Police inspect a room belonging to Sgt-Maj Chakrit Chantra in Muang Thong Thani yesterday.

Relatives of car-bomb suspect Lieu-tenant Thawatchai Klinchana and the Law Society of Thailand yesterday cried foul over the release of a police video recording of him making a confusing confession, saying it violated his rights.

"It's unconstitutional. This is an abuse of the suspect's rights," said Somchai Homla-or, who heads the law society's human-rights committee. He described the release as an attempt by police to portray the suspect as guilty in the eyes of the public.

Caretaker Bangkok Senator Seri Suwanpanont also described the release as a breach of the Constitu-tion, which says a suspect is innocent until proven guilty.

Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and police have treated Thawatchai's case as a foiled plot to assassinate Thaksin in an explosion. Thawatchai was arrested last Thursday while getting into a parked Daewoo car that was loaded with explosive devices, not far from Thaksin's house.

Thaksin told a meeting at his Thai Rak Thai Party headquarters yesterday that more people behind the attempt on his life would soon be arrested.

At the same time, Staff Sergeant Apipon Klinchana and Sangworn Klinchana, the elder brother and wife of Thawatchai, publicly complained about the release of Thawatchai's confession.

"Please give my husband justice," Sangworn said yesterday, after visiting Thawatchai. She also distributed written complaints to reporters.

In the complaints, the family said a man in the recording whom police described as Thawatchai's lawyer is a complete stranger. They said Thawatchai thought police just wanted to talk to him, and did not know that it was a questioning session when he was being filmed.

Thawatchai appointed a lawyer on Sunday and, according to the law, his lawyer must be present when he is interrogated.

The complaints insist Thawat-chai confessed only to getting into the Daewoo car, but not to anything further, as detailed by government officials.

During his six days in police custody, Thawatchai has not

implicated anyone else. Currently, he is charged with one count of possessing explosives. He remains a suspect in the alleged foiled plot to blow up Thaksin, but no further charges have been laid.

Apipon yesterday said his brother stood by his only statement, that he got into the Daewoo car without knowing it contained bombs and that he drove the vehicle on August 22, 23 and 24 only.

Police have said the car aroused suspicion earlier this month when it appeared near Thaksin's motorcade.

Somchai of the Law Society said police are now seen as trying to portray Thawatchai as a culprit, and as someone trying to seek political gain.

"The release of the video recording reflects the fact that the Royal Thai Police are not adhering to normal investigation procedures now," he said. He pointed out the release defied a recent Royal Thai Police order that photos of suspects must not be made public.

Lawyer Apisan Yenboonsong said the Law Society of Thailand had assigned him to help with Thawatchai's case. "I don't think the suspect had any intention to assassinate the premier," he said.

An informed source disclosed yesterday that Thawatchai had his Thai Rak Thai membership card in his wallet when arrested. It belonged to the very first batch of Thai Rak Thai membership cards.

In a related development, police yesterday searched the apartment of another suspect in the foiled assassination plot. The suspect was identified as Staff Sergeant Chakrit Jantara, 31. Inside his apartment, a TV set was still on and witnesses said Chakrit appeared to have left the place in a hurry, just half an hour before police arrived.

Chakrit's pickup has been seized for checking. The pickup appeared on a route that was going to be used by Thaksin's motorcade on August 9.

After it left the scene, a Daewoo car - which is believed to have been the same vehicle as that found with explosives last Thursday - was found in the lot where the pickup had earlier been.

An informed source said police investigators are also keeping a close watch on a colonel who paid for the Daewoo car.

Crime Suppression Division chief, Maj-General Winai Thongsong, said yesterday he had spoken to Thawatchai about his family's complaints and Thawatchai had undertaken to talk to his family to help them achieve a better understanding of the situation.