Barkar Nash (Page 998)

Position ‘temporary’ while Pita fights legal battles

Chaithawat Tulathon has declared himself the provisional leader of the Move Forward Party (MFP) pending the outcome of a legal battle by his predecessor.

Elected as the party’s new leader along with the board of executives yesterday, Mr Chaithawat replaces Pita Limjaroenrat, who quit the MFP leadership in the middle of this month to pave the way for his replacement to assume the role of opposition leader.

Mr Pita himself has been suspended as an MP pending a court ruling on his iTV media share-holding case. His suspension is holding up the party from taking over as head of the opposition.

After he was chosen as leader yesterday, Mr Chaithawat labelled himself as a provisional leader filling in for Mr Pita while he is tied up with his legal battle.

The court suspended Mr Pita after accepting for consideration a complaint involving Mr Pita’s inherited shares of the now defunct media company, iTV Plc.

The constitution prohibits politicians from holding stock in a media organisation. Mr Pita has argued the 42,000 shares were part of his late father’s estate, which he managed as the executor. He said the title had since been transferred to his relatives.

“The new executives and I are prepared to stand down (if and when) Mr Pita stages a comeback as MP,” Mr Chaithawat said. “The changes (in leadership) that have taken place today are therefore temporary.”

Mr Chaithawat is succeeded by Apichart Sirisunthorn as party secretary-general. The voting results showed Mr Chaithawat was elected leader, receiving 330 votes in favour. Five voted against and three abstained.

The meeting also picked deputy party leaders: Pijarn Chaowapatthanawong, Natthawut Buaprathum, Pol Maj Gen Supisarn Pakdeenaruban and Sirikanya Tansakul.

Parit Wacharasindhu, a list MP, has been appointed as a party spokesman.

Mr Chaithawat said Mr Pita has been named an advisory chairman to the party who will drive the MFP’s policies from outside parliament. “In the meantime, I will carry out my duty as opposition leader during this temporary arrangement,” he said.

However, Mr Pita insisted his successor and the new party secretary-general are the “real deal”. He was speaking before the party convened its meeting yesterday.

Born in Songkhla, Mr Chaithawa, 45, graduated in environmental engineering from Chulalongkorn University.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin will welcome Chinese visitors at Suvarnabhumi Airport tomorrow to mark the first day of the government’s visa-free scheme for Chinese and Kazakhstani tourists.

He will lead a group of ministers and authorities at a welcoming ceremony organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) for Chinese passengers of Thai AirAsia X flight no XJ761, which will depart from Shanghai and land in Bangkok at 10.15am that day.

According to the Royal Gazette last week, easier entry and 30-day visa-free stays for nationals of China and Kazakhstan will start on Sept 25 and end on Feb 29 next year.

Kicking off the scheme, the TAT will arrange a ceremony to welcome the first group of visa-free tourists on Monday at four major international airports across the country: Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai and Phuket airports.

Tourism and Sports Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol said the ceremony will include a welcoming billboard and cultural performances. The tourists will also be presented with jasmine garlands and elephant-patterned pants, a popular souvenir among tourists in Thailand.

Ms Sudawan said the Tourism and Sports Ministry would work with the private sector on boosting tourism.

Meanwhile, Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said the scheme will help stimulate the economy. Chinese visitors will increase even more during their National Day holiday from Sept 29 to Oct 6.

He said flights from China are expected to jump from 72 to 96 flights a day after the scheme is introduced, with the number of Chinese visitors rising from 9,680 to 18,656 a day. The target of five million Chinese tourists for this year is achievable, he said.

Mr Suriya has ordered the Airports of Thailand (AoT) to prepare measures to cater to the increased number of tourists.

For example, immigration police at Suvarnabhumi Airport will staff all 138 counters to serve 7,140 passengers per hour, with each expected to spend less than a minute at the counter, he said.

Prime Minister and Finance Minister Srettha Thavisin says he never spoke of a plan to make former premier Thaksin Shinawatra his adviser once the latter is released from jail, as widely reported.

Thaksin: ‘Most popular PM’

Speaking to reporters in New York where he is attending the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA78), the prime minister denied saying he would offer Thaksin a role as his adviser.

Mr Srettha said he was asked by a reporter whether he might seek advice from Thaksin regarding national affairs. His reply was he would do so if necessary.

Critics have asked, given his remarks, who is really in charge of the government: Mr Sretta, or Thaksin, who is widely seen as having a hand in getting him the job.

Mr Srettha told Bloomberg Television on Wednesday that he would seek political advice from Thaksin when he was released from prison. He said he would also seek advice from all former prime ministers.

In fact, the first predecessor he approached right after assuming office was Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha. He also paid a visit to other former premiers, Anand Panyarachun and Somchai Wongsawat.

Mr Srettha praised Thaksin, saying he was the country’s most popular prime minister and that when he is free, it would be “unwise of me not to seek his opinion”.

But Mr Srettha said he did not believe Thaksin would entertain the notion of acting as adviser even if he was offered the post. “He [Thaksin] has been prime minister for years. Anyway, he wouldn’t want to be my adviser. He has other roles and responsibilities in mind,” Mr Srettha said.

Also yesterday, former Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat said he saw nothing wrong with Mr Srettha wanting to solicit advice from Thaksin on matters of prime ministerial duty.

The MFP is looking to put together a draft law to grant amnesty to political offenders. He said he understood that the MFP members and various other parties were preparing a bill to be tabled to parliament.

Meanwhile, serial petitioner Srisuwan Janya said he would file a petition asking the Department of Corrections to publish a daily record of Thaksin’s treatment at the Police General Hospital and who visited the former premier there.

According to the Justice Ministry’s regulations, inpatient prisoners must be accompanied by two corrections officials at all times, and they are required to report what goes on at the hospital.

Mr Srisuwan said such records are not confidential medical documents which are normally banned from disclosure. They are general records which the Department of Corrections is obligated to divulge and clarify.

“If the records are concealed, [I] will take a case to court. The law must apply to everyone regardless of a person’s financial or political stature,” said Mr Srisuwan.

Second such incident in a month at airport car park believed to be a suicide

PHUKET: A 53-year-old Swiss man fell to his death from a parking building at Phuket international airport on Friday night.

Police rushed to the airport after being told that a foreign man had suffered injuries after jumping from the parking building at about 7.30pm on Friday, Pol Col Salan Santisatsanakul, chief of Sakhu police station, said on Saturday.

The officers found bloodstains on the ground floor of the building. The injured tourist, whose name was withheld pending notification of relatives, was pronounced dead on arrival at Thalang Hospital, said Pol Col Salan.

Police believed the tourist jumped deliberately. A security guard at the airport said he had noticed the man apparently surveying the area since the daytime.

Last month, a 50-year-old Australian man fell to his death from the car park building at the same airport.

Tourism and Sports Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol said the Tourist Assistance Centre (TAC) at the Phuket airport was working with the Swiss consular office in Phuket to contact relatives of the deceased.

Ms Sudawan said the ministry would hold a meeting with the agencies concerned to discuss how to tighten safety measures following the incident.

Any tourist who has a problem or needs help can contact the TAC and tourist police at the Phuket airport and other airports across the country, or contact the tourist police call centre at 1155, she added.

Party veteran says he’s willing to step aside if court clears predecessor Pita to return as an MP

The Move Forward Party has elected Chaithawat Tulathon as its new leader to succeed Pita Limjaroenrat, who stepped down earlier this month because of continuing uncertainty about his status as an MP.

However, Mr Chaithawat said the change could be temporary and was being made only because legal issues prevented Mr Pita from performing his role as the opposition leader.

“I and the new members of the executive committee are ready to step down if Mr Pita can return to perform his MP duty,” he said at the party’s general assembly on Saturday.

Mr Chaithawat, the party’s secretary-general, received 330 votes in favour, with 5 opposed and 3 abstentions in a secret ballot using electronic voting. He was the only candidate nominated.

Songkhla-born Mr Chaithawat, 45, holds a degree in environmental engineering from Chulalongkorn University. While at university he joined the Student Federation of Thailand along with Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, a friend and classmate from their days at Triam Udom Suksa school.

Future Forward veteran

Mr Thanathorn and Mr Chaithawat were among the core founders of the reform-minded Future Forward Party. The party performed surprisingly well in the 2019 election but was dissolved a year later after the Constitutional Court ruled that a loan from Mr Thanathorn to the party violated electoral laws.

Its successor, Move Forward, won the most seats in the May 14 general election with Mr Pita at the helm. But the party was unable to form a coalition government because of entrenched opposition to its policy to reform Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the royal defamation law. It has since become the main party in the opposition bloc.

Mr Pita resigned as leader on Sept 15, saying he could not take up the position of opposition leader due to his suspension. He said the country urgently needed to have an official opposition to properly monitor the government, and that required the party to have a leader who is a sitting MP.

The Constitutional Court on July 19 suspended Mr Pita as an MP pending a ruling on whether he broke election rules. At issue is whether he ran for office while knowing he might be disqualified for holding shares in a media company — the long-defunct broadcaster iTV.

Mr Pita has argued the 42,000 shares were part of his late father’s estate, which he managed as executor. He said they had since been transferred to relatives.

Move Forward, meanwhile, still faces the prospect of dissolution as the charter court is considering whether its stand on Section 112 violates the Constitution.

New party executive

Also at Saturday’s general meeting, the party elected a new executive with Apichart Sirisunthon named secretary-general to succeed Mr Chaithawat.

Mr Pita was named chairman of a new three-member advisory group, joined by Weerayuth Kanchuchat, a member of the party’s economic team, and Detcharat Sukkamnerd, director of the Think Forward Center.

Phicharn Chaowapattanawong, Nattawut Buaprathum, Supisan Phakdeenarunat and Sirikanya Tansakul were named deputy party leaders and Parit Watcharasindhu — a nephew of former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva — was named party spokesman.

DNA tests carried out on a man arrested for allegedly murdering his 2-year-old daughter, and on one of his former wives, show a match with samples from the bodies of two babies found in Bang Sue district in 2013 and 2014, police said.

Songsak Songsaeng, 46, is in custody along with his present wife, Sunan Nahuanin, 40, for allegedly killing their 2-year-old daughter. During questioning, Mr Songsak admitted to killing four sons born to one of his three former wives.

Pol Maj Gen Wathee Assawutmangkul, commander of the forensics division, said on Friday the DNA samples from Mr Songsak, his second wife Jessada Meepian, and the dead boys are positive matches.

The first boy, believed to have been 10 months old, was found in 2013, and the second boy, believed to have been one month old, was found in 2014 in Bang Sue district. Their DNA samples were collected for identification.

Pol Maj Gen Wathee said the results of the DNA tests on the bones, which were found near Soi Phahonyothin 56 in Bangkok’s Sai Mai district this week, are expected next week.

Given the evidence, Ms Jessada will be charged with concealing the bodies, said Pol Maj Gen Teeradet Thammasuthee, chief of the Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Police Bureau (IDMB). He said Mr Songsak, who was initially charged with assault causing death, will be charged with colluding to murder, pending the results of the DNA tests on the bones.

Police are reviewing evidence to determine if a human trafficking charge will be pressed against Mr Songsak, who used photos of his maimed daughter to seek donations.

Mr Songsak’s and Ms Sunan’s arrest came after a social media influencer asked police to help two girls who netizens said were assaulted by their father.

Politicians have mixed views about Prime Minister and Finance Minister Srettha Thavisin wanting former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as his special adviser.

Mr Srettha told Bloomberg Television on Wednesday that he would seek political advice from Thaksin when he was released from prison.

Mr Srettha praised Thaksin, saying he was the country’s most popular prime minister and that when he is free, it would be “unwise of me not to seek his opinion”.

At parliament on Friday, Senator Somchai Sawangkarn responded to Mr Srettha’s comments by saying that although Thaksin had done some good things in the past, he was convicted in three cases with a total eight-year jail term, which later was reduced to one year due to a royal pardon.

Mr Somchai said to maintain harmony in the country, the prime minister should truly consider the implications of having him as his adviser. He said people are still questioning the state of Thaksin’s health as he has spent more than a month in the Police General Hospital.

Thaksin: Still in police hospital

Next Monday, the Senate Committee on Political Development and Public Participation will invite relevant officials, including the permanent secretary of the Justice Ministry, the Corrections Department director-general, and representatives of the Royal Thai Police, to provide information about Thaksin’s treatment.

Mr Somchai said that Thaksin should complete his one-year jail term, adding that it might lead to civil unrest if he is released before that time.

“It is too fast for Mr Srettha to decide to appoint Thaksin as an adviser, as the matter will undermine confidence and faith in judicial procedures,” he said.

Dr Warong Dechgitvigrom, chairman of the Thai Pakdee Party, said having Thaksin as an adviser would ruin the government’s image as it would show that the government can’t find anyone better than a convict charged with corruption.

Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, President of the Senate, said the prime minister was just proposing an idea. He added that Mr Srettha might appreciate that Thaksin’s experience could benefit the country.

Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai echoed those sentiments.

“With Thaksin’s six years of experience in national administration, I think it is a good thing to work with him and hear his advice,” he said.

The government wants to keep the number of referendums concerning any rewrite of the constitution to a minimum to save costs, Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said on Friday.

Mr Phumtham, who is putting together a panel to design the referendum, said each voting round should cost 3-4 billion baht, and it may take three to four to complete the amendment.

He said his panel, which will comprise representatives from political parties, academics and interest groups, is expected to come up with an option that best follows an earlier court ruling.

In 2021, the Constitutional Court ruled the public must approve any move to amend the entire charter and if that first referendum is approved, another must be held to see if people approve of the new content.

But some pundits say it may take more than two rounds to complete a rewrite, and the public may have to go to the polls if a charter drafting committee is to be directly elected.

Asked about potential panellists, Mr Phumtham said he plans to ask Pongthep Thepkanchana, former chief strategist of Pheu Thai.

He said he has already approached academics, including Ekkachai Chainuwat and Siripan Nogsuan Sawasdee, as well as veteran politician Nikorn Chamnong of the Chartthaipattana Party, all of whom have expressed interest.

Asked if he would talk to legal specialist and former deputy prime minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, Mr Phumtham said he intends to gather input from all sectors but has not had a chance to meet Mr Wissanu yet.

Senate Speaker Pornpetch Wichitcholchai said he disagreed with wholesale changes but said the issue would be decided by the government.