A source said Panthongtae contacted DSI officials, saying he wanted to give a statement about the case on Wednesday because he would be otherwise engaged today, when he was originally scheduled to meet the investigators.

The Bt10-million cheque from Wichai is linked to a corruption case in whichThaksin was accused of ordering Krungthai Bank executives to extend a Bt9.9-billion loan to Krisada Mahanakorn Plc group against highly inflated collateral.

In August last year, former top executives of state-owned Krungthai Bank – Suchai Chaovisit and Viroj Nualkhae – were each sentenced to 18 years in jail by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political-Office holders for their role in dishonestly extending Bt9.9 billion in loans to companies affiliated with Krisda Mahanakorn Plc.

Ten other credit officers of the bank and executives of Krisda Mahanakorn-affiliated companies, who received loans from the KTB, were each sentenced to 12 years in jail.

Officials found that the loan extended to the group was paid to Panthongtae, who runs How Come Entertainment.

Kanchanapa Honghern, personal secretary of Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra, Thaksin’s former wife, deferred giving a statement indefinitely. Watcharin Panurat, the prosecutor who joined the investigation in this case, pulled out after formerDemocrat Party MP Watchara Petthong said his role was inappropriate as he has ties to witnesses.

Weerayut Netiwuthipong has been appointed to replace Watcharin. On Wednesday, DSI officials had prosecutors join them to hear Panthongtae’s statement.

Pajun, the former secretary of Privy Council chief General Prem Tinsulanonda, is also a former member of the now-defunct National Reform Council.

Deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul yesterday said national police chief General Chakthip Chaijinda, not Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha or his deputy Prawit Wongsuwan, had ordered police to file the complaint against Pajun.

“This matter is about the integrity of the Royal Thai Police,” he said. “The police risk losing the faith and confidence of the public and the allegation has tarnished the image of the whole police force.

“The national police chief issued the order since the allegation has no basis in fact or evidence.”

Srivara said he also filed a complaint seeking an investigation over whether Pajun had violated Article 123 of the Criminal Code.

Pol Maj-General Chaipol Chatchaidej, commander of the Planning Division, said Pajun may have also violated Article 14 of the Computer Act.

He said the Line chat messages involving the admiral indicated the alleged kickback required for each police rank.

If found guilty of violating the Computer Act, Pajun faces up to five years in jail and a fine of up to Bt100,000.

The defamation charge is punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of up to Bt200,000.

The seminar, entitled “Media’s Challenges on the Junction of Ethics”, was held by key media organisations including the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association (TBJA) and the Thai Journalists Association (TJA) in the wake of a corruption scandal involving a famous TV host. This case is being seen by media practitioners and watchdogs as a new challenge for the media sector.

The Criminal Court on Monday handed down a guilty verdict to Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda, host of the popular “Rueang Lao Chao Nee” show on Channel 3, as well as other defendants in relation to the Rai-Som bribery and embezzlement scandal.

They were convicted for wrongly paying more than Bt600,000 between 2005 and 2006 to an MCOT employee to not report that Rai-Som was running additional commercials while Channel 9’s popular TV show “Kui Khui Khao” was being aired. This resulted in the MCOT losing Bt138 million in revenue.

The Criminal Court sentenced Sorrayuth and his company’s exec Montha Teeradej to 13 years and four months in jail each, while MCOT employee Pitchapa Iamsa-ard faces 20 years in prison. However, Sorrayuth appeared unfazed while hosting his show a day after the court verdict.

Thepchai Yong, president of the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association, said he was disappointed that such a case should happen at a time when the media is undergoing major reforms and a new code of ethics is being written to improve the media’s performance. Media reform gained particular attention after reporters hounded a young star’s family at his funeral.

“The biggest challenge is that so far, no media-related case has gone through the judicial process like this and yet the convict acts as if nothing has happened. I think this is a challenge for the entire society,” he said, adding that the positive side is that the society will now pay more attention to the media’s shortcomings.

Thepchai also called for serious social sanctions, as he believes they are more powerful than any legal instruments. He also called for society to help put pressure on companies that continue buying advertising slots in embattled TV shows, believing that this would in turn put pressure on the channel and subsequently, the show producers.

Other media watchdogs, including Wasan Paileeklee, who was a member of the media reform panel under the now-defunct National Reform Council, said he still trusts the principles of self-regulation, though he said agencies should be set up to improve the practice and media organisations should also play a bigger role in regulating their members.

The public should be allowed to help regulate the media and some new laws may also be needed, he said, adding that those committing serious offences should also face new standards or code of ethics, just like the ones faced by political-office holders and high-ranking officials.

Supinya Klangnarong, a member of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), said it was time to seriously consider new mechanisms to enhance the media’s code of conduct, because if the effort fails this time, she is concerned that more extreme measures and state intervention may become viable, which could deprive the media of freedom of expression.

She said the NBTC was looking for lawful ways to work with digital TV operators, adding that it would call a meeting with them to discuss the development of new joint codes of conduct among media practitioners.

She also said the option of a co-regulation among media practitioners and the NBTC was being considered, in addition to the commission’s moves push for a media grouping that will empower them to regulate one another.

“It’s time to work together and prove that this is not one individual’s business but that of the whole society,” Supinya said. “Rai-Som is just the tip of the iceberg.”

 

Wiwat “Top” Yodprasit, 25, was also found guilty of possessing guns and ammunition without permission, carrying guns and ammunition in public places without permission and carrying guns in areas under an emergency decree.

The court sentenced him to life imprisonment but commuted it to 37 years and four months on the grounds that he confessed to the crimes during the police investigation, although he maintained his innocence during the trial.

Appeal planned

On February 1, 2014, the day before the general election, Wiwat attended a demonstration at Bangkok’s Lak Si district, firing shots at the IT Square shopping centre and killing Akae Sae Liew and seriously wounding Sombun Sakthong and Nakarin Utsaha.

Pictures showed Wiwat wearing a balaclava with the gun concealed by a large popcorn bag except for the top of the barrel.

Police later released a picture of him not wearing the balaclava and showed it to his brother, who confirmed the picture was of Wiwat.

Both pictures showed Wiwat wearing the same clothes, vest and radio equipment.

During the police investigation, Wiwat confessed and re-enacted the crime at the scene.

Had he been threatened to confess, he could have filed a complaint with police, the court said.

During the Lak Si incident, 22 men dressed in black were caught in CCTV footage walking from the Lak Si intersection to an area where People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) protesters and supporters of a general election clashed.

As shots were fired and rocks thrown, a white pickup was seen transporting guns to a group. Wiwat was seen running to the pickup to take a weapon.

CCTV footage also showed a man in the back of the vehicle shouting: “Aim the gun when they come out. Take a shot at them.”

The court dismissed Wiwat’s testimony that he had performed his duty as a security guard for the PDRC during the incident.

Puangthip Bunsanong, his defence lawyer, said her client would appeal the ruling and seek a temporary release by posting bail of Bt3 million.

Wiwat has not previously been granted bail.

Prayut said that without appointed senators, “the country would see no stability and would not be able to move forward”.

It was the first time that the prime minister publicly supported the idea.

The prime minister, who also heads the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), expressed his backing for an earlier remark made by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan that appointed senators were needed for five years during the transition.

“I think Deputy PM Prawit has the same understanding as mine. He also expects to see old problems emerge if we allow things to continue like before,” Prayut said, noting that in the past many MPs and senators had close connections with one another or were family members.

The premier said appointed senators would help the government by assessing its performance. “It’s the Senate’s duty to take care of the issues of good governance and transparency of government, as well as the country’s strategies,” he said.

Prayut said appointed senators also existed in many other countries. He also pointed out the problems of political conflict that Thailand is still experiencing.

Meanwhile, National Legislative Assembly president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai yesterday also expressed support for appointed senators during the transitional period.

Pornpetch disagreed with the original draft constitution, which stipulated that senators would come from 20 different occupations, with representatives voting to select senators from other occupations. He said such a system would make it easy for “bloc voting”. He added that Thailand had appointed senators prior to the Constitution of 1997, which required senators to be elected.

However, Meechai Ruchupan, chairman of the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC), said yesterday he thought the draft provisions on the Senate were “already complete”, as it was intended to be “an assembly of citizens”.

In response to the remarks by Prayut, Prawit and Pornpetch asking for revisions of the clauses regarding senators, Meechai said the CDC had not yet considered the matter.

In a related development, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said yesterday that the Cabinet has urged the Election Commission to lower its requested Bt3-billion budget to hold the national referendum on the draft charter.

“The Cabinet has resolved that the budget should be restricted because Bt3 billion is too much,” he said.

He said he did not want to use his power to oppress the media as it was impossible to control all agencies and Thailand was meant to be democratic, the premier said.

Some said that it was because the junta did not use its power, so the country became messed up, he said. The prime minister did not want to see people became “drug resistant”, so he did not use his power to handle all issues, Prayutadded.

The junta pledged to return democracy to the country and the government has been dealing with ingrained challenges in a bid to reform the nation, said the premier.

Prayut voiced concerns over a rumor that a so-called “five rivers” panel wouldn’t be able to work together, claiming that the reform process was ongoing and certain issues might take time before reaching solid results.

He promised that the “five rivers”, the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC), the National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA), the Cabinet, the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) and the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) would work together to reform the country.

For those who were ousted abroad, they had tried to ignite conflict, said the premier. If they wanted to influence the country, they had to enter the judicial process, he continued, and should not say anything from overseas as they were just condemning themselves.

The prime minister was jovial during the press conference and even answered more than four questions. The government had previously made a rule that journalists could only ask the prime minister four questions in total during a press conference.

Questioners had to stand at a microphone and introduce themselves before addressing the prime minister as previously ruled.

The party’s acting leader, Pol Lt-General Viroj Pao-in, wrote a letter to Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, chief of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOHCHR).

“I am writing to you to draw your attention to the growing crisis in Thailand, which stems from the continuing violation of human rights and undermining of the rule of law,” Viroj wrote in the letter.

Watana, a former commerce minister, was detained on Wednesday for “attitude adjustment”.

Pheu Thai representatives Visaradee Techatheerawat and Chayika Wongnapachan yesterday submitted the letter to UNOHCHR officials in Bangkok. They discussed the party’s concerns over freedom of expression in the country, especially since Pheu Thai members have been silenced by the junta several times.

Chayika said the meeting was not only on behalf of Pheu Thai politicians, adding that she as an individual was also calling for an improvement of the human-rights situation. She questioned how people could protect their freedom of expression at such a crucial time when a referendum on the constitution was approaching.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, chief of the military’s ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), remained unshaken by Pheu Thai’s contacting the UN. Prayut said he could explain the situation to the organisation and had always reported how some people were behaving to the international community. He would not be the only one affected by such a move, he said.

‘A matter of principle’

Separately, after being released on Bt100,000 bail and prohibited from leaving the Kingdom, Watana vowed to continue fighting for democratic principles, despite his recent “attitude adjustment” session and the prospect of further detention threatened by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan.

Watana has been charged with posting false information criticising Prawit on Facebook in violation of the Computer Crime Act, which is punishable by five years in prison.

“I will continue to do my job. Anyone whose paycheques come from the Thai taxpayers should be able to be criticised, with no exceptions. Most important, I did not ask you to stage the coup. So there are no excuses,” he said yesterday.

He refused to speak further about the allegation, saying he would leave it to the judicial process. Before being charged with a crime, Watana was detained by the military on Wednesday because of the Facebook post.

He said he had been confined for several hours in a 5-by-8-metre room and talked to two different groups of military men. One group told him he had violated the Computer Crime Act, while the other tried to “adjust his attitude”.

Watana said the military officers had been polite and concerned for his well-being, offering him food, but he stressed that he was opposed to detention without notice and to attitude adjustment.

“If my remark was unlawful, I will be responsible for any charges pressed against me. But you cannot just have military men abduct me like that,” he said. “This means Thais have no liberty guarantee. If you are OK [with that], then OK. But this is not my fight, it’s the principle of rights and freedom. [The military] cannot just do whatever they want.”

Watana did not express concern about being detained again for attitude adjustment, saying he was just doing his job as a politician.

“It was nothing personal. I was only calling for democracy and rights and liberty. I do not think I have done anything wrong,” the Pheu Thai figure said, adding that he was too old to change his attitude.

Watana dismissed Prayut‘s remark that he was deepening the political conflict, saying that his comments were based on a principle and were not personal. He added that he only wanted the country to move forward.

A representative of iLaw, an organisation that monitors freedom of expression, said: “Summoning those critical of the junta government is an intimidation in itself. But deploying force to detain Watana was even more obvious [because] it was intimidating and it was rather unproportional and showed how the [junta] did not have concern for the people.”

He added that Prawit should have used legal means against Watana, not forcefully detain him.

 

The Election Commission (EC) recently unanimously resolved to file lawsuits against those who obstructed the election on February 2, 2014 and failed to prevent chaos that led to the poll being invalidated, including Yingluck and Suthep, a source from the EC revealed yesterday.

The first group of 234 people including Suthep along with his then People’s Democratic Reform Committee members Thaworn Senneam, Satit Wongnongtaey, and Phra Buddha Isara would face both criminal and civil charges of obstructing the election, the source said.

Yingluck would face a civil charge on grounds of dereliction of her duty and causing damage to the state as she continued to hold the election despite being warned of the likely chaos, the source said.

The EC plans to ask for a total of Bt2.4 billion compensation from the two groups but it depends on the court how much it will order each group to pay, the source said. The EC submitted the case to the Office of Attorney General for further legal process.

The Constitutional Court ruled that the general election was unconstitutional because voting was not held that day in 28 constituencies where anti-government protesters had prevented candidates from registering. The constitution says elections must be held on the same day nationwide.

 

WATANA MUANGSOOK, a key Pheu Thai figure and former commerce minister, was detained by the Army yesterday after he posted a comment on Facebookaccusing Deputy PM General Prawit Wongsuwan of discrimination and the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) of not wanting to return power to the country.

His whereabouts were not disclosed as of 6pm yesterday, while the party issued a statement yesterday demanding Watana’s immediate release.

Prawit explained that he had to summon Watana because his Facebook post was untrue, adding that he did not know how long the former minister will be held as it was up to the NCPO. He went on to say that the Army “may have just invited the former commerce minister to have a meal together”.

Promising that he would adhere to the law when dealing with Watana, Prawit said “I told him earlier not to attack others. So don’t blame me. I’m not blaming anybody. But if someone keeps making false allegations and they do it 100 times, they will be summoned 100 times. And the next time the summonses could possibly last three to seven days.”

NCPO spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvaree said Watana’s post was in reference to certain figures and organisations, which could lead to people misunderstanding the NCPO, which is why he had to be summoned for “a talk”.

Winthai added that since Watana had been affected by the NCPO’s actions, it was understandable that he is biased and pessimistic about the NCPO. However, he said, the authorities have to ensure peace, hence those who voice baseless comments will need to have their attitude adjusted and “reconciled”.

Some 12 military officers showed up at Watana’s home in Bangkok’s Prawet district yesterday, a member of his family said. When told that the former minister was not at home, the soldiers waited for several hours before he showed up and was detained.

An NCPO source said it is believed that the moves being made by politicians recently were to gain favour from their parties, and at the same time they can promote themselves as democracy fighters to win public support.

Meanwhile, Pheu Thai issued an official statement calling for Watana’s immediate release and for the returning of people’s full rights and freedoms.

Separately, the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights group has claimed that the authorities are intensifying efforts to intimidate academics, who are critical of the junta by sending Army officers to their homes.

It claimed at least 77 academics have been harassed at home, with soldiers telling them to adjust their mindset since the military seized power nearly two years ago.

At least five academics have been forced to go into exile, said Poonsuk Poonsukcharoen, a member of the lawyers group, which provides legal aid and monitors rights violations in Thailand.

“With legitimacy stretching thin and achievements falling flat, the junta feels the pressure to silence critics to maintain its power,” Poonsuk told Reuters.

In a February 24 report, Amnesty International said Thailand had dismissed international calls not to silence dissent. Last week, self-exiled prominent academic Pavin Chachavalpongpun took to social media to accuse the junta of intimidating his family in Thailand.

“To hunt me is already unacceptable. But for them to go after my family is really too much,” he told Reuters via Skype. “This has to be the junta’s most daring move yet.”

Winthai, however, denied that the military is pursuing academics with greater zeal and told Reuters he was unaware of any intimidation of Pavin’s family.

Authorities issued an arrest warrant for Pavin in June 2014, one month after the coup, for ignoring junta summonses to attend a military “attitude adjustment” session while abroad. His passport was revoked the following month.

The junta’s pursuing of academics highlights its growing insecurity, said Kan Yuenyong, an analyst at the Siam Intelligence Unit think-tank.

Kan pointed out that the Army might be seeing academics as a mouthpiece, whose messages hold greater significance. Hence, he said, their criticism can do a lot to undermine the junta’s legitimacy.