Military arrests leader of protests in Thailand
BANGKOK – Thailand’s new military government moved against two of its top targets on Thursday, capturing a top organizer of protests against its recent takeover and launching a probe into the finances of the former elected prime minister.
Protest leader Sombat Boonngam-anong himself was the first to announce his own arrest, posting a message Thursday night on his Facebook account saying simply, “I’ve been arrested.”
Thai media later reported that Sombat, also known as Nuling, was captured in a house in Cholburi province, about two hours east of Bangkok.
Sombat had defied an order from the new military government to report to the authorities, and went into hiding, going online to organize anti-coup protests in Bangkok.
The website of the newspaper Khaosod reported that he was arrested by police officers of the Technology Crime Suppression Division working with the army, and that he had been traced on the Internet by the National Intelligence Agency.
Sexual harassment ruled illegal in Egypt
CAIRO – Egypt’s outgoing president on Thursday decreed sexual harassment a crime punishable by up to five years in prison, a much-anticipated move toward combating the abuse deeply rooted in this Mideast country.
The decree was among several last-minute decisions by President Adly Mansour who is to hand over power on Sunday to president-elect, Egypt’s former military chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
In another significant decision, Mansour issued a decree on parliamentary elections and the division of parliament seats between independent candidates and political parties ahead of the upcoming national balloting, expected in a few months. The distribution of seats is important since the decree gives three quarters of the seats to independent candidates, thus weakening political parties and tips the balance of power in favor of the president.
Associated Press
