A Red Shirt protester has been acquitted in a case related to an explosion at a 2014 Yellow Shirt protest. He faced five charges related to explosives in 2014, and has now been acquitted on three.

37-year-old Yongyuth Boondee, known as “Daeng Shinjang”, was accused, along with others, of possessing explosives and firearms without authorization and of firing on a 10 March 2014 protest on Chaengwattana Road, organized by the People’s Alliance for Democracy, also known as the Yellow Shirts.

According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, Yongyuth has been detained at the Bangkok Remand Prison since 9 September 2024 pending trial on the other four charges related to incidents in 2014.

Apart from the five charges in question, other charges were also filed against him by state officials under the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) junta.

However, of the five cases in connection with explosives and firearms in 2014, he has been acquitted of three, including the latest one. 

In this case, he faced four criminal charges: attempted murder, carrying a gun in a public place without permission, and two charges in connection with the Firearms and Control of Armament Acts.

Yongyuth testified that his interrogation record on 20 July 2014 was the only evidence presented by the prosecution, and argued that the record was unreliable as it was made with threats and intimidation while he was detained at a military camp.

The Criminal Court ruled on Wednesday (15 October) to dismiss all charges against Yongyuth, stating that the prosecution provided only hearsay evidence. Witnesses also testified that they were not able to clearly see the perpetrator.

In addition, the fact that Yongyuth pleaded guilty at the time was because he was forced to do so without the presence of a lawyer.

Yongyuth currently remains in prison, pending verdicts in two other cases scheduled for 28 October.

Yongyuth joined the red-shirt movement in 2011. A red afro wig, red tank top and red pants were his signature costume at Red Shirt rallies which he regularly attended.

Since then, he has faced an array of charges. After the 2014 coup, he was summoned by the NCPO and put into military custody where he said he was physically assaulted, intimidated, and forced to plead guilty by the military.

Yongyuth has been accused of involvement in several cases, some of which have already concluded. In some cases, he was convicted and served his sentence, while in others, the court acquitted him due to insufficient evidence. However, in recent years, new charges have been brought against him.

Notably, in several of these new cases, Yongyuth was previously listed as a prosecution witness against others.