Former Defence Ministry permanent secretary Preecha Chan-o-cha has had complaints filed against him by anti-corruption organisations over the recruitment of one of his sons to serve in the military, and over his other son winning military construction contracts and being allowed to set up a company in a military camp.

On September 29, the then deputy attorney-general Poramet Intarachumnum referred to the complaints and criticised Prayut and Wissanu over the matter in a Facebook post.

On Tuesday, the Office of the Attorney-General issued a notice instructing senior prosecutors nationwide to follow the office’s regulations in relation to the dissemination of information to the public.

It then issued another order calling for a probe into the case, before the latest order was issued on Wednesday in which Poramet was transferred to another bureau.

Pongniwat insisted yesterday that he was not pressured into transferring Poramet. The transfer, he said, was to pave the way for the probe, and initially there would be a fact-finding process.

Pongniwat said a complaint had not been filed with the office over the issue, with action taken after Poramet’s post came to light. He said that critically, Poramet’s comments were picked up by the media. Poramet had made allegations against people, so the matter must be probed, he |added.

The attorney-general declined to say how long the probe would take.

Pranot Pongpaew, Inspector-General of the Office of the Attorney-General and head of the investigation, said the probe would take around 30 days and he would submit the findings to the attorney-general to decide whether a disciplinary investigation panel should be set up to handle the case.

Pranot said that besides Poramet, he would invite a few other people at the Office of the Attorney-General to testify. The office insisted that Poramet’s post was a private matter and it |had nothing to do with the matter.

Meanwhile, the National Legislative Assembly yesterday voted to accept in principle the new anti-corruption bill proposed by the Cabinet. A scrutiny committee will be set up to go through the bill before the NLA deliberates on it in the second and third readings.

The bill, if enacted, would result in the National Anti-Corruption Commission having its authority strengthened by allowing it to appoint investigators nationwide to help it find initial facts – a process aimed at reducing the agency’s burden.

Noppadon Laothong, who represents Yingluck in legal cases stemming from the corruption-plagued project, said her case was comparable to that of former Bank of Thailand governor Rerngchai Marakanond, who was acquitted by the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

The lawyer said he would hand a written petition to the prime minister along with the Supreme Court verdict in Rerngchai’s case, which he described as a new precedent for similar cases against policymakers.

Noppadon, who was also Rerngchai’s lawyer, pointed out that both Yingluck and the former central bank governor were being held responsible for damages stemming from government policies.

He added that according to the court’s verdict on Wednesday, Rerngchai had made decisions in line with his duties and it was possible for financial damages to occur. The lawyer added that government policies should not be assessed in terms of profit or loss.

Rerngchai was serving as governor of the Bank of Thailand when the Asian financial crisis hit Thailand in 1997.

A previous government filed a civil case against him in 2001 seeking damages of Bt185 billion for losses caused by the central bank’s defence of the baht, which was targeted by speculators just before the currency crashed.

The national reserves were depleted due to the defence of the baht, which at that time was pegged to the US dollar. The Thai currency dropped drastically from Bt25 to a dollar to Bt48.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court cleared Rerngchai from civil penalties. He was the only central bank official to be taken to court for severe negligence under the 1996 Tort Liability Act.

The court ruled that the former central bank chief did not commit recklessness resulting in severe damages and upheld an Appeal Court verdict in 2010 that overturned a lower court’s ruling imposing penalties of Bt185 billion on Rerngchai.

Noppadon said yesterday that instead of “taking a shortcut” by seeking civil damages against Yingluck, the government should take the case to the Civil Court as was done in Rergchai’s case.

“Yingluck should not be held responsible for damages resulting from policy decisions. Note the court ruling in Rerngchai’s case,” the lawyer said.

In a related development, representatives from state agencies responsible for determining offenders in irregularities related to the rice-pledging scheme will be meeting on Monday to finalise the names of people deemed responsible for the losses. Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya will chair the meeting.

The so-called offenders will be held responsible for 80 per cent of damages from the project, with the remainder paid by Yingluck as she was government head at the time of losses.

The participants will sort out the offenders from 853 complaints filed in 33 provinces against state officials and private rice stock surveyors, according to Prayong Preeyachitt, secretary-general of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission.

Prayong said the final list of offenders should be available in six months.

Officials subject to investigation are from the Market Organisation for Farmers, Public Warehouse Organisation and Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives.

NACC secretary-general Sansern Poljiak tried to defend the issue, saying the commission relied on evidence to substantiate allegations and never took sides to help anyone.

Sansern urged people to look at the overall picture and insisted the NACC had dropped several allegations concerning Pheu Thai and the former Yingluck Shinawatra government.

The claims it had rejected included a Cabinet resolution to pay for bail incurred by defendants involving political conflict without mandate, a Cabinet resolution for loans to develop a water management system, and others.

Meanwhile, the panel has pinpointed accusations it considered against former Democrat Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who was accused of interfering in an impeachment concerning Culture Ministry officials. It has also dropped other cases against the party, the Sansern said.

Yingluck was reported as saying there were already 15 cases pending against her. She felt she had not been treated fairly as these cases were being fast-tracked compared to those against other politicians.

She requested the agency appoint a new chairperson to its sub-panels tasked with investigating her alleged wrongdoings.

Yingluck flood case pending

One commissioner who heads subcommittees was accused by Yingluck’s legal team of not being suited to the task due to their antagonistic views towards the former prime minister. Among cases still pending against her are those of alleged mismanagement during the massive 2011 floods and claims of wrongdoing in payment of compensation to those affected by political unrest.

Meanwhile, anti-corruption activist Veera Somkwamkid has demanded the NACC use the state information access law. It needed to release its fact-finding report and other evidence concerning the controversial Rajabhak Park graft allegations – and a rejection of claims for investigation against former Permanent Secretary for Defence, General Preecha Chan-o-cha, the prime minister’s brother.

General Preecha faced questions on whether it was appropriate to recruit his son to work in the military.

AT THE request of China, Thai authorities yesterday denied entry to Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, who had been invited to speak at an event to mark the 40th anniversary of the Thammasat University massacre.

Pol-Colonel Pruthipong Prayoonsiri, deputy commander of the Suvarnabhumi Airport Immigration Office, confirmed that China had asked for the Thai government’s cooperation in denying entry to Wong.

“As a result, the Immigration Bureau blacklisted, held and expelled him,” Pruthipong said.

However, the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and the Foreign Ministry were quick to distance themselves from the controversial action, both denying they had given the order.

The Chinese Embassy in Bangkok acknowledged the news of Wong’s detention. “China respects Thailand’s [right to] exercise immigration control according to the law,” an official at the embassy told The Nation.

This is not the first time Wong has been denied entry by a Southeast Asian nation with close ties to Beijing. Last year Malaysia turned him away, reportedly over concerns his presence would damage ties with China.

“You have been blacklisted”

Less than 12 hours after arriving in Bangkok, the 19-year-old activist was deported via a Hong Kong Airlines flight, landing back at his original point of departure at 3.30pm local time yesterday.

A post on Wong’s Facebook page described how he was detained by authorities at Suvarnabhumi airport, prohibited from contacting anyone and had his passport confiscated.

The Guardian reports that Wong, who became an international symbol in the fight for democracy during Hong Kong’s 2014 “Umbrella” movement street protests, said about 20 police officers had taken him into custody at around midnight on Tuesday.

“For almost 12 hours I was detained alone inside a cell,” he told reporters. “When I asked what the reason was for them detaining me … they just said ‘We will not give you any explanation. You have been blacklisted’.

“When I requested to contact my lawyer in Thailand or at least notify my parents that I had arrived in Bangkok they still rejected my request,” he added.

“It is really beyond my expectation to have this kind of suppression from the Thailand government. For me, I think this is illegal detention.”

Wong’s political party Demosisto issued a statement condemning the Thai government for curbing Wong’s freedom and right of entry. Party members also led a protest march to the Thai Consulate in Hong Kong.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha denied that authorities had detained the Hong Kong activist. “He just flew over and went back to China. It’s China’s business, we should not intervene. They are all Chinese, Hong Kongers and mainlanders,” he told reporters.

Symbolic protest

He also warned that media seeking to link the incident to commemoration of the October 6 massacre “should not broaden the story for their own purpose”, adding that the government would allow commemorative events held by students and academics. “I respect the right of the people to do so, but should not provoke social disorder,” Prayut said.

Wong was scheduled to address a pro-democracy event at Chulalongkorn University (CU) today, in the hope that his experience could inspire his Thai counterparts who are chafing under coup-installed rule where freedom of speech and human rights are widely restricted. Wong was one of the leaders of the massive Occupy protest in 2014 that demanded universal suffrage in Hong Kong.

CU student activist Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, who was Wong’s Thai host, said yesterday that Wong might still deliver his scheduled talk in Bangkok via Skype.

Political science lecturer Kanokrat Sathitniramai, an organiser of today’s event at the university, said that Wong’s deportation had come as a surprise.

“When we were preparing for this, we thought about security and how to deal with those who might have different opinions about the subject. Nobody thought Wong would not be allowed to enter the country at all,” she said.

CU students and event organisers led a demonstration sporting umbrellas yesterday to symbolically protest Wong’s repatriation.

The New Democracy Movement (NDM) also gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok in protest the ejection.

The group called on the Thai government to admit its responsibility, explain the controversial move, and stop human rights infringements.

Last year the junta deported scores of Uighur refugees back to China, reportedly at the demand of Chinese authorities. A Hong Kong bookseller who disappeared from Pattaya also turned up later in Chinese custody.

He was referring to reports that Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong was held at Suvarnabhumi Airport by immigration officials as he was about to enter Bangkok to attend a seminar held at Chulalongkorn University.

The move is criticised of being implemented under pressure from Beijing.

Sek pointed out pointing out that the Chulalongkorn seminar was permitted to be held.

He said permission to enter Thailand for Wong “involves various factors” and the foreign affairs ministry was reviewing the facts with the Immigration Bureau and relevant authorities.