Former Thai PM testifies over political unrest

BANGKOK, December 10 (TNA) - Thailand's former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Friday testified for the first time to police over last year's deadly political unrest. The testimony came after police issued summons for the former premier over the April-May unrest, in which 91 people including two foreign journalists were killed and more than 1,800 were wounded. Abhisit, now Thailand’s opposition leader, said he had been summoned to the Bangkok Metropolitan Police headquarters as a witness to the events. He told reporters after about three hours of questioning that he had informed the police that his deputy Suthep Thaugsuban had been in charge of the security operations during the period. Suthep, who was grilled by police earlier on Thursday, was head of the government's Centre for the Resolution of Emergency Situation (CRES), which was set up to deal with the unrest but had since been disbanded. Abhisit said he told the police about his role at the time as prime minister who ordered the creation of the CRES, but that as for the CRES's operations, he was not the one in charge--CRES director Suthep was. On Friday, about a dozen protesters gathered outside the Metropolitan Police headquarters with signs that read "Murderer" and "Whoever gave the kill order must face karma". (TNA)