Premchai probe ‘biased to help him’

[webfact]

Premchai probe ‘biased to help him’

By THE NATION

 

Wittawat Banleng, and other students from Kasetsart University’s Faculty of Forestry, |yesterday visit the government’s public complaint centre in Bangkok.

 

Students, environmentalists warn failure to speedily prosecute tycoon may be conspiracy
 

STUDENTS AND environmentalists are calling for swift legal action against construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta and his three companions, who are accused of illegal hunting in Kanchanaburi’s Thung Yai Naresuan Sanctuary. 

 

Seub Nakhasathien Foundation secretary-general Sasin Chalermlarp said that March 4 would mark one month since the four men’s arrest and he would start a campaign to follow up with the police investigation to ensure the wrongdoers are punished as soon as possible.

 

Promising to join with advocates to protest if concrete progress was not made after March 5, Kasetsart University’s Faculty of Forestry student club president Wittawat Banleng and three student representatives submitted at 1pm yesterday a petition to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha via the Government's Public Complaint Centre. 

 

They claimed the ongoing investigation seemed to be less than transparent, as Premchai, president of Italian-Thai Development, and other suspects had not yet been questioned, while state officials who accused them were subjected to a grilling “as if they were in the wrong”. 

 

“We want police to issue arrest warrants and we want the premier to make sure this case will get justice – as it would boost park officials’ morale that their arrest of alleged poachers led to justice, [and] not falling apart when entering further procedures,” Wittawat said. 

 

The students also questioned if a reported failure to test for gunpowder residue on Premchai was an intentional move to weaken evidence against the 63-year-old tycoon.

 

Sasin, meanwhile, wrote on his Facebook page that the case had solid evidence, including a salt-laced black leopard skin, the leopard’s tail in a soup pot at the camp, rifles found onsite and unauthorised gunshots heard. Plus there was an audio clip of the alleged bribery attempt. 

 

“I have a feeling that some people in the case investigation are trying to help Premchai. A case like this should not see the suspects get bailed. With such obvious evidence, if he got away with it the government can’t deny responsibility,” he wrote.

 

“Why are poor suspects prosecuted quickly but those suspects who are influential figures are treated differently? This might raise the need to revamp the criminal procedure code,” he wrote. 

 

The Department of National Parks Department (DNP) chief will preside over a February 28 meeting examining progress in the case.

 

Officials are also seeking names from the Interior Ministry of owners of guns that could be used in wildlife hunting – as well as names of hunters by geographic area – to put on a watch list.

 

Meanwhile, sanctuary chief Wichien Chinnawong yesterday conducted ballistic trajectory tests in Huai Pachee, where Premchai and three others were found camping on February 4 in possession of three rifles and the carcasses of an endangered black leopard, a muntjac (deer) and a Kalij pheasant. 

 

Chaiwat Limlikhit-aksorn of the DNP’s Phaya Sua forest crime suppression task force was present as evidence was gathered. It will be submitted to Pol Captain Sumit Boonyanit of Thong Pha Phum precinct. 

 

Premchai and three others were hit with nine charges, including hunting in a wildlife sanctuary, but were freed on bail and ordered to meet court officials on March 24. They failed to answer police summons on February 15 and 22. 

 

Premchai’s lawyer claimed he was busy and a new date was set for March 5, along with a warning from the police that failure to appear would lead to arrest warrants.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30339742

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-02-27

[Thaiwrath]

6 minutes ago, webfact said:

“Why are poor suspects prosecuted quickly but those suspects who are influential figures are treated differently?

Silliest question of the year award winner !

Edited February 26, 2018 by Thaiwrath

[Bob12345]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

“I have a feeling that some people in the case investigation are trying to help Premchai. A case like this should not see the suspects get bailed. With such obvious evidence, if he got away with it the government can’t deny responsibility,” he wrote.

Smart remark: the point is so obvious to outsiders while everybody entranched in the Thai legal system never questions the logic behind it.

 

Bail should only be granted when there is a good chance the perpetrator will be found innocent so he doesnt spend time in jail for nothing, and bail should be so high the person will come back.

In this case there should be no bail as guilt is obvious, and even if bail is given it should be set around the value of all his known wealth. Let him put up his shares in his company as bail; if he doesn't make a runner he can have them back.

 

Btw, same as with the stupid stuff where your sentence will be halved when you confess, no matter how clear-cut the case already is.

If i shoot a policeman in a police station, get caught immidiately, get sentences based on eye-witnesses and CCTV evidence, and everybody around me confirms i told the i was plaaning to do this.... i would confess and my sentence would be halved. That just doesn't make sense.

[ramrod711]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

They claimed the ongoing investigation seemed to be less than transparent

Shocking, I'm dumbfounded, usually investigations against the rich don't even exist.

[Katipo]

This is what Thailand needs more of. Smart, brave individuals calling out a justice system which is clearly heavily biased towards the rich and influential. Social media is giving them a voice which is becoming harder to ignore. Let's hope this snowball keeps on on rollings. 

[webfact]

Officials are helping Premchai: Seub Nakhasathien Foundation head

By Thai PBS

 

 

Seub Nakhasathien Foundation chairman Sasin Chalermlarp said he suspected authorities concerned were helping Italian-Thai Development Plc boss Premchai Karnasuta, warning that the government would be held accountable if the poaching suspect is allowed to escape unpunished.

 

In his Facebook post, Mr Sasin pointed out that there are more than enough evidence against Mr Premchai be it the black panther’s skin which was preserved with salt; the black panther tail soup in a pot found in the jungle camp; the guns seized from the camp and the sound of gunshots; and the sound clip of negotiations between Mr Premchai and forest rangers after the arrest.

 

“If these are not enough, drag the feet by examining the feces on and on. In my opinion, I believe the authorities handling the case are definitely helping Mr Premchai,” Mr Sasin wrote on Sunday (Feb 25).

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/officials-helping-premchai-seub-nakhasathien-foundation-head/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-02-27

[Media1]

The police must be fully rebuilt all senior heads audited and possible serious jail time.

To do this you need a real government. This is proving difficult 

[Darcula]

4 minutes ago, webfact said:

drag the feet by examining the feces

 

That a really nice idiom to describe this policework.

[yellowboat]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

warning that the government would be held accountable if the poaching suspect is allowed to escape unpunished.

Accountable by whom ?  Those yellows who followed Suthep to the streets and installed the military government that is accountable to nobody ?  Premchai might get off, but is reputation has the stink of death.  

[Ossy]

Who the hell really gives a toss about this saddo? The disbelieving cynic in me said, right from the start, that there was more than a little 'something of a put-up job' about the way this Tarzan look-alike and his pals were thrust into the headlines with the 'Premchai Goes Poaching' blockbuster.

 

One of the junta's cleverer distractions, in my view; only to be followed up with 'The Return of Premchai', in the form of the poor young sanctuary manager who had . . . shhh, quiet, please . . . failed to ask the poachers for their admission money . . . stupid boy!

 

And, to cap it all, a week later, we had 'The Poacher gets his Eggs' sequel, when it turned out that this monster of a man only owned 13 of his 15 (approx, since I can't be assed to check) guns lawfully . . . yes, the other 2 were illegal, for crying out loud. So that's another 10yrs, on top of his 20yrs for killing an endangered species and a B10 Million fine for nipping under the barrier rail to avoid paying the B120 poaching ticket. This was all getting too much to cope with for my old brain.

 

Now, if anyone on this forum - or anywhere in the world -  takes any of this crap seriously, he/she may well be holding the key to the final puzzle, 'Premchai Meets His Match', where it turns out that the skin of the black panther was missing its private parts . . . OK, genitals, if you're not eating. He'd not only allegedly gone and killed a black panther . . . he'd been unlucky enough to kill one that was mid-way through sex-change treatment.

 

Like I said, who the hell can give toss to this odd bod? And, as for these students protesting . . . that has to be the worst campaign for sequel 4 imaginable.

[Lupatria]

3 hours ago, Media1 said:

To do this you need a real government

To do this you need an island twice the size of Phuket to incarcerate all the corrupt officials working hard labor in factories that benefit the society, surrounded by electric fence. And finally give up this farce of inactive posts.

[greenchair]

He was arrested 1 month ago and due in court in march. 

My court case was 2 years to get to court. 

If anything he is being seriously railroaded. 

[whaleboneman]

1 hour ago, greenchair said:

He was arrested 1 month ago and due in court in march. 

My court case was 2 years to get to court. 

If anything he is being seriously railroaded. 

That's what you do to innocent people. You don't really think this piece of s@#$ is innocent do you?

[Ossy]

3 hours ago, whaleboneman said:

That's what you do to innocent people. You don't really think this piece of s@#$ is innocent do you?

To me, this entire 'poaching' story is just too weird to be true. But, as they say, the jury's out on the Great Thai Hunter . . . if it ever gets that far!

[thaiguzzi]

Re - the topic headline - 'course it is. Stating the bleeding obvious.

But, this case has really got some influential student groups going, which will start with this case, and i hope, get much bigger and bring out a lot more anti govt stuff.

Kudos to the student group.

[mtls2005]

Once the 'authorities' start prosecuting the accusers/activists, which I fear has already begun, and charging them with crimes like Defamation, Computer Crimes, etc. you'll know Premchai will face no repercussions.

 

No bribery charges, tusks from Africa, a few firearms, poaching, meh, whatever...maybe he will be forced to pay the park entrance fee?

Edited February 28, 2018 by mtls2005

[monkfish]

" as Premchai, president of Italian-Thai Development,"

Italian-Thai one of the main contractor's constructing the PM's mega projects Skytrain's, Motorways and more...
How are gov officials going to get there commission if the president is in Jail?
Meanwhile others are sentenced 10 years for picking mushrooms in a National Park.

[zaZa9]

Is it obligatory in this country that once you become rich you also have to turn into an @#*@hole ?

[Lobber]

Premchai probe ‘biased to help him’.....what a <deleted> surprise!!

[CantSpell]

5 hours ago, monkfish said:

" as Premchai, president of Italian-Thai Development,"

Italian-Thai one of the main contractor's constructing the PM's mega projects Skytrain's, Motorways and more...
How are gov officials going to get there commission if the president is in Jail?
Meanwhile others are sentenced 10 years for picking mushrooms in a National Park.

Maybe he asked for too much commission for himself...

 

Or he refused to pay their military "tax" and had to be rough up a little to be more agreeable..

[ramrod711]

7 hours ago, zaZa9 said:

Is it obligatory in this country that once you become rich you also have to turn into an @#*@hole ?

No, it's obligatory to be an @#*hole to become rich, look at every member of every Thai government.

[greenchair]

On 2/27/2018 at 5:52 PM, whaleboneman said:

That's what you do to innocent people. You don't really think this piece of s@#$ is innocent do you?

If he wasn't a rich tycoon on the board of directors of several state utilised companies, this wouldn't even be a story.