South-East Asia (Page 1,356)

Third conviction in the last month for former Democrat Party deputy leader

Prinn Panitchpakdi, a former deputy leader of the Democrat Party, has been sentenced to four years in jail for sexually assaulting a former party member.

The Bangkok South Criminal Court on Friday also ordered Mr Prinn to pay 2 million baht in compensation to Hathairat “Anna” Vidhyaphum. It was his third conviction in the past month.

Ms Hathairat took the rare step last year of going public with her allegations against the politician, as she said she wanted other victims to come forward.

She was the co-plaintiff along with public prosecutors in the case against Mr Prinn.

Mr Prinn was accused of luring Ms Hathairat to a condominium room in Wattana district of Bangkok on April 24, 2021, and using force to rape her.

Prosecutors asked for Mr Prinn to be punished under Sections 276 and 281 of the Criminal Court related to rape and indecent acts and demanded 45 million baht in compensation for physical, psychological and reputational damage to the victim.

The defendant denied the charges.

After examining the evidence and testimony, the court found the defendant guilty of the charges. It initially sentenced him to six years in jail. As his testimony was useful, the court commuted the jail term to four years.

The court said it fount the compensation demand too high. It ordered the defendant to pay 2 million baht plus interest of 5%, starting from the date the assault took place.

After the ruling, Mr Prinn was granted 200,000-baht bail by the court pending his appeal against the conviction.

Ms Hathairat is married to Tanat “Nat” Thanakitamnuay, a wealthy former Democrat Party member who quit and became a high-profile supporter of the pro-democracy protests in 2020. He lost an eye when one protest rally turned violent.

On Monday, the Criminal Court sentenced Mr Prinnn to two years in jail for sexually assaulting an underaged girl, while throwing out another similar case.

On Aug 10, the Criminal Court sentenced him to two years and eight months without suspension for sexually assaulting an 18-year-old student in 2021.

Mr Prinn is the son of Supachai Panitchpakdi, a former deputy prime minister and director-general of the World Trade Organization.

15-year-old waiting for flight to Krabi was lured into restroom, say police

SAMUT PRAKAN – A ground crew member with a major airline has been accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old male passenger in a restroom at Suvarnabhumi airport.

The incident was confirmed by Pol Col Chakrapong Nuchphadung, superintendent of the airport police station. He said a 46-year-old woman approached authorities on Wednesday to report that her son had been molested by a man identified only as Sukkasem, a ground crew member with an airline operating out of the terminal.

The incident took place around 6.40pm in a restroom located near Gate B8 of the domestic terminal.

The 15-year-old was travelling to see his mother in Krabi and had approached the man for assistance as he was travelling alone.

After issuing the victim a boarding pass and directing him to wait for boarding, Sukkasem, 43, allegedly inappropriately groped the boy and then convinced him that his baggage exceeded the weight limit. He told the victim to follow him into a restroom where he would inspect the luggage.

Once inside the restroom, however, the suspect reportedly locked himself in a stall with the boy and blocked the exit, sexually assaulting him twice despite the victim’s protests.

According to the victim, Sukkasem threatened him about reporting the incident and made him wait while he left the restroom.

After revealing the attack to his family upon arriving in Krabi, the victim was taken to the Nua Klong police station, where authorities were able to collect DNA evidence that has led to an arrest warrant being issued for the airport worker.

Drug shipment was bound from Suphan Buri for Songkhla

CHUMPHON – Highway police seized almost 2 million methamphetamine pills in a major bust on Saturday morning.

The Chumphon Highway Police Division said it received a tip about a significant drug trafficking operation moving contraband to the southern region. Upon learning that a white Toyota Yaris was involved, officers set up a checkpoint in tambon Thung Ka.

When they stopped the suspected vehicle to search it, they uncovered several bricks bound in black plastic bags in three sacks hidden behind the driver’s seat. Two more sacks were found in the boot of the car.

On removing the contents of the bricks, police counted 1.998 million speed pills. This led the two occupants of the car — identified only as Siwaporn, 28, and Chompoonuch, 32 — to confess that they had rented the car in Suphan Buri and were headed to meet a buyer in Songkhla.

Police later discovered that another car was involved in the operation. They managed to coordinate with colleagues to stop that vehicle in Ratchaburi and arrest two more people. 

The two — identified as Sarawut, 31, and Worapol, 29 — explained that they were serving as lookouts and guides for the first car but broke off when they found that the Yaris had been spotted, hoping to escape to a nearby home.

Court says activist Arnon Nampa, facing 13 other charges under Section 112, is a flight risk

The Court of Appeal has denied a bail request from prominent activist and lawyer Arnon Nampa, who is appealing his four-year sentence for violating Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the lese-majeste law.

The decision was reported by Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday morning.

The organisation said the court reasoned that after considering the severity of the charge and the behaviour of the defendant, it was seen that the actions of Mr Arnon had caused too much detriment to the constitutional monarchy.

The court took the view that due to the four-year prison sentence handed down by a lower court, it was likely the defendant would attempt to flee if allowed to be released on bail.

The court also ruled against a request by Mr Arnon for it to review witnesses in his case, stating that the evidence was sufficient to support the earlier ruling and no further review was required.

Mr Arnon’s lawyer, Krisadang Nutcharus, said he would consult with his client on whether to make another bail request or appeal the order to the Supreme Court.

The Criminal Court on Sept 26 sentenced Mr Arnon, an attorney with TLHR, to four years in prison and a fine of 20,000 baht for violating Section 112. The conviction stemmed from his appearance and statements made to a gathering at Victory Monument in Bangkok on Oct 14, 2020.

While waiting for the decision of the appeals court, Mr Arnon was detained at the Bangkok Remand Prison.

TLHR had earlier expressed confidence that bail would be granted as Mr Arnon showed no likelihood of fleeing or violating the terms of his earlier release on bail. The group also noted he is the father of two children.

Mr Arnon, 39, is widely known for taboo-breaking speeches during pro-democracy protests in 2020 during which he called for public debate on the role of the monarchy.

Section 112 carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years for each perceived insult of the monarchy. Mr Arnon is facing 13 other charges under the same section.

According to data from TLHR to Aug 31 this year, 1,925 people have been prosecuted for political participation and expression since the beginning of the Free Youth protests in July 2020. At least 257 are facing lese-majeste charges under Section 112 and 130 have been charged with sedition under Section 116.

Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol succeeds retiring Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas

His Majesty the King has endorsed the appointment of Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol as the new national police chief.

The announcement was published in the Royal Gazette on Saturday

His Majesty issued a a royal command ordering Pol Gen Torsak to leave the post of deputy national police chief and take up the position as national police chief. The appointment takes effect on Oct 1. The royal command was countersigned by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, according to the Royal Gazette.

On Wednesday, the Police Commission approved the appointment of Pol Gen Torsak to succeed Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas, who retires on Sept 30.

Pol Gen Torsak was fourth in seniority among the four job contenders. The other candidates were Pol Gen Roy Ingkapairote, the most senior, Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, the second-most senior, and Pol Gen Kitrat Phanphet.

Born in Phetchaburi in 1964, Pol Gen Torsak obtained a bachelor’s degree in political science from Thammasat University and started his career as an employee at Caltex Oil Thailand.

After taking a training course in law, political science and public administration, he set his sights on a police career, joining the force in 1997 as a deputy inspector with the Patrol and Special Operations Division, known as the 191 Police.

He was later transferred to the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) and then the Tourist Police Bureau before returning to the CSD.

He served as commander of the Police Royal Guards 904 Division before becoming a deputy chief and then chief of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB).