Mr. Wirapol is
believed to be residing in the United States, after the court issued arrest warrant on him. The DSI
has been cooperating with the US authorities in order to have the former monk
extradited.

Now, it appears that such effort would not be needed, as Mr. Tharit Pengdit, the
chief of DSI, said he had been contacted by the appointed lawyer of Mr. Wirapol who had reportedly
assured him that his client wishes to turn himself in later this week – on 3 conditions.

Mr.
Tharit said Mr. Wirapol had requested that he is to meet with the DSI chief personally, that he
would be released on bail after the surrender, and that the DSI treat his case with
justice.

The DSI chief told our correspondent that the DSI will definitely fulfil Mr.
Wirapol′s, as DSI investigates with fairness, and allow suspects to bail themselves
out.

Mr. Wirapol can surely be released on bail if he could affirm the DSI that he will not
leave the country or attempt to disrupt the investigation in anyway, Mr. Tharit said.

She hopes that her husband, who was arrested and jailed in the closing days of 2010
Redshirt protests in Bangkok for violating security laws by possessing a radio transmitter in his
pocket, would be freed alongside other Redshirts prisoners currently imprisoned if the Amnesty Bill
is passed.

The draft of Amnesty Bill proposed by Mr. Worachai Hema, an MP of the ruling Pheu
Thai Party, is due to be debated in the Parliament on 7 August. It promises immediately release, and
amnesty, for Redshirts protesters jailed for their alleged crimes during the 2010
protests.

The prosecutor charged him with possession of explosives and
communication device, arguing that he was coordinating unlawful attacks on security forces. Mr.
Prasong′s wife contended that the charge and the evidence of explosives were falsely placed against
him, insisting that he was only carrying a small radio transmitter on that day.

Nevertheless,
the court decided that the prosecutor′s evidences are adequate, sentencing Mr. Prasong to 9 years and 4
months in prison.

In Ms. Jintana′s case, she and her daughter had to
skip work frequently in order to attend numerous court hearings in Bangkok. She had attempted to
have Mr. Prasong released on bail as he fought his case, but the court never granted it.

The woman told police she was riding home on her motorcycle when she saw a
man struggling to pull his motorbike along the road near Nong Samrong Power Plant.

She
reportedly offered the man, later identified as Mr. Settha Sinchai, 19, the ride home. He agreed and
tied his broken vehicle with the woman′s motorcycle, then rode off together toward Mr. Settha′s
residence in Pen District.

On the way, however, Mr. Settha allegedly kicked his helper,
knocking her onto the roadside. He later punched her in the face, she said, and attempted to
sexually assault herbut was distracted by the light of an oncoming car. The woman said she ran off
from him at the moment, and she was later rescued by by-passers on the highway.

The suspect
reportedly sped away on the woman′s motorcycle. When the police searched Mr. Settha′s house, where
he lived with his wife, they found the stolen motorcycle.

Apparently conscious of the rampant rumour about a possible military coup circulating
around the country, the army took pains to announce in advance the plans of various armoured
divisions to move their armaments for field work practice outside of Bangkok throughout the
month.

“This is not a preparation for a coup
d’état”, she stressed.

As anti-government protests were set to take place in Bangkok and
fears about possible unrest returned to the capital city, many are whispering that the military
might take advantage of the situation and put an end to the elected government of Prime Minister
Yingluck Shinawatra, similar to what had happened to her brother Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra in September
2006.

The rumours cited any unusual or unexplained development as evidence of looming coup,
including the trip of His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen from Bangkok′s Siriraj
Hospital, where they had been receiving prolonged treatments for their illnesses, to their seaside
palace in Hua Hin District, Prachuap Khiri Khan province.

The Eton-educated former leader was also accused by some on social network
of visiting Koh Samet only for photo-op and PR stunt.

The comedy Facebook page  “Somrak
Pak Puen Geng” (Somrak for Gay People Party) posted the picture with a caption saying that Mr.
Abhisit and his fellows were having “good time” at the beach, while other people carrying the pier
were wondering why wouldn?t Abhisit and his friends just stay home and follow the news on
TV?.

Later, the Facebook page of Blue Sky Channel, the TV channel allied to the Democrat
Party, clarified about the photo, saying that the landing pier is a normal way tourists disembark on
Ao Phrao. According to the statement, usually the pier is driven by a truck but as the vehicles were
unavailable today the staff at the beach had to draw the pier by hands.

The channel said the
Redshirts were trying to twist reality to smear Mr. Abhisit. It also accused Ms. Yingluck of
spending a marvellous time abroad, walking on the red carpet rather than caring about the oil
spill crisis in Gulf of Thailand, referring to Ms. Yingluck′s trip to some African nations at the
moment.

Meanwhile, PTT Plc announced an official apology statement, adding that they are they
are actively proceeding with the clean-up process which is 90% complete and expected to last at
least for another 2-3 weeks.

The company also launched a live broadcast on its website
showing the operation in Ao Phrao.

The Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order
(CAPO) has been formed following the invocation of 2007 Internal Security Act. The laws has been
enacted in 3 Districts of Bangkok. covering the locations of the Government House and the House
Parliament, around where the protesters are scheduled to rally on 4 August – 7
August.

Sparing no time in exercising the security law powers, the Centre has announced via
TV broadcast that 12 roads and streets in the 3 affected Districts would be sealed off from the
general public. Only those bearing permission from the Centre are allowed to enter these areas,
the statement reads.

The government has previously voiced its fear that the protests might be
infiltrated with potential troublemakers intent on causing unrest and casualties in order to inflame
the situation.

He said he believed the protest would be attended by at least 4,000
protesters, although other officials have put the figure as high as
10,000.

Pol.Maj.Gen.Parinya Chansuriya claimed that enactment of the Internal Security Act is
aimed toward preserving peace in the society. The police, he said, will adopt patience and tolerance
to prevent any chaos, and will only resort to using force when orders have been given.

Despite the security laws, Pol.Maj.Gen. Piya Uthayo, spokesman of the Metropolitan Police,
said he believed that the situation in Bangkok would continue as normal, but added that if anyone
notices any suspicious, they are urged to contact the police by dialing 191 and 1599
immediately.

The ant-government activists have vowed to overthrow the government of Ms.
Yingluck, saying it is a legacy of her brother former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra accused of
corruption and tyranny. They are also opposed to the amnesty bill which would be debated by the
Parliament on 7 August.

The bill would give amnesty to Redshirts protesters imprisoned for
their alleged crimes during the violent protests in 2010 against the government of then-Prime
Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Many Thais are reminded by the upcoming protest of the chaos in
2008 when the Yellowshirts launched a campaign to overthrow the government at the time, which was
allied with Mr. Thaksin.

That campaign saw occupation of the Government House and Bangkok′s
2 airports by the protesters, clashes on street between rival protesters, and concluded in the
collapse of the government after the court disbanded the ruling People Power Party.

A slight
chaos appeared to engulf the Government House even before the new wave of protests, though. Last
night, a fire broke out in the compound and was quickly extinguished afterwards.

Officials
dismissed report of sabotage, explaining that the fire was started when a careless individual threw
a burning cigarette end from the restroom′s windows into a pile of garbage just outside the
building.

The students, who study at Thammasat University, are
members of the activist group Liberal Thammasart for Democracy (LTTD). They were led by Mr. Panitan
Prueksakasemsuk, the son of Mr. Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, a former magazine editor currently
imprisoned on charge of lese majeste (insult of monarchy).

According to Thai lese majeste
laws, those who are found guilty of insulting the Royal Family face maximum of 15 years in jail per
offence.

Critics of the laws argue that lese majeste is of highly political nature, as most
of those punished under this law are allies of the Redshirts movement, such as Mr. Somyot, who once
served as editor of a (now defunct) pro-Redshirts magazine, and Mr. Surachai Daanwattanusorn, leader
of a more radical wing of the Redshirts called Red Siam.

Therefore, LTTD says, lese majeste
convicts are political prisoners similar to Redshirts protesters imprisoned for their alleged crimes
during the mass protests in 2010 which were ultimately crushed by the military.

To campaign
for more public awareness about the issue, around 10 members of the LTTD wore prisoners costumes as
they rode on the busy Skytrain from Victory Monument to Siam station and the heart of Bangkok′s
downtown, passing through Siam Paragon shopping mall and BTS Skywalk.

On the way, they
distributed pamphlets detailing the reasons why political prisoners should be released and the
dangers of imprisoning hose who think differently in our society. They received considerable
attention from the public as they made their way toward Ratchaprasong Intersection, the centre of
the Redshirts protests in 2010.

The amnesty will be like medicine that helps cure Thailand′s failure of legal
system, Mr. Panitan said.

On the same day, the Court of Appeals in Bangkok ruled against
allowing Mr. Somyot to be released on bail after he appealed his jail sentence. Ms. Sukanya
Prueksakasemsuk, Mr. Somyot′s wife, had posted bail money of more than 4 million baht and asked the
court for her husband′s release, saying he deserved the right to fight his appeal outside the
prison.

The court disagreed. In their statement, the judges wrote that Mr. Somyot′s case is
a crime that severely affects people′s feeling, and they fear that Mr. Somyot might try to escape
from legal prosecution if he is released on bail.

Phra Mahachaisiam Panyayakkhamo, the abbot of Wat Khao Saton
Temple in Chachoengsao province, was detained by police at a petrol station in Klong Luang district,
Pathumthani province. He was dressed in uniform of a Police Colonel at the
time.

Pol.Lt.Col.Jeerawat Peimpinseth told our correspondent that he spotted the self-styled
police officer acting suspiciously at a car wash in Petronas Gas Station, located on Phahonyothin
Road, so his team held him in custody and quickly discovered that the suspect was in fact a
monk.

The (real) officer said he became suspicious because the suspect was wearing pair of
sandals with his fake uniform.

Phra Mahachaisiam later admitted at the police station that he
usually disguises himself as Police Colonel when he went out of town on his Toyota in order to deter
any question from low-ranking police officers at checkpoints.

He told the police that he had
been in monkhood for 11 years, and had dressed as a police officer for more than 10 times without
getting caught. Prior to his arrest, he was using restroom and washing his car at the petrol
station. He commended Pol.Lt.Col. Jeerawat for having the wit to see through his
disguise.