Thailand Politics

Thailand’s Deputy Minister Thammanat Denies Being Gang Member

BANGKOK – Thailand’s Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompow has gone into denial mode after being outed as a heroin smuggler. Thammanat has denied being a key member of a heroin smuggling gang in a 1993 as reported by Australian news.

Australian news media reported Thammanat had been convicted and jailed for four years in 1993 for conspiracy to import heroin. They also reported he was deported after being released.

Thammanat told a briefing in July a different version of the story and challenged everyone to check it with the Australian court. Some people knew about his jail time in Australia but no one knew the details of the case until now.

In his version of the story, he was detained for eight months for being in the same room as some drug dealers.

Australian news however discovered court documents, stating he was a key gang member. The court documents also reported he had confessed in exchange for a reduced penalty.

On Tuesday, Thammanat said he had already explained everything about the case and questioned the motive of the reports.

“There must be a reason for rewriting old news so comprehensively and I know what it is. But I have to handle this by myself,” he said. However, Thammanat evaded the question of whether he was detained for eight months or jailed for four years. “It’s part of what I had agreed with the Australian court and I’m not at liberty to say,” he said.

Thammanat Threatens to Sue Accusers

He claimed to know the network behind the report and had told his lawyers to take civil and criminal action against it. “Isn’t it strange that all of sudden the Australian newspapers attacked me out of the blue?”

He also denied having admitted to the crime. “I’ve never confessed. And I’ve never committed the crime as reported.”

The 53-year-old politician said he was not the mastermind. “From now on I won’t respond to anyone who talks about my past. I’ll just take legal action against them.”

Asked about the SMH’s statement the report was based on court documents, Capt Thammnat flatly said: “I don’t believe it.

“Earlier, I was contacted by Michael Ruffles of The Sydney Morning Herald, and told him this was old news. He sent me several emails.

We have to check to which network Michael belongs,” he said. Referring to the group of people in Thailand he believes wanting to discredit him.

“From now on, I won’t talk anyone about this matter and will move on to work for the people.”

He also jokingly challenged his alleged adversaries to “open up their faces and exchange punches”.

“Let’s not hide. I didn’t mean to literally pick a physical fight but let’s talk openly instead of digging into the past.

Do we really want to sink in the past or live with the future?”

Asked whether he would resign, Thammanat answered it with a question. “Why would I do that? A man like me lives with reality,” he said. Referring to his previous accusations that his opponents were “avatars” who exist mainly online and never show their faces.

“This is a personal affair. It doesn’t affect the cabinet’s image. Let’s see how well I can serve the people and the country.”

Source: Bangkok Post

Thailand Politics

Thai Prime Minister’s Popularity Declines as Move Forward Party dominates

(CTN News) – Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin continues to make local and international visits to try to solve problems and promote Thailand, but he has failed to impress most voters, according to a Nida poll. The poll also revealed the declining popularity of Pheu Thai Party leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra and the rise of the Move Forward Party.

According to a poll released on Sunday, only 12.85% of people supported the prime minister, down from 17.75% in the previous survey. The daughter of convicted former Prime Minister Thaksin, currently on parole, saw her popularity drop from 6% to 4.85%.

The National Institute of Development Administration conducts a quarterly survey of the public’s preferred political leaders. The last survey was released at the end of March.

According to the survey, supporters of the prime minister described Mr Srettha as a resolute decision-maker determined to address their problems. Ms Paetongtarn was complimented for her vision, leadership, knowledge, and grasp of the country’s difficulties.

This weekend, the prime minister will be in the northeast region listening to citizens’ concerns. The journey occurred only a few days after he had visited northern provinces earlier in the week.

Despite criticism, he has reduced his abroad trips, citing the need to showcase Thailand to investors and traders.

Pita Limjaroenrat, the chief advisor of the Move Forward Party, remained the top candidate for prime minister with 45.50% of the vote, up slightly from 42.75% in the previous quarter’s poll.

Pirapan Salirathavibhaga was the huge winner. The leader of the United Thai National Party saw his popularity nearly quadruple from 3.55% to 6.85%.

The sampled voters stated they appreciated Mr Pita’s political beliefs and thought he had broad knowledge. They praised Mr Pirapan’s credibility, claiming he was clean and honest.

Two other probable prime minister candidates were Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan of the Thai Sang Thai Party and Anutin Chanvirakul, leader of Bhumjaithai. However, they were less popular than others.

About 20% of voters still did not believe any candidate was qualified to lead the country, which is the same percentage as in the last survey.

Move Forward Party was the most popular party with 49.20%, up slightly from three months ago, while Pheu Thai fell around five percentage points to 16.85% from 22.10%.

The poll, issued on Sunday, surveyed 2,000 ineligible voters between June 14 and June 18.

Thailand Politics

Move Forward Party MP Jirat Thongsuwan Appeals Suspended Jail Sentence for Defamation

(CTN News) – Jirat Thongsuwan, a Move Forward Party MP, says he would appeal his one-year suspended jail sentence for defaming a former senior defense ministry official concerning the state’s procurement of bogus bomb detectors.

The Criminal Court also fined Mr Jirat 100,000 baht for falsely accusing ACM Tharet Punsri, a former Air Force chief-of-staff who later became the ministry’s deputy permanent secretary, of being the chairman and shareholder of a company that supplied the military with the infamous GT200 bomb detectors.

The Chachoengsao MP claimed a July 20, 2022, no-confidence vote against cabinet ministers in Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government. ACM Tharet was not a cabinet member.

Jirat Thongsuwan also identified ACM Tharet as a key figure in the 2006 coup headed by then-army chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, which overthrew Thaksin Shinawatra.

ACM Tharet told the court that Jirat Thongsuwan’s charges were false and harmed his reputation. He denied involvement with the bomb detection company and said he was not the company’s senior chairman or shareholder.

In addition to the suspended jail term and fine, the court ordered Jirat Thongsuwan to pay $ 500,000 baht in damages to ACM Tharet and publish an apology in three newspapers for five days.

Jirat Thongsuwan later announced on his X account that he had challenged the verdict with the hashtag “An injustice is infuriating”.

The MP has also been accused of dodging required military conscription. He admitted to the accusation on May 8.

A British business promoted the GT200 as a “remote substance detector” and sold it in several countries. Between 2004 and 2009, fourteen Thai government organizations, most of which were military, were projected to spend 1.4 billion baht on the units.

Concerns about the GT200 and related gadgets arose after the National Science and Technology Development Agency discovered they lacked electronic components.

The devices were later revealed to be “divining rods”.

Thailand Politics

Thaksin Shinawatra Files 100 Million Baht Defamation Lawsuit Against Warong Dechgitvigrom

(CTN News) – Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister, has launched a defamation action against Warong Dechgitvigrom, the head of the Thai Pakdee Party, accusing him of paying a bribe to be released on bail in a lese majeste case.

Thaksin’s attorney, Winyat Chartmontree, filed a lawsuit against Warong, seeking 100 million baht in damages.

Warong, a long-time Thaksin Shinawatra critic, gave a public statement and posted on social media, saying that 2 billion baht was paid to judicial officials in exchange for release on bail in the lese majeste case.

Thaksin Shinawatra Granted Release on 500,000 Baht Bond

Thaksin was granted release on a 500,000 baht bond last week and told not to leave the country without court authorization after pleading innocent to charges of defaming King Rama IX in a 2015 interview with South Korean media.

Winyat stated that, while Warong did not identify Thaksin Shinawatra by name in his speech or post, he did include a hashtag with Thaksin’s name as well as the date Thaksin must appear in court, allowing readers to connect Thaksin to the allegations.

Winyat further stated that he was investigating the fact that Warong mentioned the specific aircraft and automobiles utilized by Thaksin Shinawatra to violate the Personal Data Protection Act.

“I have requested Mr Warong to provide proof as to where he received the data. “If it turns out that it came from state officials, there will be legal consequences,” he warned.

The Criminal Court has scheduled the case’s preliminary hearing for September 30.