Thai protest leaders' bank accounts to be frozen

Thailand's Department of Special Investigation (DSI) will have the bank accounts of 18 anti- government protest leaders frozen, local media reported on Thursday. The DSI has also summonsed 17 leaders, including Secretary- General of the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) Suthep Thaugsuban, to report to the DSI on Dec. 26-27 to acknowledge sedition charges, DSI Director General Tarit Pengdith was quoted by the Nation newspaper as saying. The DSI will also freeze two bank accounts of the PDRC, Tarit said, adding all the accounts will be frozen indefinitely until cases against these leaders are complete. Banks will be asked to hand over the accounts' transaction details over the past six months to help with investigation, he said. Tarit also warned against continuing to offer financial assistance to protests, saying that those who do so will risk being charged with aiding and abetting crimes. The DSI on Monday would also press sedition charges against more second-tier protest leaders, according to Tarit.