Man taken into custody over his FB post on scandal

Thanakorn Siripaiboon, 27, a worker in Samut Prakan province who posted the infographic on Facebook was arrested on Tuesday night. The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)’s legal chief, Maj-General Wijarn Jodtaeng, yesterday lodged a petition with police to charge Thanakorn with lese majeste, sedition and computer crime.

The suspect posted three versions of the graphic, which accused a many senior government officials and it is believed the information is false, Wijarn said. 

Deputy national police chief Pol General Srivara Ransibrahmanakul confirmed that the suspect was now in detention. 

Prayut said he had ordered the arrest of the man, as he was angry over the post. “He [the suspect] said he just posted it on the Net. I don’t know why he has to share such information. It’s nonsense,” he fumed. Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit said two more suspects would be arrested in connection with the infographic.

The Rajabhakti Park project has become a big scandal, with two of Deputy Defence Minister General Udomdej Sitabutr’s former close aides going into hiding since the scandal broke. 

In the face of growing public doubts, rumours are doing the rounds, including on social media. 

The Facebook post caught the attention of the authorities as it linked the scandal to many Cabinet members such as Udomdej and Prawit, as well as Prayut and his wife. 

The scandal made headlines this week when authorities blocked student activists led by Thammasat University student Sirawith Seritiwat from travelling to the park in Prachuap Kiri Khan on an anti-corruption campaign.

Thammasat executives yesterday were strongly criticised for issuing a statement asking the students to stop their activities. Lecturers at the university demanded that the executives respect the students’ freedom of expression.

“We are not banning their activities, but we must emphasise that before they engage in any activity, they should first understand the social context,” Thammasat rector Somkid Lertpaithoon said yesterday.

Meanwhile, Sirawith said yesterday that military officers had accepted his request to stop frightening his family over his political movements.

Sirawith told The Nation that his mother Patnaree Charnkij, his lawyer Arnon Nampa and some observers accompanied him for the talk with military officers. The request had to be made because his family has encountered both visits and phone calls from military officers since December 4, he said. The officers frequently made inquiries about his whereabouts, asked who funded his movements and why he did not stop his activities, he said.

The Pheu Thai Party, meanwhile, issued a statement demanding that Prayut clear lingering public doubt about the Rajabhakti Park scandal. 

“The scandal has affected confidence in the government’s anti-corruption policy,” the statement said.