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| A Thai court on Thursday ordered the release from detention of a prominent leader of the protest movement seeking to overthrow the government, a case that highlights the movement’s influential backing amid Thailand’s debilitating power struggle. | A Thai court on Thursday ordered the release from detention of a prominent leader of the protest movement seeking to overthrow the government, a case that highlights the movement’s influential backing amid Thailand’s debilitating power struggle. |
| Sonthiyarn Chuenruethai-naitham, who has been described by the Thai media as an adviser to the Crown Property Bureau, the agency that manages the massive royal fortune, was arrested by the police on Monday for his role in organizing the protests. The government said it would continue to detain Mr. Sonthiyan on separate charges of rebellion. | |
| He was described by Tharit Pengdit, the secretary general of Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation, as the “second-most important” person in the protest movement. | He was described by Tharit Pengdit, the secretary general of Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation, as the “second-most important” person in the protest movement. |
| The court ruled Thursday that Mr. Sonthiyan should be released because the authorities had already obtained sufficient information from him, according to the Thai media. | |
| During three months of protests against the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, a powerful tycoon living in self-exile, it has never been fully clear who was backing the protest movement. The conflict has divided the country between supporters of the governing party in the north and its detractors in Bangkok and the south. | During three months of protests against the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, a powerful tycoon living in self-exile, it has never been fully clear who was backing the protest movement. The conflict has divided the country between supporters of the governing party in the north and its detractors in Bangkok and the south. |
| The news media have published a list, which was described as a leak from the authorities, of backers of the protest movement that included a number of major Thai corporations. Mr. Tharit, whose department is the equivalent of the F.B.I., said that some of the names on the list were correct. | The news media have published a list, which was described as a leak from the authorities, of backers of the protest movement that included a number of major Thai corporations. Mr. Tharit, whose department is the equivalent of the F.B.I., said that some of the names on the list were correct. |
| The government says that Mr. Sonthiyarn was a major financial planner and strategist for the protests and that he could provide further insights into the efforts to overthrow Ms. Yingluck and her allies. | The government says that Mr. Sonthiyarn was a major financial planner and strategist for the protests and that he could provide further insights into the efforts to overthrow Ms. Yingluck and her allies. |
| “Mr. Sonthiyan is the person who contacts those behind the scenes who have not yet clearly been made public,” Mr. Tharit said Monday. Protest leaders have said that the protests cost more than $100,000 a day, including the costs of the giant screens and audio amplification at major intersections that protesters are blocking in Bangkok. | “Mr. Sonthiyan is the person who contacts those behind the scenes who have not yet clearly been made public,” Mr. Tharit said Monday. Protest leaders have said that the protests cost more than $100,000 a day, including the costs of the giant screens and audio amplification at major intersections that protesters are blocking in Bangkok. |
| Protesters, who are allied with the opposition Democrat Party, blocked hundreds of thousands of people from voting in the general election earlier this month and said their goal was to seize “sovereignty.” They are calling for the suspension of electoral democracy and for an appointed government on the grounds that the governing party is corrupt and has abused its majority position in Parliament. | Protesters, who are allied with the opposition Democrat Party, blocked hundreds of thousands of people from voting in the general election earlier this month and said their goal was to seize “sovereignty.” They are calling for the suspension of electoral democracy and for an appointed government on the grounds that the governing party is corrupt and has abused its majority position in Parliament. |
| The protests have left Thailand, the second-largest economy in Southeast Asia, with an enfeebled government and the prospect of months of deadlock. In districts where protesters blocked voting, elections have been rescheduled for April. | The protests have left Thailand, the second-largest economy in Southeast Asia, with an enfeebled government and the prospect of months of deadlock. In districts where protesters blocked voting, elections have been rescheduled for April. |
| Although the number of protesters has waned in recent days — leaders say they will hold a major “Valentine’s Day” rally this weekend — the antigovernment movement has been encouraged by a number of rulings in the courts and state agencies. | Although the number of protesters has waned in recent days — leaders say they will hold a major “Valentine’s Day” rally this weekend — the antigovernment movement has been encouraged by a number of rulings in the courts and state agencies. |
| The anticorruption authorities have prioritized cases against Ms. Yingluck and the governing party, most prominently an investigation into a subsidy policy for rice farmers that has backfired on the government and may cost the country billions of dollars. There appears to be no disagreement on the notion of large-scale subsidies to farmers — both the opposition and the governing party support subsidies — but the opposition as well as many independent analysts say the current rice policy has been poorly managed and created wasteful stockpiles of rice. | The anticorruption authorities have prioritized cases against Ms. Yingluck and the governing party, most prominently an investigation into a subsidy policy for rice farmers that has backfired on the government and may cost the country billions of dollars. There appears to be no disagreement on the notion of large-scale subsidies to farmers — both the opposition and the governing party support subsidies — but the opposition as well as many independent analysts say the current rice policy has been poorly managed and created wasteful stockpiles of rice. |
| Some rice farmers have joined the antigovernment demonstrations while others have demanded that banks loan the government money to pay for the subsidies. | Some rice farmers have joined the antigovernment demonstrations while others have demanded that banks loan the government money to pay for the subsidies. |
| The government, which is restricted in its spending because of its status as caretaker during the election period, says the unusual speed of the investigation into the program shows that it is politically motivated. | The government, which is restricted in its spending because of its status as caretaker during the election period, says the unusual speed of the investigation into the program shows that it is politically motivated. |
| The country’s Constitutional Court has issued a number of controversial rulings favorable to the opposition in recent months, including a judgment this week that the protest movement, which has shut down a number of government buildings, was not an effort to “overthrow” the country’s democratic system. | The country’s Constitutional Court has issued a number of controversial rulings favorable to the opposition in recent months, including a judgment this week that the protest movement, which has shut down a number of government buildings, was not an effort to “overthrow” the country’s democratic system. |
| But the court Wednesday also rejected a petition by the Democrat Party to nullify the election. The Democrats, the country’s oldest party and one that represents the country’s moneyed elite, boycotted the elections and risk being shut out of Parliament if the election is completed. | But the court Wednesday also rejected a petition by the Democrat Party to nullify the election. The Democrats, the country’s oldest party and one that represents the country’s moneyed elite, boycotted the elections and risk being shut out of Parliament if the election is completed. |