Thailand Politics

Saudi Arabia Recalls Charge D’affaires To Thailand

Abdalelah Alsheaiby, second left, charge d’affaires of Saudi Arabia to Thailand, joins relatives of missing Saudi businessman Mohammad al-Ruwaili at a press conference to express their disappointment after the Criminal Court acquitted five ex-police officers. THANARAK KHOONTON

BANGKOK – Saudi Arabia has recalled its charge d’affaires to Thailand in a show of discontent, after the appointment of the brother of a police officer suspected in the 1990 murder of a Saudi businessman in Bangkok to the National Legislative Assembly.

Charge d’affaires Abdalelah Alsheaiby “has been called back by Riyadh for consultations,” said a Saudi embassy source “ed by the Bangkok Post on Friday.

The source added the move was not a downgrading of relations between Bangkok and Riyadh as no embassy staff had been withdrawn.

On July 31, General Somjate Boonthanom — brother of Police General Somkid Boonthanom, the main defendant in the 1990 murder case — was appointed by the Thai junta as a member of the National Legislative Assembly — the body in charge of discussing and passing laws until the next post-coup elections in October 2015.

Upon learning of the appointment last week, the Saudi Foreign Ministry recalled its charge d’affaires.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sek Wannamethee also told the Bangkok Post that the recall was not a downgrading of relations as it was probably intended for consultations.

No date has been given for an eventual return of the charge d’affaires to Bangkok.

The case of the murder of Mohammad al-Ruwaili is linked to a long-running saga that has poisoned Thai-Saudi relations for a quarter of a century.

In 1989, a Thai janitor working in the Saudi palace of a prince made off with jewelry reported to be worth between $2 and $20 million. He was arrested in Thailand soon after, police returning the jewelry to the Saudi authorities. But some of the pieces — including a huge, nearly flawless “blue diamond” — turned out to be fake, leading to suspicions that senior police officers and members of Thailand’s powerful elite had copied the lot and ordered a cover-up.

Soon after, four Saudi diplomats based in Bangkok who were attempting to recover the jewelry were murdered. Mohammad al-Ruwaili, a Saudi businessman and a close friend of the murdered diplomats, then disappeared in February 1990 during the police investigation into the killings. His body was never found.

After the diplomats’ killing, a furious Riyadh had downgraded the level of diplomatic relations between the two countries by replacing the ambassador with the chargé d’affaires.

Thailand has continued to investigate the case under tremendous pressure from Saudi Arabia, whose charge d’affaires in the 1990s, Mohammed Khoja, remains adamant that the murders and kidnapping were connected to the theft.

On March 31 this year, the Thai criminal court dismissed for insufficient evidence a case against five Thai policemen, including General Somkid Boonthanom — who is accused of having given the order to kidnap and murder Al-Ruwaili before burning his body. All five denied the charges.

In an exclusive interview with the Anadolu Agency last April, the now recalled charge d’affaires said that the fact the judge on the case had been changed just two weeks before the judgment was a sign of “clear interference.”

“The former judge had worked for three years on the case. He had heard all the witnesses and read all the documents. How could the new judge even pronounce a judgment without knowing anything?” Alsheaiby said.

“There is a deep problem with the Thai justice system,” he added.

The Thai prosecutor-general and the al-Ruwaili family filed an appeal against the acquittal in late June. The court of appeals is now considering the petition.

Thailand Politics

Thai Prime Minister’s Popularity Declines as Move Forward Party dominates

(CTN News) – Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin continues to make local and international visits to try to solve problems and promote Thailand, but he has failed to impress most voters, according to a Nida poll. The poll also revealed the declining popularity of Pheu Thai Party leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra and the rise of the Move Forward Party.

According to a poll released on Sunday, only 12.85% of people supported the prime minister, down from 17.75% in the previous survey. The daughter of convicted former Prime Minister Thaksin, currently on parole, saw her popularity drop from 6% to 4.85%.

The National Institute of Development Administration conducts a quarterly survey of the public’s preferred political leaders. The last survey was released at the end of March.

According to the survey, supporters of the prime minister described Mr Srettha as a resolute decision-maker determined to address their problems. Ms Paetongtarn was complimented for her vision, leadership, knowledge, and grasp of the country’s difficulties.

This weekend, the prime minister will be in the northeast region listening to citizens’ concerns. The journey occurred only a few days after he had visited northern provinces earlier in the week.

Despite criticism, he has reduced his abroad trips, citing the need to showcase Thailand to investors and traders.

Pita Limjaroenrat, the chief advisor of the Move Forward Party, remained the top candidate for prime minister with 45.50% of the vote, up slightly from 42.75% in the previous quarter’s poll.

Pirapan Salirathavibhaga was the huge winner. The leader of the United Thai National Party saw his popularity nearly quadruple from 3.55% to 6.85%.

The sampled voters stated they appreciated Mr Pita’s political beliefs and thought he had broad knowledge. They praised Mr Pirapan’s credibility, claiming he was clean and honest.

Two other probable prime minister candidates were Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan of the Thai Sang Thai Party and Anutin Chanvirakul, leader of Bhumjaithai. However, they were less popular than others.

About 20% of voters still did not believe any candidate was qualified to lead the country, which is the same percentage as in the last survey.

Move Forward Party was the most popular party with 49.20%, up slightly from three months ago, while Pheu Thai fell around five percentage points to 16.85% from 22.10%.

The poll, issued on Sunday, surveyed 2,000 ineligible voters between June 14 and June 18.

Thailand Politics

Move Forward Party MP Jirat Thongsuwan Appeals Suspended Jail Sentence for Defamation

(CTN News) – Jirat Thongsuwan, a Move Forward Party MP, says he would appeal his one-year suspended jail sentence for defaming a former senior defense ministry official concerning the state’s procurement of bogus bomb detectors.

The Criminal Court also fined Mr Jirat 100,000 baht for falsely accusing ACM Tharet Punsri, a former Air Force chief-of-staff who later became the ministry’s deputy permanent secretary, of being the chairman and shareholder of a company that supplied the military with the infamous GT200 bomb detectors.

The Chachoengsao MP claimed a July 20, 2022, no-confidence vote against cabinet ministers in Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government. ACM Tharet was not a cabinet member.

Jirat Thongsuwan also identified ACM Tharet as a key figure in the 2006 coup headed by then-army chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, which overthrew Thaksin Shinawatra.

ACM Tharet told the court that Jirat Thongsuwan’s charges were false and harmed his reputation. He denied involvement with the bomb detection company and said he was not the company’s senior chairman or shareholder.

In addition to the suspended jail term and fine, the court ordered Jirat Thongsuwan to pay $ 500,000 baht in damages to ACM Tharet and publish an apology in three newspapers for five days.

Jirat Thongsuwan later announced on his X account that he had challenged the verdict with the hashtag “An injustice is infuriating”.

The MP has also been accused of dodging required military conscription. He admitted to the accusation on May 8.

A British business promoted the GT200 as a “remote substance detector” and sold it in several countries. Between 2004 and 2009, fourteen Thai government organizations, most of which were military, were projected to spend 1.4 billion baht on the units.

Concerns about the GT200 and related gadgets arose after the National Science and Technology Development Agency discovered they lacked electronic components.

The devices were later revealed to be “divining rods”.

Thailand Politics

Thaksin Shinawatra Files 100 Million Baht Defamation Lawsuit Against Warong Dechgitvigrom

(CTN News) – Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister, has launched a defamation action against Warong Dechgitvigrom, the head of the Thai Pakdee Party, accusing him of paying a bribe to be released on bail in a lese majeste case.

Thaksin’s attorney, Winyat Chartmontree, filed a lawsuit against Warong, seeking 100 million baht in damages.

Warong, a long-time Thaksin Shinawatra critic, gave a public statement and posted on social media, saying that 2 billion baht was paid to judicial officials in exchange for release on bail in the lese majeste case.

Thaksin Shinawatra Granted Release on 500,000 Baht Bond

Thaksin was granted release on a 500,000 baht bond last week and told not to leave the country without court authorization after pleading innocent to charges of defaming King Rama IX in a 2015 interview with South Korean media.

Winyat stated that, while Warong did not identify Thaksin Shinawatra by name in his speech or post, he did include a hashtag with Thaksin’s name as well as the date Thaksin must appear in court, allowing readers to connect Thaksin to the allegations.

Winyat further stated that he was investigating the fact that Warong mentioned the specific aircraft and automobiles utilized by Thaksin Shinawatra to violate the Personal Data Protection Act.

“I have requested Mr Warong to provide proof as to where he received the data. “If it turns out that it came from state officials, there will be legal consequences,” he warned.

The Criminal Court has scheduled the case’s preliminary hearing for September 30.