Five MPs of the ruling Puea Thai Party were on Thursday given legislative immunity from court proceedings or verdicts which might otherwise possibly send them back to prison for allegedly breaching parole rules.

The Criminal Court postponed until the next three and a half months the trials against the five government MPs in accordance with the law which provides immunity to all possible lawsuits or court verdicts during parliamentary sessions.

The five legislators include Nattawut Saikuar, who is concurrently deputy agriculture minister, Weng Tojirakarn, Korkaew Phikulthong, Karoon Hosakul and Viphuthalaeng Pattanaphumthai. Those MPs were among a total of 24 Red Shirt leaders, 19 of whom are not legislators who might otherwise enjoy such privileges.

The Criminal Court will proceed with the lawsuit lodged by the Constitutional Court against the five MPs who had earlier acted as Red Shirt leaders on Nov. 29 and deliver rulings toward the 19 others on Aug. 22.

The Constitutional Court had filed the lawsuit against the Red Shirt leaders charging that they had made statements to allegedly launch intimidations and accusations at public places against the judges of the court involving Constitution amendment bids and sought to have their paroles, earlier given by the Criminal Court, revoked.

The activists-turned-MPs, who had been earlier detained on charges of involvement in 2010's massive protests against former premier Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Democrat-led government, which culminated in the deaths of nearly 100 protesters and injuries of about 2,000 others, could possibly have been sent back to prison without the parliamentary immunity.

Shortly before the Criminal Court declared immunity for the five Puea Thai MPs and put off the ruling until Nov. 29, which immediately follows the end of the current parliamentary session, Nattawut told reporters he will not raise any objection and will not seek the immunity if found guilty as charged and sent back to jail.

The outspoken politician said he had called on all Red Shirt demonstrators who gathered in support of the 24 accused colleagues outside the Criminal Court on Ratchadapisek Road to remain calm and to never cause any untoward incident.

"We'll respect rulings of the court. On my part, I would not seek immunity as an MP if my parole was revoked by the court. And I've called on our Red Shirt demonstrators to respect and uphold court verdicts and refrain from causing any troubles," he said.

Nevertheless, Karom Phonpornklang, lawyer of the National United Front Democracy Against Dictatorship, the official name of the Red Shirt movement made in support of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra and the ruling Puea Thai Party under premiership of his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, commented on Thursday he had been concerned over the fate of Jatuporn Prompan, one of the most outstanding Red Shirt leaders accused alongside the others, because he is no longer an MP and will not be granted such immunity.

He said he would file an appeal to the court which put on trial each of the accused Red Shirt leaders on individual basis if their paroles were revoked and would bring up additional personal and material witnesses to fight the legal battle.