‘Jail time will end one day,’ says Sorrayuth
Jailed former TV news host Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda said he has never considered going on the run even in the face of legal troubles from a much-publicised bribery and embezzlement scandal.
During her morning news programme yesterday, Sorrayuth’s former co-host, Pichayathan Chanput, quoted him as saying: “Running away is not a solution. Everyone in Thailand recognises me, and so do Thais living overseas.
“Had I fled out of the country, I could have been extradited. Or had I gone on the run, I might have to live in hiding for the rest of my life and might have never got a chance to see my mom again. Jail time, on the contrary, will end one day.”
On Tuesday, the Court of Appeals upheld the guilty verdict against him and a 13 years and four months jail sentence. He was sent to prison the same day after the Supreme Court rejected his bail request.
His legal team is now preparing an appeal and also a new bail request for the Supreme Court.
Pichayathan, who visited Sorrayuth on Wednesday, said his hair was cut very short in line with prison rules and he wore a light-brown inmates uniform.
She said Sorrayuth admitted that a life in prison was difficult but he would try to adjust.
“Even if the worst-case scenario happens, I will try to cope with it. Life has to go on,” she quoted Sorrayuth as saying.
Sorrayuth could hardly sleep on his first night in prison, she said, but he believed it was not uncommon for a person to have difficulty sleeping in an environment one was not familiar with.