Police expect FBI to help nab UFUN-related couple
THE US FEDERAL Bureau of Investigations (FBI) will help track down Lt-General Athiwat Soonpan and his wife if Thailand files an official request, a deputy national police chief said yesterday.
The couple reportedly fled to the United States after being linked to the alleged UFUN pyramid scheme.
Police are also considering the option of filing an additional charge of transnational crime against them, Pol Lt-General Suwira Songmetta said.
He added that a Southeast Asia-based FBI team would join Thai and international police in the investigation of this case as well as in detecting and monitoring UFUN’s movements.
Earlier yesterday, Suwira led a police team to Don Mueang Airport to pick up three suspects – gay rights activist Natee Teerarojpong, 58; Thana Wongkham, 23; and Somchai Sirilertsuwan, 55.
Natee was arrested in Mukdahan province and Thana in Nong Khai province on Wednesday, while Somchai was apprehended at Don Mueang International Airport upon arrival from Hong Kong yesterday.
Natee said he first invested Bt35,000 with UFUN in August last year, before adding more capital, earning profits and accumulating Bt2 million worth of “U-tokens”.
Dismissing reports that he led a recent rally outside a Bangkok mall and police headquarters, Natee said he had gone there to present flowers to the national police chief and to explain the scheme to him, adding that other members voluntarily joined him.
He also insisted that he had only been a speaker for UFUN once at an event last October and that he had asked some 50 friends to join the scheme. However, he admitted that he had spoken about the scheme on his YouTube show “Take Side by Gaynatee”.
Call for members to surrender
Natee said he had filed a |police complaint in Chiang Mai on April 12 when UFUN changed its investment methods, adding that he would also file a police complaint as a damaged person when he is released on bail.
He also called for other UFUN members to surrender to police to show their sincerity.
“I think everybody has been duped and they might flee out of fear. But you can trust the police. Come explain and provide information and you will get justice,” he said.
Somchai, who was found to have Bt40 million wired to his accounts and had allegedly forwarded Bt8 million to UFUN Trading Co – said that since his initial investment last August, he had some 20 downline members and that his UFUN account totalled Bt10 million.
He said he had gone to China for business in February, but returned ahead of schedule this Sunday to show his sincerity after hearing about his arrest warrant.
Thana, who has been found on many online clips related to UFUN events and reportedly had transactions of up to Bt30 million in his bank accounts, said he had joined UFUN to earn extra money while studying and had served as a speaker at UFUN events.
He also insisted that he was not trying to flee, but was genuinely going on a trip to Laos when police nabbed him at the border.
