Abac acting rector Dr Thanu Kulachol disclosed yesterday that the committee would be established on Tuesday to probe scandals such as a flight simulator project, the change in accounting practices at the university, and the use of land around Abac’s Bang Na campus.

“The investigation should take no more than three months,” he said.

Thanu became acting rector on February 15 after being appointed by an Abac panel set up after Education Minister General Dapong Ratanasuwan took control of Abac to end the institute’s long-running management crisis.

Abac had been in disarray before the minister’s intervention as two rival camps claimed they had the right to manage the university. Due to the conflict, banks had suspended paying salaries into the accounts of Abac staff as they were not sure who had the power to authorise payments at the university.

One camp supported long-time rector Dr Bancha Saenghiran, while the other backed Sudhiporn Patumtaewapibal.

Thanu said he would try to ensure that both camps trusted the neutral committee. “This way when results come out, they should have no complaints,” he said.

He said he had assigned Apimuk Sukprasit, a former deputy secretary general of the Council of State, to review Abac rules and regulations.

“After we improve these rules and regulations, Abac should have clear guidelines to proceed in the future. This is a measure to prevent a recurrence of the management conflict,” Thanu said.

He is aiming for Abac to sort out its problems within six months. “The sooner the better, so as to minimise damage to Abac’s reputation,” he said.

“We will ask the Cabinet to officially appoint them,” Deputy Prime Minister ADM Narong Pipatanasai said in his capacity as the chair of the ThaiHealth board.

He gave an interview after an hours-long board meeting, during which existing board members participated in a secret vote to select the newcomers.

The new board members were selected from 14 finalists, who a selection committee had short-listed from 124 candidates.

Narong revealed that Dr Weraphan Suphanchaimat, a former vice minister of public health, had emerged with a senior role.

“He has also got the post of the board’s deputy chair,” he said.

Narong said the six other successful candidates were: Dr Kumnuan Ungchusak, an adviser to the Disease Control Department; Suwannee Khamman, a deputy secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Board; Wichet Pichairat, a board member of the Education Council; Assoc Prof Dr Panya Khaimuk, a lecturer at Mahidol University; Sanphasit Koompraphant, a member of the National Committee on Child Protection; and HGST Thailand’s vice president Sampan Silapanad.

The seven newcomers will be the successors of seven prominent figures who Prime Minister and National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) chief General PrayutChan-o-cha abruptly removed from the board last month.

Some of those removed were: Dr Vichai Chokevivat, a former chairman of the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO), Somporn Chaibangyang, a former deputy permanent secretary for Interior, and Assoc Prof Prapapat Niyom, founder of the Roong Aroon School.

These figures were removed most likely because they had also held executive posts in other organisations or foundations, some of which directly received funding from ThaiHealth.

ThaiHealth has had an annual budget of over Bt4 billion.

Narong said yesterday the seven newcomers for the ThaiHealth board did not hold any posts in any other organisations that could be seen as having a conflict of interest.

WAT Paknam’s legal team has pointed a finger of suspicion at a garage for the illegal classic Mercedes-Benz that was found in possession of the acting Supreme Patriarch.

Supapat Nitisathorn, who works in the team, said yesterday that the senior monk could never have known that the vehicle was illegal because Wat Paknam’s assistant abbot, Phra Maha Satsanamunee, had fully entrusted the business – Wicharn Garage – with the mission of delivering an antique car for the temple’s museum.

The temple’s abbot, Somdej Phra Maha Ratchamangalacharn (Somdej Chuang), is currently the acting Supreme Patriarch.

Wicharn Rattaphana, who owns the garage, meanwhile, has insisted that he is responsible for car assembly only and that all the forged documentation mentioned in the case was in no way related to him.

Yesterday, Kanjana Markmuan told the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) that her name had been falsely cited as the person paying excise duty for the beautiful Mercedes-Benz, which was now on display at Wat Paknam.

“I’d never known anything about this vehicle until it appeared at the centre of a scandal and my name was implicated,” she said.

She demanded that the DSI take action against the person who had used her name and her garage’s documents in illegal activities.

The DSI has already concluded that the Mercedes-Benz registered under Somdej Chuang’s name is illegal because its import, assembly, excise-duty payment and vehicle registration process was mired with activities suggestive of lawbreaking.

There are grounds to believe that the process might have engaged in customs evasion, document forgery, and perjury, among other things, the agency said.

“We will summon those involved in the process,” DSI director-general Paisit Wongmuang said yesterday.

The DSI will also seek to meet and get information directly from Somdej Chuang. “So far, I’ve heard that Somdej Chuang doesn’t want to keep this problematic Mercedes-Benz anymore,” Paisit added.

He said by handing over the vehicle to authorities, customs-related charges could be immediately dropped. Legal proceedings will go ahead related to alleged criminal offences, such as forgery.

Wicharn told the DSI yesterday that his garage had not engaged in document preparation in any way, because it was solely responsible for car assembly.

“But I admit that my garage doesn’t have a car-assembly licence,” he said, adding, “I hire just four or five workers.” Wicharn also lamented that if he had known that this classic car would land him in such trouble, he would have never accepted the order to assemble it. “Initially, I saw this job as an honour in my life, because the car would belong to a high-ranking monk,” he said.

After the Merdeces-Benz was delivered to Wat Paknam, he met Somdej Chuang just once, he added.

Supapat said Phra Maha Satsanamunee usually used Wicharn Garage’s services for Wat Paknam’s vehicles, and therefore had entrusted Wicharn with the mission of getting the classic Mercedes-Benz.

“The money for the vehicle comes from donors. The vehicle is meant to be sent to a museum,” he explained.

Finance Ministry permanent secretary Somchai Sujjapongse said his ministry would be ready to provide information to the DSI to facilitate the investigation into the Mercedes-Benz. “If any of the ministry’s officials are involved in the wrongdoing, we will take action against them, too,” he said.

Under the Excise Act, owners of illegally imported cars who cannot prove if excise tax had been paid, could face criminal charges, according to a source from the Finance Ministry.

Those found guilty face a maximum six months in jail.

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam yesterday said the Mercedes-Benz case had complicated the ongoing conflict about the next Supreme Patriarch.

Two rival camps of monks and Buddhists have recently come forward to express different views about Somdej Chuang’s suitability as the country’s next top monk.

Even though the Sangha Supreme Council has nominated Chuang for the post, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has not yet forwarded the nomination for royal endorsement.

 

A police investigative panel led by Deputy National police chief Pol General Srivara Rangsipramanakul has already submitted the case to the police chief to take legal action against Pol General Prawut Thawornsiri, who already resigned from the force.

A police source said police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda is expected to forward the case and seek an indictment from the National Anti-Corruption Commission against Prawut, who was a high ranking state official.

A warrant is out for Prawut’s arrest in connection with the illegal radio station, set up during the Bike for Dad campaign in December last year.

Prawut, a former acting Central Investigation Bureau chief and assistant national police chief, was also police spokesman under then national police chief Somyot Poompunmuang before he quit the police force in October last year.

He disappeared from the public eye when he was linked as a prime suspect for a lese majeste offence in the Bike for Dad campaign. He submitted his resignation and disappeared.

SOUTH Korean police have alerted Thai police to a crackdown on prostitution rings on Thursday that resulted in the arrest of 48 Thai women and five prostitution brokers.

Pol Colonel Krissana Pattanacharoen, deputy police spokesman, said: “We are coordinating with police in South Korea to ask for more details about the raids on Thursday and find ways to help the women.”

According South Korean media reports, South Korean police records show some 200 Thai women were arrested since the middle of last year for prostitution and working illegally in the country. Of that number, 40 were transvestites.

Some of the women entered South Korea as tourists after the brokers promised them jobs in massage parlours but were forced to work as prostitutes. Thai nationals require no visa to enter South Korea.

South Korea media reported that prostitution brokers had been apprehended in Seoul, Kyungkido and Chungcheong since last year.

Of the 48 Thais arrested on Thursday, 12 had already been deported, Krissana said.

South Korean police said brokers who had lured the women to work as prostitutes were Thais and foreigners.

He said one trick the brokers used to lure women to travel to South Korea was to tell them they would be going on a sightseeing trip and would get paid.

Thailand has legislation to help women who are victims of human-trafficking rings, he said. Thai police would determine if the women arrested in the raids were victims or chose to do sex work.

Despite numerous accidents and a legacy of scamming tourists, jet-ski operators have continued to work under an umbrella of lax enforcement of jet-ski rules and regulations.

“We arrested the jet-ski operators for renting their vehicles to tourists without provincial permission,” said Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police CIB Adis Ngamchitsuksri.

About 300 officers took part in the raid that busted the jet-ski operators, along with alleged drug dealers, illegal firearm owners, copyright infringement vendors and those participating in a number of other illegal activities.

“With the ’Prai Fah Na Sai’ [Peace for the People] raid we are targeting major tourist destinations for all types of criminal activity,” said Maj Gen Adis. “Phuket plays an important role in the Thai economy, generating a great deal of revenue. It is essential that we protect it.

“We are concerned that the wealth and opportunity in Phuket will draw both domestic and international criminals to the island,” he said.

A total of 58 people were arrested during the raid, including 14 for whom arrest warrants had already been issued.

In addition to those busted for allegedly working as illegal guides, being in possession of drugs, fake cosmetic goods or illegal medicines, seven were arrested for the illegal possession of firearms.

One of the seven was Srisoonthorn Mayor Worawut Songyos, confirmed Gen Adis.

“Though we seized firearms, we are still looking into whether or not they are illegally owned. At this point, we have only pressed preliminary charges. However, among the hunting rifles seized, we found a pump-action shotgun and semi-automatic handguns,” said Gen Adis.