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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40016599

The anti-corruption police chief conceded on Monday that the father of Deputy Education Minister Kanokwan Vilawan might have fled across the border at Prachin Buri province to escape arrest in a corruption charge related to alleged encroachment in the Khao Yai National Park.

Pol Maj-General Jaroonkiart Pankaew, commander of the Anti-Corruption Division, said security cameras in Prachin Buri happened to be “out of order” on Thursday, the day Soonthorn Vilawan allegedly escaped from Bangkok to Prachin Buri shortly before an arrest warrant against him was approved by the court.

Speaking live on Kom Chad Luek TV programme on Monday, Jaroonkiart said the statute of limitations in the corruption case against Sunthorn was due to expire at 4.30pm on Monday.

However, there are conflicting opinions on whether the statute of limitations in the case against Sunthorn would really expire. Legal experts have pointed out that the amendment of the anti-corruption act would extend the statute if a suspect flees during investigations.

Soonthorn, chairman of the Prachin Buri Provincial Administration Organisation (PAO), Kanokwan and eight other persons have been accused by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) of illegally occupying about 150 rai [24 hectares] of land in Khao Yai National Park in Prachin Buri.

Kanokwan was released on bail after she was arraigned in the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases Region 2 in Muang district of Rayong province.

Jaroonkiart said police from his division and officials from the NACC Office had been keeping a watch on Soonthorn and his aides before the court approved an arrest warrant against him on June 9. Jaroonkiart said the division had earlier been alerted by the NACC Office to monitor Soonthorn’s movements.

He said Soonthorn and his aides had gone for a business engagement to Miracle Hotel in Bangkok on June 9. They left the hotel at 1.30pm and turned off their mobile phones, making it harder to be traced.

Jaroonkiart said police and NACC officials followed the group until they reached Ban Sang district in Prachin Buri. They lost track of the group because the road there is under construction and there were many trucks blocking their view.

Then, when the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases approved the arrest warrant against Soonthorn at 6pm, the Anti-Corruption Division (ACD) joined the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) to look for him but he had already disappeared.

Soonthorn Vilawan

Jaroonkiart said police had asked for footage from the CCTVs of the Prachin Buri PAO but the organistion replied that the CCTVS were out of order. He said police turned to footage from security cameras of local people but they have not been able to locate Soonthorn so far.

“So far, we can’t say whether Soonthorn has fled abroad. Data from the Immigration Bureau did not show his name as having left the country,” Jaroonkiart said.

He admitted that police have not yet checked natural trails he could have used to escape across the border to Cambodia, and admitted that it would be easy for someone to flee along mountain trails and cross the border.

“We, police, have tried our best to hunt for Soonthorn. The case will expire today at 4:30pm. If he is arrested before that, he must be sent to public prosecutors to be charged in court before 4.30pm,” Jaroonkiart said.

When asked why the CSD and the ACD did not seek cooperation from local police when searching for Soonthorn, Jaroonkiart said the central police did not want local police to feel “uneasy”, as they had good ties with the suspect.

“So, we’d better handle the case by ourselves,” Jaroonkiart added.

Deputy Education Minister Kanokwan Vilawan

Regarding the issue of statute of limitations, Prayuth Phetkhun, deputy spokesman of the Office of the Attorney-General, said the office would regard the case as expiring on Monday. Prayuth said those who disagreed must seek an opinion from the NACC office, which enforces the NACC Act.

Prayuth said Soonthorn was initially charged with three counts but the first and second count’s statute of limitations had expired.

In the first count, he was accused of violating Article 151 of the Criminal Code by abusing his authority to support officials in charge of protecting national resources to cause damage to the state.

In the second count, he was charged with violating Article 157 of the Criminal Code by supporting officials to commit malfeasance.

The two counts had expired during the investigations by the NACC itself, Prayuth added.

Prayuth said the office should not be blamed for the expiry of the case because the NACC had made a decision to charge the suspects and sent the case to the corruption case office for Region 2 at 3.12pm on June 2. Since June 3, 4 and 5 were holidays, public prosecutors had only three or four days to study and handle the case, Prayuth added.

Published : June 13, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40016574

A small number of Thalugaz protesters showed up at the Din Daeng intersection on Sunday with the aim of heading for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s home at the 1st Infantry Regiment barracks on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road to demand his resignation.

This gathering was apparently inspired by a rallying cry launched on Facebook earlier in the day by a group called “14 Warlords of the People”, which said it wanted to “see fireworks at Din Daeng”.

By 6pm, the group had swelled to nearly 40, with more than 100 riot police officers stationed nearby to ensure safety.

Trouble began brewing at 4.30pm when a royalist named Kaneshpitsanuthep Chakkraphopmahadecha showed up at the site with a royal portrait and began condemning the protesters. He was later escorted away by the police.

By 8pm a proper clash broke out when protesters began lobbing firecrackers and other injuries at the police officers. Two policemen sustained injuries to their legs at the attack.

By 8.50pm, protesters began approaching the troops, but the regiment retreated to ease tensions. Failing to make their way to Prayut’s house, the protesters dispersed at 9.45pm.

A similar clash had taken place on Saturday at the same site when a police vehicle was also set on fire.

Pol Maj-General Jirasan Kaewsang-ek, deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said one protester was arrested with eight pyrotechnic flares in his possession and that police are trying to track down those responsible for torching the patrol car.

Prayut issued a warning to protesters on Saturday, saying they will face arrest and legal action if they violate the law.

Published : June 13, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40016512

Opposition Move Forward Party is calling for the removal of Democrat-member Deputy Interior Minister Niphon Boonyamanee for mismanagement as chief executive of Songkhla Provincial Administrative Office (PAO).

Move Forward party-list MP Prasertpong Sornnuwat called a press conference on Saturday to make the demand after Supreme Administrative Court ruled on Thursday that Songkhla PAO must pay 52 million baht plus 7.5 per cent interest per year to Ponlavit Tech Plus Ltd.

The PAO had refused to pay Ponlavit Tech Plus after it won the bid and delivered two road maintenance vehicles to the provincial authorities in 2013.

The Songkhla PAO claimed the company had colluded with another bidder to keep the price low, which prompted the company to take the case to court.

“While the case was in court, Songkhla PAO could not use the vehicles for the job intended and now the government has to pay extra in interest. This indicates serious mismanagement, for which the person in charge must take responsibility,” the Move Forward MP said.

“I urge the Democrat Party to adhere to the words of its former leader Chuan Leekpai, who said that politicians must always have virtue and ethics, and remove Niphon from his position as deputy minister,” he added. “Don’t let the party’s reputation be tarnished further by doing nothing.”

Prasertpong also urged the Office of the Attorney-General to take this case to the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders to punish those responsible as soon as possible.

“Move Forward Party takes this opportunity to urge all parties to actively reform the virtue and ethics of all politicians. You must keep your people under control and take responsibility for their actions,” he added.

Published : June 10, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40016508

The opposition Move Forward Party’s Progressive Liquor Bill, seeking to give opportunities to small-scale brewers, sailed through the first reading with 178 “yes” votes, 137 “no” votes and 15 abstentions.

The bill, which seeks to amend the Excise Tax Act, will be scrutinised by a 25-member committee over the next seven days before it is submitted for second and final readings.

The 178 who voted affirmative included several MPs from the government camp, including 23 from the Democrat Party, nine from Bhumjaithai and two from Palang Pracharath.

After the vote, Move Forward MPs cheered and several hugged Taopiphop Limjittrakorn, who had proposed the bill.

The bill was inspired by Taopiphop’s arrest for brewing craft beer without permission in January 2017.

He proposed the Progressive Liquor Bill on May 29, 2020, when he was a Future Forward Party MP. However, it was rejected by the Cabinet in February this year and returned to the House for further deliberation.

Taopiphop has been pushing for the Excise Tax Act to be amended because it limits brewers’ rights and freedom to do business.

He admitted that he was excited when the bill returned to the House of Representatives for deliberation on February 2.

Published : June 10, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40016483

Former MP Pareena Kraikupt on Thursday commended the anti-graft agency for “trying to perform their duty fairly” after it resolved to take legal action against Deputy Education Minister Kanokwan Wilawan for alleged encroachment on state land.

In her Facebook post, Pareena wrote that the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) should also take similar action against opposition politicians accused of holding state land.

“People should keep their eyes on the NACC. It seems only politicians from the government side are facing legal action, while [some senior opposition politicians] have been spared,” she wrote.

Kanokwan, a senior figure in the coalition Bhumjaithai Party, and her father Sunthorn have been accused by the NACC of having encroached on the Khao Yai National Park in Prachin Buri province.

Pareena, a former MP of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party, lost her seat in April after the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions imposed a lifetime political ban on her for possessing land in a forest reserve in her home province of Ratchaburi.

The court found that the lawmaker had severely violated political ethics by making use of state land, which posed a conflict between personal and the public interest.

The case against Pareena had been taken to court by the NACC.

Pareena wrote on Thursday she had learned from the NACC that politicians are prohibited from holding any type of state land, as that is against political ethics.

Also, a judge told her it does not matter how politicians obtained their state land, what they need to do is to immediately return the land to the state.

“I returned my agricultural reform land too late, so I got punished,” she wrote.

Published : June 09, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40016479

The opposition will next week file a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and nine other Cabinet members, the opposition leader announced on Thursday.

Pheu Thai Party leader and opposition leader Cholnan Srikaew and core members of five other opposition parties held a press conference at Parliament in the afternoon to announce the censure debate plan.

Cholnan said the censure motion will be submitted to the House of Representatives at 10am on Wednesday.

Also present at the press conference were representatives of the Move Forward Party, Seree Ruam Thai Party, Prachachat Party, Puea Chart Party, and Puang Chon Chao Thai Party.

Cholnan said the censure debate, which will be the last one against the coalition government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, will follow a strategy called “terminating the head, demolishing the scaffolding”.

He said the debate would target the prime minister as the head and would also attack other ministers, who are like the scaffolding of the head of the government.

The opposition leader said the debate would point out that the prime minister and the other censure targets had failed in public administration, had intentionally violated the Constitution and political ethics, had allegedly committed corruption and practised cronyism, had failed to implement policies that were declared to Parliament, had violated human rights and committed actions that damaged democracy under the parliamentary system.

He said the six opposition parties had finalised the debate framework together and he was confident that the Thai Civilized Party, which declares itself as nonpartisan, would join the censure against the government.

Asked if he was confident that the debate would have a severe impact and bring down the government, Cholnan said the opposition was quite confident.

“We are confident because we have strong points to clearly show that the censure targets have broken the law. We are confident because we have evidence, especially evidence against the ministers who broke the law. The prime minister will be held responsible because he supervises the ministers,” Cholnan said.

Sutin Klungsang, the chief opposition whip, said Prayut and nine ministers from Bhumjaithai Party, Democrat Party and Palang Pracharath Party would be censured.

He said the opposition would seek four days for the debate.

Opposition sources said the nine ministers to be censured would be Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda, Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin, Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakhamanusorn, Deputy Finance Minister Santi Promphat, Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit, Agriculture Minister Chalermchai Sri-on, Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, and Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob.

Cholnan affirmed that opposition MPs were united to support the censure motion although some opposition MPs have voted in support of the government’s budget bill.

“We don’t count them as being on the opposition side anyway,” Cholnan said.

It has been reported that the Senate, which is seen as siding with the government, would hold a general debate for the government to answer questions before the censure debate. The debate by the senators is seen as an attempt to pre-empt the opposition’s censure debate.

Cholnan said the opposition has yet to monitor the debate to see whether it would be a session to “whitewash” the government before the censure debate. He said if the government uses the session to boast its success, it would be clearly a session to whitewash the administration.

Published : June 09, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40016442

Representatives of the LGBTQ community in Thailand on Wednesday called on the House of Representatives to reject the government’s Civil Partnership Bill and instead pass the version proposed by the Move Forward Party.

The LGBTQ representatives, led by Promsorn Weerathamcharee, met Thankhun Jit-isara, a staff of the House speaker, to submit the group’s letter, which called on the House to accept and pass the Marriage Equality Bill drafted by Move Forward MP Tunyawaj Kamolwongwat.

The Cabinet had earlier rejected the Marriage Equality Bill in March and it instead approved the Civil Partnership Bill of the Justice Ministry on Tuesday.

The government’s bill would allow same-sex persons to register their civil partnership and defines them as civil partners, while the Marriage Equality Bill would allow same-sex persons to register their marriage and become married couples like heterosexual married couples.

Promsorn said the Civil Partnership Bill would treat LGBTQ community members as second-class citizens.

“What we are asking for is nothing more than what a human being should get,” Promsorn said.

“Now, we hope that all political parties, all MPs and the House speaker will see it and increase the level of humanity for us. Please don’t regard the passage of the Marriage Equality Bill as a gift for us but please regard its enactment as tantamount to returning the rights to us to complete our human rights.”

Promson said the LGBTQ community are not different from other people in either thinking or attitudes.

He added that if Thai LGBTQ people are protected by the Marriage Equality law, it would prove that they have the same human rights as the other people.

He said the Marriage Equality Bill would not only allow two persons to register their love legally, but it would also allow them to live their life in harmony.

He said he has read the government’s Civil Partnership Bill several times and he found that the bill failed to provide several rights that LGBTQ couples should get.

“If Thailand has the Marriage Equality law, it would affirm to the international community that Thailand is advanced in terms of having full human rights protection for its citizens,” Promson added.

Meanwhile, Thaweechai Wongpairojkul, a member of the Thai Sang Thai Party’s sexual diversity committee, said the Civil Partnership Bill of the government was a shameful tactic to win support from the LGBTQ community without really providing equal sexual rights.

“The LGBTQI people need full rights. The Civil Partnership bill stops short of giving same-sex couples all the rights and benefits offered to their heterosexual counterparts.

“The same-sex marriage draft bill will ensure full equality with dignity and benefits. We have to fight for the right things,” Tunyawaj said in an exclusive interview with Voice of the Nation on Monday.

Published : June 08, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40016406

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Civil Partnership Bill, which will allow same-sex couples to get married but will not give them all the rights included in Move Forward’s Marriage Equality bill.

Speaking to reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha boasted that the Civil Partnership bill had been drafted in line with the changing global trends.

He said once the bill is enacted into law, it would guarantee sexual equality and endorse all sexual diversities in line with international human rights standards. The bill had been proposed by the Justice Ministry.

The ministry held a public hearing and took into account all opinions, including those of religious leaders, to plug possible loopholes before revising the bill to meet global standards, Prayut said.

He added that this bill will be deliberated in the House soon, alongside Move Forward’s Marriage Equality bill, which goes one step further by granting equal rights to same-sex married couples.

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said the bill will definitely be tabled in the current parliamentary session, but could not guarantee if it will be enacted before this government’s term ends in March.

The government’s Civil Partnership bill had been rejected by the LGBTQI community, who have been pushing for the Marriage Equality bill drafted by Move Forward MP Tunyawaj Kamolwongwat.

“The LGBTQI people need full rights. The Civil Partnership bill stops short of giving same-sex couples all the rights and benefits offered to their heterosexual counterparts.

“The same-sex marriage draft bill will ensure full equality with dignity and benefits. We have to fight for the right things,” Tunyawaj said in an exclusive interview with Voice of the Nation on Monday.

Upon receiving the Marriage Equality bill, the House forwarded it to the Cabinet for endorsement. However, the Cabinet returned it on March 29, saying the government was drafting its own bill with similar details.

“I felt like I was swimming along with the current when suddenly I had to start swimming all over again,” the MP said.

The LGBTQI community wants Tunyawaj’s bill to be taken into consideration because it also offers all the rights offered to heterosexual couples. The Civil Partnership Bill signifies that LGBTQI people are second or third class citizens.

The non-government organisation iLaw also pointed out on its website that the government’s bill uses the term “civil partners” instead of “married” partners. This may mean that LGBTQI people who register their marriage may not get the same rights as heterosexual married couples, it said.

Published : June 07, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40016405

The Royal Thai Army has stopped conducting expensive tests on the bogus GT200 bomb detectors after the issue sparked an uproar about taxpayers’ money being wasted.

However, Army chief-of-staff General Santipong Thampiya said on Tuesday that only about 3 million of the 7.57 million baht allocated for testing the 757 GT200 devices was left.

“The testing is complete. No more proof is necessary,” he said.

He added the Army is not seeking more funds for these tests and will return what is left of the funds allocated for the tests.

“We’ll return about 3 million baht. So far, 320 of the 757 devices have been tested in detail,” he said.

In 2004, the Army had reportedly been duped by a British company and a Thai distributor into buying these devices with the belief that they can be used to detect both drugs and bombs.

The Army came under further criticism when it hired the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) for over 7 million baht to recheck these bogus GT200 devices. This waste of taxpayers’ money was exposed in Parliament by Move Forward Party MP Jirat Thongsuwan during the budget bill’s first reading this week.

Jirat asked why the Army had wasted 7.5 million baht when it already knew that the so-called GT200 were nothing but pieces of plastic with no electronic circuits inside.

On Friday, Defence Ministry spokesman General Kongcheep Tantravanich explained that NSTDA had been hired at the advice of the Attorney-General’s Office to collect evidence to use in the legal battle against the distributor.

He explained that the Army had won the first lawsuit and the Central Administrative Court ordered the distributor to pay a compensation of 683 million baht, but the company appealed and took the case to the Supreme Administrative Court.

Santipong added on Tuesday that Attorney-General’s Office has been informed of the decision to halt the tests, but the Army is still waiting for a response.

“I hereby affirm that the Army has always used the taxpayers’ money for worthwhile projects,” Santipong insisted.

Published : June 07, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40016392

Bangkok’s choice of new governor proves that Thailand is ready for moderate politics, which will also help it overcome crises, social critic Prawase Wasi said recently.

He said Thailand was at a difficult juncture due to long-standing political conflicts but reckoned that moderate politics will help it move forward.

The choice of liberal politician Chadchart Sittipunt who focuses on cooperation and using knowledge to tackle issues proves that Thai voters are bored with adversarial politics, he said.

This also proves that political discourse and schemes that do not address complex problems will not help the country overcome crises, he explained.

Instead, he added, moderate politics using knowledge, reasoning, goodwill and cooperation is key to tackling conflict and helping Thais achieve common goals.

Prawase also advised the media to build awareness about moderate politics in a bid to create real democracy.

Published : June 07, 2022

By : THE NATION