Thai caretaker gov't to arrest 19 protest leaders

  Twelve taskforces will be set up to arrest the 19 leaders of Thai anti-government protesters, who are under arrest warrants issued by the Thailand Criminal Court, a minister said Thursday Chalerm Yoobamrung, labor minister of Thailand caretaker government Thursday said there will be no violence against protesters during the arresting operation of the 19 leaders of the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC). Chalerm, who is also director of the Center for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO), said Thursday that the CMPO is seeking arrest warrants against other 39 PDRC leaders for violating the emergency state. Meanwhile, Chalerm said, some 1,000 volunteers and police will be deployed to take back the Interior Ministry, which is being sieged by protesters, within four days. In a latest move, the Criminal Court of Thailand Thursday issued an arrest warrant for a senior monk for allegedly disrupting the Feb. 2 election. The monk, Luang Pu Putta Issara, earlier led the rally outside the Lak Si district office in Bangkok on Feb. 1 to block the delivery of voting ballots ahead of the Feb. 2 general election. The rally then turned into a clash between protesters and pro- government supporters, leaving at least eight people injured while resulting in the cancellation of voting in Lak Si.