Mental illness will not prevent ‘Ying Kai’ from being punished

Chakrit Sawatdee, Crime Suppression Division (CSD) deputy superintendent, said yesterday that Monta – charged with perjury (giving false information about a criminal offence implicating another person), attempted human trafficking and lese majeste – would have to submit evidence of her apparent mental illness so police could determine if it was true.

His comments followed Central Investigation Bureau chief Pol General Thitirat Nonghanpithaks saying on Friday that a probe found Monta may have “uncontrollable behaviour” which, if not treated, could cause her to commit illegal activities and injury to others.

He said it was a matter that would be debated in court.

Monta, 58, allegedly made a false theft complaint against a former maid, Prapawan Jaikla.

Chakrit said police investigators would hear testimonies tomorrow from relatives of two missing people, who Prapawan’s lawyers said on Friday were linked to Monta. 

They are Monta’s former chauffeur, who disappeared in 2012, and a wealthy Udon Thani woman who went missing in 2003 after transferring an eight-rai (1.3 hectare) plot to Monta.

Kamonsak Sriprasert, Prapawan’s lawyer, alleged Monta had claimed to be a distant relative of the wealthy woman and asked to buy her Udon Thani land in December 2013 to build a condominium on it.

Kamonsak alleged that after a few visits to the woman’s home, Monta took the woman on a “land purchase errand” and the woman disappeared. 

Chakrit said police had learned Monta only had a car-care business. He said the evidence so far did not point to anyone else being involved with her.

However, he said a team assigned by the Metropolitan Police Bureau was looking into claims of a police lieutenant at Prachacheun Police Station being involved in her alleged wrongdoings. 

Police had not found a link between her and the late astrologer Suriyan “Mor Yong” Sucharitpholwong, who was charged with royal defamation and died in a military prison last year, he added.

Acting head of city police Lt-General Sanit Mahathaworn said investigators had summoned the accused Prachacheun police lieutenant – who was in charge of the case in which Monta accused her maid Sukanya Sirimoung of stealing valuables belonging to her worth Bt3.2 million – to provide information along with five other police who worked on eight other complaints that Monta lodged at the precinct. 

He said investigators found the cases were delayed and the information gathered incomplete, so they would determine if that was intentional. 

Meanwhile, Anti-Human Trafficking Division chief Pol Maj-General Kornchai Klaiklueng said he assigned a team to work with CSD officers following a complaint filed against Monta at the Department of Special Investigation’s Northern Centre by three women who had worked as maids for Monta.

The women, all from Mae Hong Son, want the DSI to determine if Monta’s actions constitute human trafficking.

Investigators interviewed the three women and asked for information from the DSI, Kornchai said, alleging that they had determined Monta’s actions were at the very least against labour laws. 

He said investigators would continue the probe to determine if Monta had threatened the maids |or was involved with human trafficking.