Flight risk, offence severity among factors for setting S0,000 bail: Lawyers on Ong Beng Seng’s arrest

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Mr Jeremy Pereira, a senior associate at Withers KhattarWong, said that the bail of S$100,000 “could be considered low especially when one takes into account (Mr Ong’s) high net worth”.

The amount “may not be indicative of the scale of the investigations, but likely that they don’t consider him that much of a flight risk”, he said.

Mr Ong and his wife, Singaporean businesswoman Christina Ong, were ranked 24th richest in Singapore last year and estimated by Forbes to have a net worth of US$1.75 billion (S$2.3 billion).

But Mr Wee, who focuses on white collar offences, said that the personal assets of a suspect who is being offered bail are not an important consideration.

“LESS OF A FLIGHT RISK”

“Having assets within the country is a positive thing for the person who’s being investigated … it suggests less of a flight risk,” he said.

“And I would also say that it may not be fair to set bail at a higher amount just because someone has more assets, because then the person’s not being treated equally.”

As for the matter of Mr Ong’s nationality, “the fact that a person is not a Singaporean does not in itself make that person a higher flight risk”, said Mr Shashi Nathan, partner at Withers KhattarWong.

He added that having business operations in multiple countries does not in itself increase or decrease flight risk.

“An assessment would have to be made to calibrate the amount of bail sufficient, not only to allow the person to be released from custody, but also to travel out of jurisdictions if necessary,” said Mr Nathan.

HPL owns and operates hotels under the brands of Four Seasons, COMO Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels Group, Six Senses, Marriott International, Hard Rock Hotels and Concorde, as well as shopping malls.

The businesses span the globe, with operations in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Maldives, Indonesia, Seychelles, the United Kingdom, the United States, Vanuatu, Bhutan, Tanzania, South Africa, Italy and Sri Lanka.

Mr Pereira said that the bail amount is usually higher for foreigners with no roots in Singapore, but as Mr Ong has roots here, such as property and businesses, these would have been taken into consideration.

“If he has assets overseas and can essentially live comfortably without having to ever return to Singapore, this would also be a factor which would have been taken into account,” he added.

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Lawmakers to hold new PM vote July 19 after reformist Pita stumbles

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Move Forward Party (MFP) leader and sole prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat and other MFP MPs give a thumbs-up at the parliament on Thursday morning as Parliament begins its joint sitting for the prime ministerial vote. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)
Move Forward Party (MFP) leader and sole prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat and other MFP MPs give a thumbs-up at the parliament on Thursday morning as Parliament begins its joint sitting for the prime ministerial vote. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)

Parliament confirmed Friday it would vote again for a new prime minister next week, after military-appointed lawmakers foiled liberal frontrunner Pita Limjaroenrat’s bid for the top job.

Mr Pita’s Move Forward Party (MFP) won the most seats in May elections, buoyed by young people eager for progressive reforms after nine years of army-backed rule in the kingdom.

But the Harvard-educated millionaire’s campaign to lead the next government was knocked back Thursday by the legislature’s senators, who consider his pledge to reform strict royal defamation laws a red line.

And the vote came just a day after Thailand’s top election body recommended the Constitutional Court suspend Pita as an MP — providing more fuel for senators already poised to vote against him.

Parliament will hold its second ballot for a new prime minister on July 19, deputy house speaker Pichet Chuamuangphan told AFP on Friday.

But it remained unclear whether Mr Pita would be renominated or if he would face any additional candidates.

“We still have to talk about it first,” said Mr Pichet, a member of MFP’s coalition partner Pheu Thai. “For now, it’s gathering opinions and feedback from the people.”

Mr Pita has insisted that he remains a candidate to lead the next government and was “not giving up” despite taking only 324 votes overall — well short of the 375 needed.

Just 13 senators voted for him, with many voicing their opposition to MFP’s pledge to soften the royal defamation laws.

– Senate hurdle –

All 250 senators were appointed under the junta-drafted constitution, which political analyst Thitinan Pongsudhirak said was a reliable impediment to MFP’s reformist platform.

“It is a way for the authority and the regime to stay in power in the long term and to prevent a pro-democracy government that can stand against them,” he told AFP.

Mr Thitinan said he expected Pheu Thai — a party that held office before a 2014 military coup but is now in an uneasy alliance with MFP — to field prime-ministerial candidates of their own.

If a Pheu Thai candidate won with the backing of conservative lawmakers, they may yet form a government that excludes Pita’s party altogether, he added.

“The conservative forces see Pita and MFP as a threat to be put down,” he said. “I would not be surprised, along these lines, that they would do the same thing to prevent MFP from even being in the government.”

Pheu Thai secretary-general Prasert Jantararuangtong said the party would meet with the MFP on Friday evening to discuss strategy for the next ballot.

“We need to discuss what we do next,” Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew said.

Speaking to reporters, he referenced the parties’ coalition agreement supporting Pita for PM, and said: “I am still backing that statement.”

– ‘Abuse of power’ –

Mr Pita rode a wave of support that saw voters emphatically reject almost a decade of army-backed rule under Prayut Chan-o-cha, who took power in the 2014 coup.

But the MFP’s reformist agenda has drawn strident objections from conservative supporters of the country’s establishment, particularly its plans to shake up the outsized economic role of powerful business monopolies.

On Wednesday, the electoral commission recommended Mr Pita’s suspension from parliament over allegations he broke campaign rules — a move the MFP branded as an “abuse of power”.

The recommendation followed a probe into Mr Pita’s ownership of shares in a media company, which MPs are prohibited from under Thai law.

The station has not broadcast since 2007, and Pita has said the shares were inherited from his father.

The MFP was the only party that campaigned on tackling the thorny issue of the royal defamation laws, but that too landed it in trouble.

The Constitutional Court has agreed to hear a case alleging that the promise amounts to attempting to “overthrow” the constitutional monarchy.

The party has two weeks to present its defence.

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Singapore to emphasise the role youths play in driving climate action as Grace Fu visits UN next week

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“Whether it is in engagement with leaders, political leaders, exposure to other ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) youths, or getting training and development opportunities available in our national SkillsFuture framework, we’d like to equip them with knowledge, with skill sets, and with understanding,” she said. 
 
Youths have a longer runway ahead of them, she noted. 

“They’re able to think about challenges that are two, three decades out that require solutions that really require long-term thinking and implementation,” she said. 

“So we thought that they will be a really important stakeholder in this journey of climate action.” 

YOUTH ADVOCACY “POWERFUL” 

Among these young stakeholders picked to join Ms Fu at the UN is Ms Farah Sanwari, a youth leader behind several sustainability projects like Repair Kopitiam that promotes fixing broken appliances instead of throwing them away.

“I noticed that there were gaps in how we address sustainability issues in Singapore, particularly in consumption back when I was still a student,” she told CNA.

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Gaur carcass found in Wang Nam Khieo

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800kg male believed to have been shot to death

Gaur are seen grazing in the Khao Phaeng Ma Non-hunting Area in Nakhon Ratchasima. (Photo by Prasit Tangprasert)
Gaur are seen grazing in the Khao Phaeng Ma Non-hunting Area in Nakhon Ratchasima. (Photo by Prasit Tangprasert)

NAKHON RATCHASIMA: The carcass of a male gaur, believed to have been shot to death, was found on Thursday near a village in Wang Nam Khieo district.

Local residents found the carcass in the bush near Khlong Sai at Moo 8 village in tambon Wang Nam Khieo, about 300 metres from Khao Yai National Park and 2km from the Khao Phaeng Ma forest, said Annop Buanual, chief of the Khao Phaeng Ma Non-hunting Area.

The dead gaur was a male, about 12 years of age, and weighed about 800 kilogrammes, he said.

Pol Col Rungroj Tang-amnat, the Wang Nam Khieo police chief, said the animal had been dead for at least four days. Seven bullets were found embedded in the body.

The protected animal might have been shot and wounded elsewhere, probably by villagers seeking to scare it away from intruding into their farms, before it was found dead near the village, he said.

An investigation is under way. Those found to have shot the gaur to death would be liable to a jail term of up to 10 years and/or a fine of up to 1 million baht under the Wildlife Protection Act, he added.

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Chuvit urges Move Forward to back down from royal insult law demand

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Former politician Chuvit Kamolvisit speaks on Bangkok Post's
Former politician Chuvit Kamolvisit speaks on Bangkok Post’s “Deeper Dive” podcast in February 2023. (Photo: Dave Kendall)

If the Move Forward Party wants to be the core for the formation of a government, it should back down from its stand to amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code or the lese majeste law, former politician Chuvit Kamolvisit said.

Mr Chuvit posted his remark on Facebook after a parliamentary vote on Thursday to select the prime minister which saw Move Forward Party candidate Pita Limjaroenrat receiving only 324 votes, far below the required 376 votes from existing members of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Mr Pita accepted the outcome, but said he would not give up.

Mr Chuvit said if there was a second round of voting and the outcome remained the same, it would then be time for Move Forward to decide whether to continue pushing for the amendment of Section 112 or to abandon it completely.

To be in government, it is not necessary for the party to concentrate on reforming the royal institution since there are still many other things to be done, he said.

Mr Chuvit believed Move Forward managed to win as many as 14 million votes in the election more because the voters agreed with its intention to reform the armed forces and do away with laws deemed draconian and dictatorial than its stand on amending Section 112.

“Move Forward can now be only part of a coalition government, not a single-party government. Not even one [other] party would agree with amending Section 112. It would be able to do so only if it could win more than half of the House seats in the next election,” he added.

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Chuvit urges Move Forward to back down from 112 demand

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Many other things need to be done besides reforming royal insult law, says former politician

Former politician Chuvit Kamolvisit speaks on the Bangkok Post's
Former politician Chuvit Kamolvisit speaks on the Bangkok Post’s “Deeper Dive” podcast in February 2023. (Photo: Dave Kendall)

If the Move Forward Party wants to be the core for the formation of a government, it should back down from its stand to amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code or the lese majeste law, former politician Chuvit Kamolvisit said.

Mr Chuvit posted his remark on Facebook after a parliamentary vote on Thursday to select the prime minister which saw Move Forward Party candidate Pita Limjaroenrat receiving only 324 votes, far below the required 375 needed from existing members of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Mr Pita accepted the outcome, but said he would not give up.

Mr Chuvit said if there was a second round of voting and the outcome remained the same, it would then be time for Move Forward to decide whether to continue pushing for the amendment of Section 112 or to abandon it completely.

To be in government, it is not necessary for the party to concentrate on reforming the royal institution since there are still many other things to be done, he said.

Mr Chuvit believed Move Forward managed to win 14.4 million votes in the election more because the voters agreed with its intention to reform the armed forces and do away with laws deemed draconian and dictatorial than its stand on amending Section 112.

“Move Forward can now be only part of a coalition government, not a single-party government. Not even one [other] party would agree with amending Section 112. It would be able to do so only if it could win more than half of the House seats in the next election,” he added.

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How Thailand’s prime minister race can take a whole new turn

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Move Forward Party Leader Pita Limjaroenrat looks on at a voting session for a new prime minister at the parliament, in Bangkok on Thursday. (Reuters photo)
Move Forward Party Leader Pita Limjaroenrat looks on at a voting session for a new prime minister at the parliament, in Bangkok on Thursday. (Reuters photo)

After failing to win over conservatives in his first attempt to become prime minister, things are looking increasingly difficult for pro-democracy leader Pita Limjaroenrat to secure a victory even if he were to try again.

The parties outside of Mr Pita’s Move Forward-led coalition and the majority of military-appointed senators are opposed to his key campaign promise of amending the so-called lese majeste law that punishes anyone for defaming or insulting the King or other royals.

Also, the Harvard-educated politician risks disqualification as a lawmaker after the poll body found him in breach of election rules — saying he held shares in a defunct media company while running for public office. While he may still go for a second chance at premiership when parliament meets next on July 19, analysts expect support for Pita to wear thin within his alliance should he lose again; although there’s no limit on the number of re-votes he can seek. 

“I think they will run him again,” said Kevin Hewison, emeritus professor of Asian Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Another attempt by Pita will probably harden the stance of conservatives and only weaken support for the pro-democracy alliance, according to Hewison.

The longer it takes for Thailand to form a new government, the more investors will lose confidence in the $500 billion economy whose expansion has been lagging emerging-market peers in Southeast Asia through the pandemic and after. Political wrangling between pro-democracy and conservative groups have also hurt the country’s stocks, bonds and currency markets.

Here are some other scenarios that could play out:

– Pita supports Pheu Thai

Mr Pita could step aside and instead support his coalition partner Pheu Thai, which finished second-place in the May 14 general election and is linked to exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra.

Isra Sunthornvut, a former member of parliament for the Democrat Party, said he wouldn’t be surprised if next week Mr Pita throws his support behind Pheu Thai to lead the government “for the sake of the country and democracy”. 

The only challenge to this scenario is that Pheu Thai may find it difficult to muster support from the conservatives while still being an ally of Move Forward, which has refused to back down on its push to amend the royal insult law.

– Pro-democracy group splits

That could leave Pheu Thai inclined to consider breaking away from Move Forward’s coalition and try forming a government led by one of its three candidates for the post, including real estate magnate Srettha Thavisin and Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the youngest daughter of Thaksin.

Thaksin, who has been considering returning home, had previously said Pheu Thai would not support any attempt to reform the lese majeste law. That makes it easier for Pheu Thai to win enough support from the 250-member military-appointed Senate, helping put a new government sooner than later.

The private sector wants the new government to be in place as soon as possible, so our economy can continue to grow as expected, Thai Chamber of Commerce Chairman Sanan Angubolkul said Friday.

– Military-backed minority government

A third scenario involves the Senate supporting a minority government led either by Bhumjaithai’s Anutin Charnvirakul or one of the military-backed parties. That outcome, however, risks sparking protests by supporters of pro-democracy groups. 

Since the Senate’s ability to vote for the prime minister expires next year, any minority government is at risk of falling in a no-confidence vote. To guard against that, it’s possible that the establishment may petition the courts to disband Move Forward as what happened in the past to their predecessor, using the push to amend the royal insult law as a pretext, and even annul the election result.

“But that might take some time,” Hewison said referring to the process of disbanding Move Forward and annulling the result. “That said, going to an election quickly is unlikely to produce a different result. But conservatives in Thailand are a balmy lot.”

However, any move to ban the nation’s popular politicians may lead to massive demonstrations. And this time the risks are even higher for the royalist establishment, as protesters have recently been much bolder in directly targeting the monarchy than in previous years.

Such a turn of events could end up hurting tourism, the only economic engine that’s firing on full cylinders and supporting Thailand’s growth amid a downturn in global demand for goods.

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Lawyer M Ravi charged with slapping man near MRT station, shouting loudly in public

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SINGAPORE: Suspended lawyer M Ravi is now accused of slapping a man near an MRT station and disorderly behaviour by shouting loudly in public.

Ravi Madasamy, 54, was charged in court on Friday (Jul 14) with one count of voluntarily causing hurt and one count of behaving in a disorderly manner.

Both charges arise from the same alleged incident, which occurred around 5.30pm on Jul 12 this year near Yio Chu Kang MRT.

Ravi is accused of causing hurt to a man named Sellvaraja T Muniyandi, by slapping him once on his left cheek. He also allegedly shouted loudly.

Ravi, who was previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder, was ordered to be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for medical examination.

He is due back in court later this month.

If convicted of voluntarily causing hurt, he could be jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$5,000, or both.

The penalties for behaving in a disorderly manner in a public place are a jail term of up to six months, a fine of up to S$2,000 or both for a first-time offender. 

Repeat offfenders face double the jail term and a fine of up to S$5,000, or both – Ravi was previously convicted of a similar offence in 2004, his charge sheet stated.

This is the latest of Ravi’s legal troubles. In March, he was suspended from practising as a lawyer for the maximum of five years.

This was for misconduct including making “grave and baseless accusations of improper conduct” against the Attorney-General, officers from the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the Law Society.

Ravi, a lawyer of 20 years, frequently makes the headlines for his behaviour as well as for his representation of those on death row.

He was charged in December 2020 with criminal defamation of Law Minister K Shanmugam, but the Attorney-General’s Chambers later withdrew the charge and Ravi was given a conditional warning instead.

He has also been handed many sanctions for his conduct as a lawyer over the years. These include a 2007 suspension for being rude to a judge and a prohibition from applying for a practising certificate for two years for baseless allegations against a fellow lawyer and the president of the Law Society in 2016.

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Abolish senators’ right to vote on PM: Piyabutr

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Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, secretary-general of the Progressive Movement, speaks during a campaign rally for the Move Forward Party on May 10. (Photo: Piyabutr Saengkanokkul's Facebook page)
Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, secretary-general of the Progressive Movement, speaks during a campaign rally for the Move Forward Party on May 10. (Photo: Piyabutr Saengkanokkul’s Facebook page)

The Move Forward Party (MFP) should propose draft legislation seeking to abolish Section 272 of the constitution which gives junta-appointed senators the power to join MPs in selecting the prime minister, Piyabutr Saengkanokkul posted on his Facebook page on Thursday night.

If its attempt is not successful, Move Forward should then consider backing down from its bid to form a government with Pita Limjaroenrat as prime minister and instead take the opposition role – and patiently wait for a successful return “tomorrow”, he said.

Mr Piyabutr, secretary-general of the Progressive Movement behind the MFP, posted his message after Mr Pita’s bid to become prime minister failed to get sufficient votes from members of parliament, particularly senators, in a vote on Thursday.

The Move Forward leader received 324 votes in his favour, 182 votes against and 199 abstentions in the first prime ministerial vote. The result left him 51 votes short of his target. Of the 324 votes in support, only 13 were from senators.

Mr Piyabutr said that from the speeches made by members of parliament, it was clear that a large number of senators – the upper house members appointed by the previous miltary government that seized power in a coup – opposed Mr Pita’s nomination for a variety of reasons. Some of them openly disagreed with the nomination, while others opted to abstain from voting or did not attend the meeting.

He said it would be very difficult for these senators to change their minds and vote for Mr Pita in the next round.

In the speeches made by some MPs and senators prior to the voting, the constant thread was that they would not vote for Mr Pita because the Move Forward Party was persistent in its intention to amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the lese majeste law.

Mr Piyabutr mentioned the speakers by name. They included Withaya Kaewparadai, a United Thai Nation party-list MP, Chada Thaiseth, a Bhumjaithai Party MP for Uthai Thani, Chaichana Dejdecho, a Democrat Party MP for Nakhon Si Thammarat, and senators Khamnoon Sithisamarn, Seri Suwanphanon and Somchai Sawaengkarn.

Mr Piyabutr said Mr Withaya and Mr Chada, in particular, questioned why the MFP, despite knowing this obstacle, did not back down from its aim to amend Section 112, but instead insisted it could not do so as it had made it a policy in its campaign for votes.

“Therefore, it was clear there was no way for these MPs and senators to change their minds unless there were “new information or new signals” forcing them to do so, or when hundreds of thousand of people came out to apply pressure on them.

Without these events occurring, no matter how many rounds of voting take place, these people will never endorse Mr Pita for prime minister,” he said.

The Prograssive Movement key member said Move Forward would not succeed in the vote until the senators’ power to vote for prime minister under Section 272 expires in May next year. He doubted whether the MFP would be able to overcome the resistance, not to mention several rulings to be made by the Constitutional Court on cases against Mr Pita.

If Move Forward opted to invite more parties to join the eight-party alliance to increase the number of votes in support, Mr Piyabutr said he doubted any parties would cooperate since the Bhumjaithai, Democrat and Chartthaipattana parties had clearly stated they would not work with any party seeking to amend Section 112.

Mr Piyabutr said it would also not be possible for the MFP to back down and allow the Pheu Thai Party to take the prime minister’s post while it is still in the eight-party alliance. He doubted whether the senators would change their mindes because they wanted to see Move Forward completely excluded.

The Progressive Movement secretary-general said he talked to Parit Wacharasindhu, a Move Forward party list MP, and agreed with the latter’s opinion.

In Mr Parit’s opinion, Move Forward, with its 151 MPs, should propose a draft bill seeking to abolish Section 272 of the constitution, to rid the senators of the power to vote for the prime minister.

The draft bill should be submitted for deliberation by parliament as soon as possible. By doing this, he believed the process to abolish Section 272 could be completed in four weeks, Mr Piyabutr said.

“If the bill is rejected by parliament, the Move Forward Party could tell the people that it had tried to the best of its ability but faced tough obstacles. It would then be time for the party to move out.

“We would then be able to stand with heads high and be proud of being a ‘black sheep’ in Thai politics. We would continue to fight more strongly amid conflicts. If the 14 million votes today are not enough, we must make it to 20 – 25 million votes tomorrow,” Mr Piyabutr said.

Mr Piyabutr, a law expert, was banned from politics when the Future Forward Party was dissolved by the Constitutional Court ruling on Feb 21, 2020 for violating the election law on donations to political parties. Future Forward was relaunched as Move Forward, with Mr Pita as the leader.

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