Foreign Ministry lodges complaint against 'Red Shirt' leaders on confidential documents

BANGKOK, Dec 24 (TNA) - Thailand's Foreign Ministry on Thursday lodged a complaint with police, charging key leaders of the anti-government United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) with publicising

confidential documents and libel following a leak of classified materials on relations between Thailand and Cambodia.

Mr Chavanont Intarakomalsut, secretary to Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, said the ministry has assigned its officials to file a complaint against key UDD leaders including Jatuporn Prompan, Nattawut Saikua and Korkaew Pikulthong at the Crime Suppression Division for libel and releasing state's confidential documents and distorting facts, causing damages to the Foreign Ministry.

Mr Chavanont stated that the complaint is to protect the Foreign Ministry and to take legal action against Mr Jatuporn for releasing the documents last Friday.

The ministry is now considering whether to take further action against Mr Jatuporn for showing the nine-page documents again on Wednesday and against convicted ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra who publicised the
documents via renowned social network Twitter.com, according to Mr Chavanont.

The secretary added that the leaked nine-page documents are obviously about the ministry's situation evaluation and impacts in various aspects and levels, not aimed at harming or violating personal rights of any person.

Mr Chavanont urged Mr Jatuporn to stop publicising the documents as it could hurt Thai people and obstruct the work of the Foreign Ministry.

The document, leaked from the Foreign Ministry, was released last Friday by Jatuporn, a member of the opposition Puea Thai Party and UDD key leader. Mr Jatuporn claimed that it contained measures to threaten the
life of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejajjiva however said the document contained only an analysis of ways which Thailand should handle its relations with Cambodia in relation to Mr Thaksin and that the distortion of the document
was intended to create problems in and outside the country.

The Foreign Ministry set up a committee which included its officials and the Office of the Attorney General to investigate on how the classified materials on relations between Thailand and Cambodia were leaked to Mr
Jatuporn. (TNA)