Former Thai Prime Minister Indicted For Murder Over 2010 Protest Crackdown

Abhisit Vejjajiva denies the charges

Bangkok (CNN) — A Thai court on Thursday indicted former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on murder charges over a bloody crackdown on anti-government demonstrators in 2010 that left around 90 people dead.

The indictment, during a closed court session, comes at a time when Bangkok has been shaken by a new round of destabilizing protests. These are led by allies of Abhisit, who is now leader of the opposition Democrat Party.

Bandit Siripan, the lawyer for Abhisit, told CNN that the former premier denied the murder charges against him and was freed after posting bail of 1.8 million baht (US$56,000).