Barkar Nash (Page 446)

Cabinet position for ex-con Pichit queried

Eyebrows are being raised as an ex-lawyer is tipped to become a cabinet minister despite having served jail time for contempt of court over the so-called “cash-stuffed paper bag” scandal representing former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a controversial land case in 2008.

Pichit Chuenban has been thrust into the spotlight as he is expected to serve as the PM’s Office Minister under the Pheu Thai-led coalition government, according to sources.

Thaksin — the former fugitive ex-PM who has long been considered the puppet master pulling Pheu Thai’s strings — returned to Thailand last week after living in self-imposed exile for 15 years.

On June 25, 2008, the Supreme Court sentenced Mr Pichit and two of his colleagues to six months each in jail for contempt of court after they tried to bribe Supreme Court officials by handing them a paper bag containing two million baht in cash a fortnight earlier.

All three represented Thaksin and his ex-wife, Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra, in the Ratchadaphisek land case, for which Thaksin was sentenced to two years in prison in 2008.

They were disbarred by the Lawyers Council of Thailand for five years after the council’s ethics committee found they had breached the code of conduct, based on the Supreme Court ruling.

In 2011, Mr Pichit was elected as a Pheu Thai list-MP and later acted as a lawyer for then-prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra — Thaksin’s younger sister — when she faced impeachment proceedings for her role in her government’s loss-ridden rice-pledging scheme.

Mr Pichit was among 10 people who visited Thaksin at the Police General Hospital on Monday, according to the sources.

Khomsan Phokhong, a vice dean at Rangsit University’s faculty of law, said Mr Pichit is not qualified to hold a cabinet post as he served jail time for attempted bribery.

Even though he was released over a decade ago and is not barred by any constitutional provisions from joining the new cabinet, his past conduct creates an ethical quandary, Mr Khomsan said.

“Mr Pichit was found guilty of contempt of court under the Civil Procedure Code, not the Criminal Procedure Code. Therefore, the provisions in the charter regarding cabinet ministers’ qualifications do not apply. But ethical issues and a sense of appropriateness must be taken into account,” Mr Khomsan said.

The cabinet’s secretariat must scrutinise the cabinet line-up before submitting it for royal endorsement, he added.

The nation’s newly elected prime minister, property developer tycoon Srettha Thavisin, denied speculation that Mr Pichit would become a lightning rod for criticism of the government.

Mr Srettha said the secretary-general of the cabinet would spend two days verifying the qualifications of those chosen before submitting the list for royal endorsement.

Meanwhile, outgoing deputy prime minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said on Tuesday that Pol Gen Patcharawat Wongsuwon’s earlier dismissal from the position of national police chief also does not disqualify him from serving in the new cabinet.

He is tipped to be appointed a deputy prime minister and minister for natural resources and the environment.

Mr Wissanu said that as Pol Gen Patcharawat was later reinstated by the since-disbanded National Council for Peace and Order, this negated his previous dismissal.

Pol Gen Patcharawat is the chief adviser of the Palang Pracharath Party and the younger brother of party leader Gen Prawit Wongsuwon.

Pheu Thai Party list-MP Sutin Klungsang, who is expected to become defence minister in the new cabinet, has expressed his readiness to work with the armed forces in exploring ways to implement the party’s defence policies as promised during the May 14 election campaign.

After submitting his biographical information for the verification required before an appointment to the new cabinet to the Secretariat of the Cabinet on Tuesday, Mr Sutin said he was among the 35 members of the new Pheu Thai-led cabinet.

He said he couldn’t confirm whether he would become the new defence minister or not, as the document requiring him to submit his personal information for checking didn’t specify which minister’s position he would be appointed to.

As for the defence policies that Pheu Thai promised voters, including a voluntary recruitment system, he said further discussions will need to be carried out to seek approval among coalition partners.

And if all or most coalition parties endorse these policies, the government will begin discussing with organisations in the Ministry of Defence as to what policies could be implemented within certain time frames, he said.

Several factors will have to be considered when prioritising these policies and deciding how they will be implemented, Mr Sutin said.

In response to critics saying he doesn’t have security expertise, Mr Sutin said that aside from being a quick learner, he knows former military officials who could become a team advising him on the job if he becomes the new defence minister.

“At present, I still don’t know if I will become the new defence minister or not. In case I am appointed to the position, that wouldn’t be unusual as civilians have been appointed as defence ministers in other countries,” he said.

If eventually he is chosen, he strongly believes he will be successful in the role.

Asked whether he could end an attempted military coup if he is made the new defence minister, Mr Sutin said he believes there are presently no conditions that would lead to a coup, adding that he thinks no one wants to stage one.

A female accountant at the Legal Execution Department’s provincial office in Pattani has been found guilty of embezzling 2.8 million baht, according to the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG).

She has been sentenced to 50 years in prison and told to return the stolen money to the provincial office, OAG deputy spokesman Kosolwat Inthuchanyong said yesterday.

The woman was identified by her first name, Chiranan, and described as a Level 4 finance and accounting officer.

The embezzlement was committed on 18 occasions between March 18, 2004, and April 27, 2006, during which time she falsified the signature of Mahosot Ramrangsarit, the office director, who had the authority to approve her requests to cash cheques and deposit the money into the office’s accounts, said Mr Kosolwat.

After cashing the cheques, however, she deposited the money into her own accounts and those of her acquaintances, amounting to 2.8 million baht in total, he said.

The woman, who had consistently pleaded innocent, previously returned 561,078 baht, meaning she still owes 2.24 million baht, he added.

The case was heard by the Region 9 Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases in Songkhla province around the middle of this month, Mr Kosolwat said.

The Expressway Authority of Thailand (Exat) is conducting a market survey on plots of land under and near its elevated expressways in 17 areas that are believed to have potential to be further developed for commercial purposes.

Opinions from prospective private investors will be compiled into a report, which will then be submitted to the new cabinet via the Ministry of Transport for consideration, said Exat governor Surachet Laophulsuk.

The 17 areas, which include Bangkok’s prime business zones, including Silom, Phloenchit, Wacharaphon and Asok, will be leased out to interested investors through auctioning from next year, he said.

These investment projects could come in various forms ranging from a three-year concession to a public-private partnership investment contract, which is five years to 20 years long and expected to break even in three to four years, he said.

The Exat has a total of 530 plots of land in these 17 areas ready for commencing a commercial development project, while from 2027 another 614 plots in eight areas will be ready to embark on commercial development when the lease contracts granted to small renters expire, Mr Surachet added.

Of the 17 areas, seven are categorised as a group with the highest potential to be developed for commercial purposes, he said, adding that 385 plots of Exat land in this specific group are between 3 rai and 10 rai.

The seven areas are Silom, Asok, Sukhaphiban 5, Ram Intra, Phloenchit, Victory Monument and Wacharaphon, he said.

The rest of the Exat land plots in these 17 areas range in size from 3 rai to 200 rai and are located in outer Bangkok zones and the suburbs.

In addition to this land development project, the Exat has prepared three new expressway projects to submit to the new cabinet for approval, said Mr Surachet.

Local tourism operators in Nakhon Ratchasima yesterday welcomed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s plan to upgrade airports in secondary cities to boost tourist arrivals and stimulate the economy.

Pongthep Malachasing, head of the local tourism promotion association, said the proposal would breathe life into Nakhon Ratchasima airport, which sees little activity, although the province has a comprehensive network of road and rail transport systems.

He said Nakhon Ratchasima airport, which is located about 30km from the city, has failed to attract passengers and needs support from the political sector to help spur air travel demand.

Mr Pongthep said he hopes the Pheu Thai-led government will look at the prospect of upgrading Nakhon Ratchasima airport and linking it to other cities to increase air traffic.

Located in Chalerm Phrakiat district, Nakhon Ratchasima airport can accommodate large aircraft, and its 5,500m² passenger terminal can serve up to 300 passengers per hour. However, it currently serves flights for trainee pilots only after Nok Air cancelled its loss-ridden Nakhon Ratchasima-Chiang Mai route after only two months of service in September last year.

During the airport’s early years of operation, some commercial airlines, such as Thai Airways, Air Andaman and Kan Airlines, launched domestic flight services but later discontinued them due to financial losses.

In other news, Sanan Angubolkul, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said the business community urged the incoming government to boost the tourism sector in a recent meeting following Mr Srettha’s appointment as prime minister.

He said attracting foreign visitors, especially from China, is one of the urgent measures the government must pursue to speed up economic recovery in the last quarter.

He said Mr Srettha had acknowledged the issue, adding that the private sector expects to see concrete measures after the government delivers its policy statement to parliament.

PATTANI: Authorities are searching for suspects who ambushed a patrol in Yarang district on Monday night, killing three people and injuring five others, police said yesterday.

The ambush occurred in front of tambon Yarang municipal office on the Yarang-Mayo road at about 10.50pm.

The attackers used assault rifles and grenades. Over 100 spent rifle cartridges were found at the scene, along with grenade fragments. The walls of the two-storey municipal office were left riddled with holes.

Pol Snr Sgt Maj Tuwaelo Loma, 48, and defence volunteers Charnwit Dorloh, 45, and Narong Rakaew, 47, were killed in the attack. Five other police officers were injured.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin will visit Laos in an attempt to strengthen the nation’s relations with the neighbouring country, according to media reports yesterday.

The decision was taken after a courtesy phone call from the Prime Minister of Laos, Sonexay Siphandone, in which he congratulated Mr Srettha on becoming Thailand’s 30th prime minister.

Mr Sonexay praised Mr Srettha, saying his economic experience will benefit both countries. Mr Srettha assured Thailand will continue to improve ties with Laos.