Lawyer Robert Amsterdam Responds to Arrest Threats from Democrat Party of Thailand

BANGKOK, Oct. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- During a visit to Thailand this week to both meet with political prisoners and to press for accountability for the 2010 killings of protesters, international lawyer Robert Amsterdam responded to threats of arrest issued by members of the recently ousted Democrat Party.

According to reports in the media, Democrat MP Watchara Phetthong is demanding that the police place Mr. Amsterdam under arrest. This is in response to a complaint Mr. Watchara filed alleging a violation by Mr. Amsterdam of Thailand's draconian lese majeste law which occurred in the publication of a white paper detailing the Army's responsibility in the 2010 massacre of Red Shirt protesters in Bangkok.

"It is very disappointing that instead of open, civil debate, members of the Democrat Party prefer to threaten jail," said Mr. Amsterdam.  "In the past we have exhaustively shown that Mr. Watchara's allegations are groundless, and this inappropriate abuse of the law to protect himself and his party from accountability is gravely offensive."

Amsterdam continued: "These are serious matters which require serious dialogue between all parties. The last thing that the Thai people need is to feel frightened and intimidated when they are speaking out about what happened on the streets of Bangkok in April and May 2010. As far as I know, there is no law in Thailand against requesting justice and urging accountability of the Army."

Robert Amsterdam is a founding partner of the law firm Amsterdam & Peroff LLP, and serves as counsel to the former Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra and members of the United National Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD).  Further information on this case can be found at http://www.robertamsterdam.com/thailand.  

SOURCE Amsterdam & Peroff LLP