BANGKOK — Thailand's military junta leader and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha took his new Cabinet ministers to Siriraj Hospital yesterday to take oaths before the King of Thailand, who reportedly did not give a speech as is tradition.

"His Majesty the King did not give any speech," said Deputy Prime Minister Visana Krua-ngam.

King Bhumibol usually gives a brief, scripted speech to newly sworn-in Cabinet members and Prime Ministers. 

It was the first time the 86 year old monarch has made a public appearance since he was admitted to Siriraj Hospital earlier this month, reportedly for an annual medical examination.

His Majesty previously spent several years at Siriraj Hospital to undergo surgeries and other medical operations. Prior to his most recent hospital stay the King Bhumibol was recovering at his summer retreat, Klai Kang Won Palace.

On his birthday last year, 5 December 2013, His Majesty the King appeared to struggle through a speech given to an audience of government officials and military commanders. An official later explained that it was normal for an elderly person to have difficulty reading a script.

His Majesty the King's health is a cause of anxiety for many Thais. The monarch has been on the throne for more than 60 years and is widely credited with bringing stability to the kingdom. 

First Cabinet meeting next week

Prime Minister Prayuth, who also chairs the junta's National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and serves as commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army, said the new Cabinet will meet for the first time on 9 September. 

Prior to the formation of the new interim government, Thailand was under the sole rule of the NCPO, which seized power from the elected government on 22 May.

Yet nearly one-third of the new Cabinet members are former or active military officers, and the NCPO has retained the power to unilaterally intervene into government affairs at any time.

Asked by a reporter yesterday how he felt about leading the nation's semi-civilian government, Gen. Prayuth replied, "I feel that I have to work hard from now on."

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BANGKOK — The Office of Attorney-General has postponed its decision on whether to pursue charges of corruption against former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in court, citing an incomplete investigation.

Wanchai Rujanawong, a spokesperson for the Attorney-General office, said the AG and the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) will form a joint committee to strengthen the case against the former leader, who the NACC says failed to stop alleged corruption in her government's rice-pledging policy that cost the state more than 500 billion baht in damages.

The NACC is now requesting the Attorney-General take up the case and try Ms. Yingluck in court. If found guilty, the former Prime Minister faces up to 10 years in prison.

However, Mr. Wanchai explained today that the case filed by the NACC is incomplete. He said the NACC’s file only included photocopies of the cover pages – not content – of reports published by the Thailand Development and Research Institute (TDRI) that allegedly expose the corruption in the rice-pledging scheme.

According to Mr. Wanchai, the NACC must also prove that Ms. Yingluck had the authority to put an end to the alleged corruption and neglected to address abuses she was aware of.

"Further investigation is needed, otherwise the court may acquit her," Mr. Wanchai said. 

The rice subsidy scheme – a key policy of Ms. Yingluck’s administration – involved purchasing rice from farmers at almost twice the market price. The policy caused huge financial losses for the government and incurred harsh criticism from a number of financial experts. Earlier this year, thousands of rice farmers marched to Bangkok after the government failed to pay them on schedule.

In July, Ms. Yingluck insisted on her innocence and vowed to contest the NACC's accusations in court. She has been maintaining a low profile since the military seized power and toppled her government on 22 May. 

BANGKOK — Two Redshirt demonstrators accused of burning down a shopping mall in Bangkok during the political unrest in 2010 were acquitted by a Court of Appeals this morning.

Saichol Paebua and Pinij Channarong were charged with arson and violation of an Emergency Decree for allegedly torching the Central World shopping mall on 19 May, the final day of the mass Redshirt protests in Bangkok in 2010.

A Court of Appeals acquitted the pair of the arson charges this morning, affirming the previous court verdict.

“None of the witnesses presented by the prosecutor actually saw the defendants at the scene when the arson took place,” Winyat Chartmontri, the lawyer who represented Mr. Saichol and Mr. Pinij, said after the ruling. “The prosecution witnesses’ testimony was not sufficient.”

However, Mr. Saichol and Mr. Pinij were found guilty of violating the Emergency Decree, which banned public protests in the capital city, for participating in the demonstration near Central World.

The pair was sentenced to nine months in prison, but the court ruled that they are not required to serve the sentence as they have already spent time in prison awaiting trial.

Mr. Saichol and Mr. Pinij, who were 26 and 28 on the day of the incident, were imprisoned between May 2010 and March 2013, when a lower court found them not guilty. Despite a lack of new evidence or testimonies, the prosecutor filed an appeal three months after the defendants walked free.

“I am so happy that the charges against me are dropped,”  Mr. Pinij said tearfully as he exited the court this morning. “I would like to thank the court for giving me mercy and justice.”

The Office of Attorney General has the right to contest today’s verdict, but the prosecutor must secure consent from a judge in the Court of Appeals to proceed with the appeal, said Mr. Winyat, the pair’s lawyer.

Central World and dozens of other buildings were targeted by rioters on 19 May 2010 as the military moved in and cracked down on the anti-government Redshirt protesters who had been occupying the financial district of Bangkok.

For many Bangkokians, the arson attack on Central World, one of the largest shopping malls in Bangkok, became a defining moment of the political unrest that had gripped the capital city for months.

Critics of the Redshirt movement, such as the Yellowshirts and the Democrat Party, have frequently accused Redshirt leaders of engineering the arson attack and used the Central World incident to paint Redshirt protesters as “terrorists.”

More than 90 people, mostly civilians, were killed in clashes between demonstrators and security forces in April-May 2010.