's department of laws and human rights, Nattathida copied a text that insulted the monarchy from one chat room and posted it in two other chat groups. 

Col. Wicharn filed documents about Nattathida's interrogation and photocopies of the chat log to Crime Suppression Division as evidence. 

Criticizing the the King, Queen, or Heir-Apparent is outlawed under Section 112 of Thailand’s criminal codes. In practice, the law is interpreted to cover any content deemed insulting to the monarchy. Those who quote or republish lese majeste content have also been convicted of the crime.

Soldiers took Nattathida from her home on 11 March to an unspecified location for six days, during which she was not allowed contact with the outside world. 

The ruling military junta initially denied detaining Nattathida, but later conceded on 17 March after she was transferred from military to police custody and accused of participating in an alleged terrorism plot. 

According to police, Nattathida assisted a group who planned to stage five bomb attacks around Bangkok. Police say the group was also responsible for the grenade attack at the Criminal Court on 7 March. 

Nattathida is currently being held in a Bangkok prison while she awaits trial in martial court.

In response to outcry from human rights activists about Nattathida's detention, junta chairman and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha clarified yesterday that the military merely "invited" Nattathida "to talk."

"We didn't arrest her at all. We simply invited her at her home for a talk, and she came," Gen. Prayuth said. "If we had announced it, there would have been a panic."

Nattathida was a key witnesss in a court inquiry that deemed soldiers responsible for the deaths of six civilians at a Buddhist temple during the military crackdown on Redshirt protesters in 2010. Nattathida was working as a volunteer nurse inside the temple during the shooting, which left two other medics dead. 

The junta has insisted that her detention was unrelated to the court case. 

The prosecution of lese majeste suspects has risen considerably since the junta seized power last May, drawing criticism from human rights groups who say the law is abused to restrict free speech. Gen. Prayuth, considered a hardline royalist, has also granted military courts – which do not permit appeals – jurisdiction over lese majeste cases.