Police charged them of assaulting others whose punishment is not more than Bt2,000 and/or a fine of not more than Bt2,000.

They however denied the charges.

Deputy Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Pol Maj Gen Kamon Kaewsuwan identified the duo as Charan Kong-orn, 43, a rubber worker of Surat Thani and Chaisit Lohmar, 42, a taxi motorcyclist.

Speaking at a press conference after they surrendered to Pathumwan police, Kamon said that after checking into their background, they had no criminal record.

The yesterday's surrender came about as the police tried hard to distance themselves from the two men who were being sought after by the country's media and antigovernment groups.

Pol Colonel Manit Wongsomboon, deputy commander of the Metropolitan Police Division 6, maintained that the two men were not police officers.

The two men, one dressed in black and another one in peach coloured shirt, were caught on camera and photographers as punching and kicking the handful of antiThaksin protestors as uniformed police office looked on.