South-East Asia (Page 979)

PDRC member claims B175m extortion bid

A fact-finding committee has been set up to investigate an allegation by a core member of the former People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) that two senior Court of Appeal judges demanded 175 million baht to clear him of all charges over the street rallies against the government of Ying­luck Shinawatra in 2013-2014.

Judiciary spokesman Sorawit Limparangsi said in a statement dated June 26 that the inquiry panel was set up under an order issued by Chuchai Wiriyasunthornwong, president of the Appeal Court.

Mr Sorawit said Mr Chuchai took this action in response to a report by the Isara news agency that in early June, Chotiwat Luangprasert, the Supreme Court president, issued an order to set up a committee to investigate a petition for justice filed with the Court of Justice by a core member of the PDRC.

The petition related to the Criminal Court’s ruling on Feb 24, 2021, on a case in which 39 PDRC members, led by Suthep Thaugsuban, were charged with rebellion and other offences in connection with the street demonstrations to oust the government of Yingluck in 2013-2014.

In this case, the Criminal Court found 15 PDRC core members guilty as charged and sentenced them to prison terms without suspension, prompting the group to take their case to the Appeal Court.

The petitioner, who was not named, said while the court was considering the case, two high-level Appeal Court judges demanded a sum of money from him, claiming they could talk to a panel of judges who were close to a “higher-up” to clear him of all the charges.

They demanded 175 million baht, but the amount was later lowered to 49 million baht and then 35 million baht. The judges wanted the payment made by Sept 30, 2022, before the “higher-up” retired, the petitioner alleged.

According to Mr Sorawit, after the petition was filed with the Court of Justice, the president of the Appeal Court, not the Supreme Court as earlier reported by Isara news, had ordered the setting up of a committee to investigate.

The investigation results would be reported to the Supreme Court president, in line with official procedure, Mr Sorawit said.

Of the 39 PDRC members charged with rebellion, the Criminal Court sentenced 15 to imprisonment, and 12 were given suspended jail terms. The other 12 were acquitted.

Drought warnings as less rain bites

Thailand’s weather is already being influenced by a “mild” El Nino phenomenon, according to the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR), which also called on all related agencies to help gear up in case the country suffers a drought.

The ONWR is Thailand’s command centre for water resource management.

Representatives from the Thai Meteorological Department, the Department of Water Resources, the Department of Royal Irrigation, the Department of Mineral Resources and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) yesterday attended a meeting on preparations for this year’s dry spell.

Boonsom Chonpitakwong, ONWR’s deputy secretary-general, said the Thai Meteorological Department told the gathering that this year’s rainy season had been far milder in turns of downpours than forecasts based on average figures in recent years might have led people to expect.

Mr Boonsom said even though the rainy season has now begun in Thailand, droughts have occurred in certain parts of the North and the Central Plains.

He said a representative from the Royal Irrigation Department told the meeting that water supplies are being readied according to the department’s water management plan along the Chao Phraya River basin.

“We are facing multiple El Nino-like weather systems, which will be upgraded to moderately serious between October and December.

“Our ONE MAP model predicted the volume of water held in 35 large-scale reservoirs countrywide will reach 46.177 billion cubic metres or 65% of total capacity.

“And we have less than half for utility, or 22.635 billion cubic metres, which is less than last year,” he said.

Mr Boonsom said that it needs a two-year water management plan as droughts are likely to extend until the middle of next year based on the Thai Meteorological Department’s data.

Earlier this month, experts came out to warn Thailand to brace for unusually low rainfall and droughts this year as a result of the El Nino weather pattern.

The Thailand Science Research and Innovation also launched an annual conference on water management in the face of El Nino.

The event was attended by researchers and officials from relevant agencies, who discussed ways to deal with climate change, water management and problems that may arise.

Tough negotiations expected on Wednesday with coalition-leading Move Forward

The Pheu Thai Party has resolved to seek the post of House speaker and asked its negotiating team to discuss the issue with the coalition-leading Move Forward Party on Wednesday, according to a party source.

Pheu Thai MPs met on Tuesday to finalise the party’s stance on the issue. Before the meeting, leader Cholnan Srikaew briefed them on the party executives’ resolution. All reporters were then told to leave the meeting room as the party wanted to keep its discussions private.

Pheu Thai list-MP Suchart Tancharoen, who is expected to be nominated to contest the House speaker post, also attended the meeting. Mr Suchart, 65, a former Palang Pracharath MP, was a deputy speaker in the last House. He defected to Pheu Thai in March.

Dr Cholnan told the meeting that the eight coalition parties still had a common goal to support Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat as the country’s 30th prime minister, the source said.

As for the post of House speaker, Pheu Thai saw it necessary to discuss the issue among its executives and then among its MPs. Tuesday’s meeting was intended to give a mandate to the party negotiating team to make its position clear to their Move Forward counterparts.

Each party has been adamant that the speaker should come from its ranks, but they need to settle their differences before the opening of parliament on July 3. The date was confirmed by an announcement published on Saturday on the Royal Gazette website. The vote to choose the speaker will take place the following day.

Some local media reports say Pheu Thai has three people in mind to propose for the speaker’s job, including Mr Suchart. Move Forward also is said to have three names on its shortlist.

Speaking to reporters before the meeting of party executives, Dr Cholnan declined to name any of the people being considered, pending a final party resolution.

He acknowledged that Pheu Thai MPs and members wanted the party to get the post of speaker. However, the negotiating team also had another proposal that needed to be discussed with Move Forward on Wednesday. He declined to elaborate.

It had been reported earlier that Pheu Thai was open to letting Move Forward have the speaker’s position as long as the runner-up party was given both deputies’ posts. However, Pheu Thai later denied that any such accommodation had been reached.

Move Forward has been firm in its insistence on taking the two top positions — the head of the executive branch and the head of the legislative branch — in order to steer its ambitious legislative programme through the House.

But because the two parties are so close in terms of numbers — Move Forward has 151 MPs and Pheu Thai 141 — the latter’s MPs believe their party deserves the speakership.