Old men jailed over tree may get reprieve

THE Justice Ministry looks set to help two elderly men facing legal trouble for cutting up a dead Siamese rosewood tree on their land. By law, no one can interfere with a Siamese rosewood that has economic value without prior permission from relevant authorities.
Thongsuk Phanchompoo, 80, and Dern Jantakol, 70, who are related by a marriage in the family, did not seem intent on flouting the law when they cut up the dead tree in their paddy field in Maha Sarakham province.
“We have found records that they had alerted their village head about the Siamese rosewood tree that had fallen. This tree blocked the path of locals who needed to dump their garbage at a dumpsite,” Justice Ministry deputy permanent |secretary Tawatchai Thaikyo said yesterday.
“These locals then drove into Thongsuk’s plot of land, causing a nuisance.”
According to Tawatchai, |concerned officials came to check the tree but did not remove it after receiving a report from the village head.
Thongsuk then invited his in-law, Dern, to help chop up the fallen tree on December 12. They planned to use the wood for their fire.
But as the two old men were cutting the tree, the police showed up and arrested them.
Police said they received a tip-off from locals and caught the suspects red-handed.
The two men spent one night at the local police station, before being released on bail the following day. The village head helped them.
Thongsuk’s son went on Facebook to vent his frustration about the ordeal the two men had to suffer.
Tawatchai explained that police had pressed charges against Thongsuk and Dern because their alleged offence was seen as causing damage to the state.
“However, public prosecutors have the authority to determine whether the case should be forwarded to court. If the case does not benefit the public, public prosecutors may decide to drop the case,” Tawatchai said.
He added that even if public prosecutors resolved to go ahead with the prosecution, the accused could make frank confessions and get a light punishment on the grounds of their age and the fact they had never been to jail.
“They can seek help from lawyers at the Office of the Justice Fund if they really have to go to court,” Tawatchai said.
If convicted, Thongsuk and Dern could face up to five years in jail and a maximum fine of Bt50,000 or both.
After the legal proceedings against the men got media attention, Tawatchai said PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha stressed that authorities should educate people about laws so that they can avoid inadvertent violations.
Commenting on the case, Office of the Attorney-General spokesman Somnuk Siengkong said public prosecutors would check the police investigation report before deciding on the case. “The case will go to court only if both police and public prosecutors believe the two should be prosecuted,” he said.