An arrest warrant was issued by the Supreme Court on Wednesday for Vipot Aponrat after it rejected the Palang Pracharath Party MP's final appeal against a four-year prison sentence for his role in the violent protest that closed down an Asean summit in Pattaya a decade ago.
Former Pol Lt Col Vipot did not show up at the Pattaya Provincial Court on Wednesday for the reading of the judgement, which immediately sent him to jail for four years and confirmed a fine for the incursion by red-shirt protesters at the Royal Cliff Beach Hotel in Pattaya in 2009.
Only his lawyer was present to hear the court issue a bench warrant for the Kamphaeng Phet MP's arrest shortly after the sentence was read out.
The ruling had been deferred from Dec 3, when he first failed to appear at the court. An arrest warrant was also issued at the time, ordering him to be present at the court on Jan 15.
The former police officer, who was a red-shirt leader, was among 18 defendants sued by prosecutors for leading the raid on the Asean summit in the resort city. Three were acquitted of the charges and three others are still at large.
Vipot seemed to know his fate when he said during a PPRP meeting on Dec 3 that the lead-party in the government coalition should support his son, Phetchphum, for a seat in parliament if his sentence was upheld.
Even so, he attended a parliamentary session on Dec 4, one day after the first arrest warrant was issued. This prompted House Speaker Chuan Leekpai to order an investigation into Vipot's presence in the chamber.
