Pheu Thai files complaint over Democrat book launch

The complaint was filed by party member Singthong Buachum and the party’s legal team against former Democrat MP Dr Warong Dechgitvigrom, Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, the party’s executive board and some Democrat members. 

Pheu Thai wants legal action to be taken against the Democrats for participating in the launch of the book entitled “Epic Corruption in the Rice Scheme: Dissecting Every Step of the Rice-Pledging Scheme” on Wednesday.

Singthong said the group defied the NCPO’s announcement no 57/2557, which prohibited all political activities. “This book launch has a hidden political agenda because the book’s content carries mudslinging messages against Pheu Thai and the Yingluck [Shinawatra] government. It is misleading, inappropriate and can be deemed as rude,” he said. 

Singthong also asked why Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha chose not to stop the Democrats from carrying out politically motivated activities, but stopped students from eating sandwiches and halted a seminar on the grounds of martial law. 

He demanded that the NCPO have all copies of the book recalled and launch legal action against the Democrats. He went on to say that if the NCPO failed to take action, then he would launch a campaign to check on the Democrats’ Thai Khemkhaeng projects, corruption allegations in the construction of 396 police stations and their rice-subsidy scheme. 

Ruangkrai Leekijwattana, a legal official for the Pheu Thai Party said the Democrat Party website featured photographs of Abhisit, Warong and an advertisement of the book, which proved that the book launch was politically motivated. He added that on the website, Warong is quoted as suggesting that the Prayuth Cabinet read the book in order to understand how to fight corruption in the rice scheme.