Prayut may or may not discuss Camronwit during Japan visit
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IT REMAINS to be seen whether Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will discuss the case of former police chief Pol Lt-General Camronwit Thoopkrajang during his visit to Japan, Foreign Minister General Tanasak Patimapragorn said yesterday.
Camronwit is currently being prosecuted in Japan for carrying a firearm while trying to board a flight back to Thailand.
“We need to analyse the stance of Japanese authorities at the Mekong-Japan Summit on Saturday, or assess the situation before deciding whether the issue should be raised eventually,” he said.
Tanasak said the Foreign Ministry was in the process of helping Camronwit, as it would with any Thai traveller facing problems overseas.
“And if or when the case is decided against him, a request for his temporary release on bail will be made according to Japan’s legal system,” he added.
Pol Maj-General Aphichart Suribunya, chief of the Police Foreign Affairs Division, said Camronwit could possibly face further imprisonment in Thailand if the Japanese court finds him guilty of carrying the handgun without permission after he has served a third of his sentence in Japan.
Aphichart said he preferred not to comment on the pending verdict, saying it could be deemed contempt of court.
Meanwhile, one of Camronwit’s interviews has been circulating Thai social media in which he talks about his four favourite handguns, including the North American Arms 0.22 calibre revolver he was caught with in Japan.
