Day: October 20, 2021

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Court rules suspect in Nakhon Sawan police custody died of deliberate suffocation

The Nakhon Sawan provincial court ruled today (Wednesday) that the drug suspect, who was seen in video footage with his head covered by plastic bags while in police custody at Muang district’s police station, died of suffocation.

The court said that Thitisan Utthanaphon, aka “Joe Ferrari”, then superintendent of Nakhon Sawan’s Muang district police station, and six of his subordinates covered the head of Jirapong Thanapat with plastic bags for over six minutes.

The victim died while in police custody, the court added.

The video clip, which went viral on social media after being posted by a lawyer, prompted public outrage against the police officers concerned.

The ruling came after the court conducted an enquiry to determine the cause of Jirapong’s death and to identify those responsible. The court took testimony from forensic experts, who conducted the autopsy on the victim, the victim’s mother, police investigating the case, the prosecutors and the lawyer, Sittra Biabangkerd who posted the clip.

Thitisan and his six men have been dismissed from the police service and are currently being held on remand, pending an investigation by a special police panel. They have been charged with murder through torture, abuse of power, assault and coercion.

Thitisan is also under investigation for his past record of having confiscated hundreds of luxurious cars, smuggled from Malaysia in the past several years, which have earned him tens of millions of baht in “rewards” from the Customs Department. A raid on his mansion in Bangkok’s suburbs revealed many expensive cars in his personal possession as well.

Source: Thai Public Broadcasting Service

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Fire put out at shoe factory in Samut Prakan, inspection for chemical residues underway

Fire broke out at a footwear factory in Bang Phli District, Samut Prakan on Tuesday night, causing damage estimated at over Bt100 million. An inspection on chemical residues is underway.

At one point the whole factory compound was ablaze, fuelled by large quantities of chemicals and gas stored in tanks there. It took two hours for firefighters to bring the blaze under control at about 10.30 pm.

It is thought that an electrical short circuit in machinery ignited the conflagration, before spreading to footwear raw materials, which are all highly flammable.

The authorities are currently looking into whether there are chemical residues and toxic substance contaminated in the air. An initial assessment revealed the fire would not release hazardous chemicals into the environment like the fire at Ming Dih Chemical factory back in early July.

An initial survey of the damage revealed that all the buildings and machinery were damaged at an estimated cost of at least Bt100 million.

Source: Thai Public Broadcasting Service

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Talks held to ease motorists’ burden as tolls on Sirat Outer ring road to rise from Dec 15

The Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) is trying to negotiate, with Bangkok Expressway and Metro Public Company (BEM), the concessionaire for the Sirat outer ring road expressway, an easing of the burden on motorist from the December 15th rise in tolls, as stipulated in the concession agreement.

The new toll fees will be 65 baht, up from 50 baht for four-wheel vehicles, 105 baht, up from 80 baht for 6-10 wheel vehicles and 150 baht, up from 115 baht for vehicles with more than 10 wheels.

EXAT Governor Surachet Laopoonsook admitted today (Wednesday) that he feels heavy-hearted over this problem because, on the one hand, motorists will be impacted by the increased fees and, on the other, the EXAT is legally bound to comply with the concession agreement.

He said that he has to be very careful to comply with the terms of the agreement, citing the previous bitter experiences of failure to follow the contract.

The EXAT governor said that the Ministry of Transport has expressed serious concerns about the financial impacts on the general public from the rises and has instructed the EXAT to negotiate with BEM to work out mitigation measures, such as postponing the increases or introducing a discount scheme.

He said that not only the general public has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, BEM has also been hard hit, with its revenue falling by almost half, as the number of vehicles using this section of the expressway has dropped.

Source: Thai Public Broadcasting Service

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Thai Appeals Court upholds acquittal of three ex-PDRC leaders, fourth sentenced to 8 months

The Appeals Court sentenced a former core member of the now defunct People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) to eight months in prison without suspension today (Wednesday), after finding him guilty of obstructing voting at Sukhothai School, in Bangkok’s Dusit district during the general elections in 2014.

Sonthiyan Chuenruthainaitham, former Bangkok deputy governor Sakoltee Pattiyakul, former National Institute Development Administration (NIDA) president Prof. Dr. Sombat Thamrongthanyawong and Dr. Seri Wongmontha, a former Thammasat University lecturer, and a marketing guru, were charged by public prosecutors with sedition, incitement of unrest, being members of an illegal association, illegal assembly and assault for their collective involvement in the attempt to topple the then government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

On July 25th, 2019, the Criminal Court acquitted all except Sonthiyan, who was found guilty of obstructing the election operations at Sukhothai School. He was sentenced at that time to one year in prison, suspended for one year.

The Criminal Court’s verdict was appealed to the Appeals Court by the public prosecutors.

Today, the Appeals Court today upheld the Criminal Court’s acquittal of the three defendants, while upholding the lower court’s guilty verdict for Sonthiyan, commuting the one-year sentence to eight months, due to his useful testimony, but lifting the suspension.

The court also revoked Sonthiyan’s election rights for five years. Sonthiyan is to apply for bail.

Several former PDRC leaders, including Suthep Thaugsuban and former Democrat deputy leader Thavorn Senniam, showed up at the Criminal Court this morning to offer moral support to the four.

Source: Thai Public Broadcasting Service

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Charter Court rules in favour of PPRP’s Paiboon Nititawan

The Constitutional Court ruled today (Wednesday), by a majority, that Paiboon Nititawan, a former MP of the dissolved People Reform Party and currently an MP and a deputy leader of the ruling Palang Pracharat Party, retains his parliamentary status, on the grounds that he has not violated any provisions of the Constitution, as claimed by opposition MPs.

The court said that the dissolution of People Reform Party and the process of joining Palang Pracharat, the main government coalition party, by Paiboon was in compliance with the Constitution and that the whole process was completed within 60 days as required by law.

The court took note that the People Reform Party resolved to dissolve on August 5th, 2019 and notified the registrar of political parties. This was followed by an announcement from the Election Commission on September 6th of the dissolution, published in the Royal Gazette.

Paiboon, according to the court, joined Palang Pracharat on September 9th, 2019 and the House of Representatives was notified by its leader on October 7th of the same year.

The court also ruled that Paiboon, in his capacity as the leader of People Reform Party, was legally bound to undertake the liquidation process to legally dissolve his party.

Regarding the opposition MPs’ contention that Paiboon was not included as a party-list MP by the Palang Pracharat Party, the court ruled that this is a different issue from being a party member, as stipulated in Section 101 (10) of the Constitution.

Led by Pol Gen Seripisut Temiyavet, leader of Thai Liberal Party, the opposition MPs had claimed that Paiboon’s parliamentary status ended, in accordance with Sections 101 (10), 90 and 91 (5) and (7) of the Constitution.

Source: Thai Public Broadcasting Service

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