Barkar Nash (Page 1,049)

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra can seek a royal pardon, according to a corrections authority. However, opponents object to him making such a request due to his open lese majeste case.

Nastee Thongplad, chief of Bangkok Remand Prison, yesterday said Thaksin, like all convicts, has the right to seek a royal pardon but his relatives must present adequate reasons to back the request.

He said a petition for a royal pardon begins at the prison and is then forwarded to the Department of Corrections.

Afterwards, the petition will go to the Justice Ministry, the cabinet secretariat and the Office of His Majesty the King’s Principal Private Secretary, which will propose it for royal consideration, he said.

There is a form for applying for a royal pardon and a petitioner will need to present other documents to show the petitioner’s past contributions and medical treatment records, he said.

He said that up to 10 visitors will be allowed to see Thaksin at the Police General Hospital from today onwards.

Meanwhile, the Thakpakdee Party said it objects to Thaksin applying for a royal pardon because he has yet to be tried over his lese majeste case.

According to the party, the army accused Thaksin of violating Section 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as the lese majeste law.

The Criminal Court accepted the case for trial in 2015 and issued an arrest warrant for Thaksin but he did not appear at the court as ordered, the party said.

Thaksin returned to the country on Aug 22 following 15 years of self-imposed exile. The Supreme Court has ordered him to serve eight years in jail for his finalised legal cases.

During the first night of his stay at Bangkok Remand Prison he was transferred to the Police General Hospital. The management at the Police General Hospital have denied that authorities did Thaksin a favour or that he is getting special treatment.

A father is demanding justice for his eighth-grade daughter who suffers from potentially life-threatening rhabdomyolysis following a disciplinary punishment ordered by her teacher in Roi Et.

The story of the girl, identified only as Lalida, from a local school in tambon Klang of Selaphum district, was first exposed on social media by popular webpage “Yak Dang Diew Jad Hai (Limelight Generator) Return Part 6”.

Sermvit Singha, 60, the girl’s father, said his daughter remains unwell as the condition, which involves the breakdown of injured skeletal muscle, has left her unable to walk and confined to her room at home.

He says Lalida was made to do 100 squat jumps by her physical education teacher last Monday as punishment for not bringing a badminton racquet to school.

The girl sustained a muscle injury during the jumps but did not tell her parents about it. She took a pain killer and went to school the next day.

However, by Thursday the pain had worsened and became intolerable. And when she finally told her parents about the injury they took her to hospital immediately.

Mr Sermvit also uploaded a doctor’s diagnosis confirming rhabdomyolysis and warning about potentially fatal complications that might arise from damage to her kidneys as a result.

Doctors advised the girl be admitted to hospital and placed under observation. However, the girl refused and asked to be cared for at home.

After the girl’s ordeal went viral, the school director and the PE teacher who ordered the punishment visited her at home and offered to pay the family some compensation in exchange for removing the original post.

The family remains concerned the girl’s illness might deteriorate further and Mr Sermvit has insisted he will not pick up any compensation from the school until Lalida is completely cured.

The father said he heard the PE teacher often disciplined other students in a similar way.

He criticised the teacher for ordering excessive punishment which he argued has no place in schools.

Mr Sermvit said the school management should consider whether to take disciplinary action against the teacher.

It was reported the school director has reprimanded the teacher already.

Bhumjaithai could take key interior job

Coalition leader Pheu Thai Party will remain in the driver’s seat despite offering the interior minister post to ally Bhumjaithai, according to an academic.

Details of the latest possible line-up of the new cabinet emerged yesterday, with Pheu Thai tipped to take control of key ministries handling economic affairs as the party aims to use them as a platform to implement its election pledges and boost its popularity.

According to the line-up, Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnviralkul is tipped to serve as a deputy prime minister as well as interior minister while deputy Bhumjaithai leader Chada Thaiset may become a deputy interior minister.

Stithorn Thananithichot, director of the Office of Innovation for Democracy at King Prajadhipok’s Institute, told Bangkok Post that Pheu Thai can still retain an upper hand even if Bhumjaithai gets the post of interior minister.

“In the past, coalition leaders had to keep the post of interior minister for themselves. But this time, Pheu Thai chose to offer it to Bhumjaithai, but Pheu Thai is not at a disadvantage anyway.

“Pheu Thai has to focus on fixing economic woes as a priority. After the economic problems are fixed, the party can then turn its attention to preparing for the next election [with the help of the Interior Ministry and local organisations],” Mr Stithorn said.

Generally, the Interior Ministry is among the most coveted portfolios by parties as it controls tens of thousands of local organisations, which can be enlisted to help build political support.

Citing the latest line-up reported by the media, Mr Stithorn said Pheu Thai would take several cabinet seats available, including those handling economic affairs, such as the commerce, finance, tourism and sports portfolios.

“These ministries are crucial to reinvigorating the economy and boosting exports and tourism.

“Pheu Thai also needs to carry out one of its key election pledges, the 10,000-baht digital wallet scheme. If the scheme succeeds, Pheu Thai can win back its popularity,” Mr Stithorn said.

According to observers, Pheu Thai is seeking to solidify its bases and win back supporters who were upset after the party decided to team up with its former foes — the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) and the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party.

Mr Stithorn also agreed with Pheu Thai’s decision to allocate the post of education minister as well as the post of higher education, science, research and innovation minister to its coalition ally.

Bhumjaithai is expected to get the two ministerial posts, according to the latest cabinet line-up which is still taking shape.

Mr Stithorn said Pheu Thai’s decision is intended to avoid pressure from those who are calling for education reform.

“Education reform will be a major issue and it will not be easy for the incoming ministers,” he said.

Mr Stithorn added that the allocation of cabinet seats among members of the Pheu Thai-led coalition is a win-win deal and bodes well for government stability.

He expects the new coalition government to fully serve its four-year term unless Pheu Thai makes critical mistakes. However, Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, a former election commissioner, held a different opinion.

On Facebook yesterday, he said Pheu Thai will lose opportunities if Bhumjaithai is allocated the interior portfolio.

“It will be the first time that a party that won 141 House seats agrees to offer the post of interior minister to a party with 71 seats in exchange for the post of transport minister,” he wrote.

Suriya Jungrungreangkit and Manaporn Charoensri of Pheu Thai are tipped to become transport minister and deputy transport minister respectively, according to the latest possible line-up.

Mr Somchai wrote that Pheu Thai would lose control of regional and local administration because the Interior Ministry oversees local officials, such as provincial governors, which was a big loss for any party.

Moreover, Pheu Thai would lose an opportunity to push for decentralisation, a key party policy, he wrote.

Thai Smile will stop operating flights from Suvarnabhumi airport to Surat Thani airport on Oct 1, in a move that has prompted the provincial governor to ask the airline to reconsider its decision.

Surat Thani governor Witchawut Jinto yesterday said he has submitted a letter to Thai Smile, a Thai Airways affiliate, asking it to keep operating flights between Suvarnabhumi and Surat Thani airports.

He said many people have complained over Thai Smile’s plan to stop operating flights to the local airport on Oct 1, the first day of the high season.

“It’s disheartening that Thai Smile will stop flights between Suvarnabhumi and Surat Thani as it is a very popular route,” he said, adding that many tourists also go on to visit nearby provinces.

He said that during the first six months of this year, the airport served 695,682 passengers, yet last month alone there had been 114,404 passengers via 754 flights.

He said if Thai Smile discontinues the service, there will not be enough flights to serve passengers during the high season.

“We want Thai Smile to reconsider its policy and keep the service to Surat Thani,” he said.

The airline had announced a suspension of the service in 2009, but local businesses and people opposed the decision, prompting the airline to cancel the plan at the time.

Other airlines that fly from Suvarnabhumi airport to Surat Thai include Thai VietJet, while AirAsia, Nok Air and Thai Lion Air fly from Don Mueang airport.

Corrections authorities insist former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra can seek a royal pardon while opponents object to such a request, saying he was investigated for lese majeste.

Nastee Thongplad, governor of the Bangkok Remand Prison, said on Sunday that Thaksin, like all convicts, had the right to seek a royal pardon and he or his relatives would have to prepare adequate reasons to back the request.

The governor said an application for a royal pardon begins at the petitioner’s prison. Prison authorities will check the written petition and then forward it to the Department of Corrections.

Afterwards the petition will go to the Justice Ministry, the cabinet secretariat and finally the Office of His Majesty the King’s Principal Private Secretary, which will propose it for royal consideration.

There is a form for a royal pardon application and a petitioner will need to present other documents to show his past contributions and medical treatment records.

Mr Nastee also said that visitors would be allowed to see Thaksin at Police General Hospital from Monday onwards. The Department of Corrections is limiting the number of visitors to 10 per day. They would have to register beforehand and were prohibited from presenting any gifts or souvenirs to Thaksin, he said.

Meanwhile, the Thaipakdee Party said it objected to any application for a royal pardon for Thaksin because he had yet to be tried for alleged lese majeste.

According to the party, the army had accused Thaksin in the Criminal Court of defamation and violation of Section 112 of the Criminal Code (the lese majeste law). The court had accepted the case for trial in 2015 and issued a warrant for the arrest of Thaksin, who did not appeared at the court as ordered.

After 15 years of self-imposed exile, Thaksin returned to the country on Aug 22. The Supreme Court ordered his eight-year imprisonment for his previous and finalised legal cases.

On the first night of his stay at the Bangkok Remand Prison, corrections doctors determined that he had to be transferred to Police General Hospital because of his serious illnesses.

The management of Police General Hospital denied authorities had done any favours for Thaksin.

PATHUM THANI: A 25-year-old man was killed instantly when his motorcycle collided with a Porsche Cayenne car in Sam Khok district just before midnight on Saturday night.

Local police were informed of the accident on Pathum Thani-Bang Pahan Road in tambon Chiang Rak Yai at about 11.30pm on Saturday.

The dead man was identified as Thanawat Boonrat, a resident of tambon Bang Phud in Pathum Thani’s Muang district. His heavily damaged Honda Lead motorcycle was found nearby. Police did not find its licence plate.

Also at the scene was the brand new Porsche Cayenne with Bangkok plates. Police detained its Chinese owner, Jin Jin Lai, 34.

The late man’s mother Sophee Boonrat, 48, said he earlier told her he was going to take a shower and then visit her to eat cake on the occasion of her birthday. He lived with his wife, she added.

Before the crash, local patrol police were informed that a group of motorcyclists had gathered for a street race nearby. They sped away when police arrived, including the motorcyclist engaged in the fatal crash with the Porsche Cayenne.

Declines comment on ‘favourable treatment’ for Thaksin in jail

Pol Col Thawee Sodsong, the Prachachat Party secretary-general and list MP, has been elected as the new leader of the party, succeeding Wan Muhamad Noor Matha.

Mr Wan resigned as leader of the Prachachat Party after he was appointed speaker of the House of Representatives.

The party held a general assembly at the Yala Rajabhat University in Yala province on Saturday to elect Mr Wan’s successor and the new party executive committee.

The meeting, chaired by acting party leader Worawi Makudi, was attended by about 1,000 party members.

Pol Col Thawee, the party secretary-general, was elected the new party leader.

At the meeting, Pol Col Thawee declined to comment on a report that he had been tipped to take the post of justice minister in the coalition government led by the Pheu Thai Party, saying that this had yet to be confirmed.

He also declined to comment on public criticism that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra had been given favourable treatment in jail after returning to Thailand.

Pol Col Thawee said he had not yet looked into this matter in detail as the new government had yet to take office and the Justice Ministry is still being overseen by out-going Deputy Prime Ministe Wissanu Krea-ngam.