Permission was given due to the large number of prosecution witnesses - almost 200 - who are based in the southern province, plus 25,000 pages of witness statements.

Vatana Asvahame, a former deputy interior minister and the 11th defendant, and nine other defendants failed to show up at the courthouse with no reasons stated, while Suwaphol Inthawong, the fifth defendant, pleaded not guilty to all four charges against him.

All the defendants have been ordered to attend an extra preliminary session on May 29 at 9am, while the first five prosecution witnesses, including state officials, were allowed to provide their accounts for state examination on May 11, May 29, and June 1, with or without cross-examination.

Explaining their decision to allow the state examination on May 11, the judges said: "The absence of the 10 defendants has caused an unnecessary delay in the trial, as public prosecutors are unable to make their opening statements without them being present. The provision of paperwork by public prosecutors for the defendants and their lawyers will take more time."

Vatana and the defendants have been accused of illegally encroaching on a total of 8,735 rai of public land and forest areas, 987 rai of which are in reserved areas.

The Criminal Court accepted the case on November 30 last year.