Former foreign minister given two-year jail sentence in Thaksin passports case 

By The Nation

 

Surapong arrives at the Court's building on Tuesday.//Photo : Chalinee Thirasupa

 

The Supreme Court’s Political Office Holders Division on Tuesday sentenced Surapong Tohvichakchaikul, a former foreign minister, to two years in jail for malfeasance and dereliction of duty by reissuing passports for fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra in 2011.

 

The reissuance of Thaksin’s travel documents was done during Surapong’s tenure as foreign minister in the government of then-PM Yingluck Shinawatra, who is Thaksin’s younger sister.

 

The court said Surapong’s offence went against the Foreign Ministry’s 2005 regulations concerning passport issuance. 

 

It ruled in favour of the maximum penalty for the charge as Surapong’s action assisted Thaksin, who had earlier been convicted to a jail term and remained a suspect in many other crimes, in his travel to foreign countries.

 

The new passports for Thaksin damaged the dignity of the country’s justice system, the court said.

 

While serving as foreign minister in 2011, Surapong instructed the Foreign Ministry to issue two new passports to Thaksin, whose passports had been revoked in December 2008 by the Democrat-led government of Abhisit Vejjajiva on the grounds that the former PM was deemed to be damaging the country while living abroad.

 

Surapong said at the time that the new passports for Thaksin, who spends most of his time in Dubai avoiding a two-year jail term for corruption, could be a “New Year’s present”.

 

The National Legislative Assembly last year impeached Surapong, a key Pheu Thai Party politician, and banned him from politics for five years in connection with his actions in this matter.

 

The NLA’s action was taken at the request of the National Anti-Corruption Commission. 

 

In supporting his decision to reissue the ex-PM’s passports, Surapong had told the media that he and the Pheu Thai-led government at the time had agreed that Thaksin’s presence overseas did not cause any damage to Thailand or foreign countries, and that he was therefore justified in revoking the Democrat-led government’s order.

 

Thaksin has lived in self-exile overseas since fleeing the country in 2008. 

 

Surapong has the right to appeal the court’s decision.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30348117

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-06-19

 

2 minutes ago, webfact said:

The new passports for Thaksin damaged the dignity of the country’s justice system

What <deleted> dignity ??????????

More spitefulness from our esteemed 'stripe down his trousers' leader.

 

Is there no end to this man's downsides?

Finally some justice, i remember this time Bangkok was flooding but all they worried about were the passports of Thaksin. The building was flooded but this took priority over all the people being flooded. Talk about nepotism.

 

I read he can appeal... so nothing much happens he won't go to jail. This will drag out he will be dead or do a runner.

Khun Yingluk, can you make up the spare room please.

33 minutes ago, webfact said:

36 minutes ago, webfact said:

The new passports for Thaksin damaged the dignity of the country’s justice system, the court said.

This is a line a comedian could use! Sure got me laughing

.... so he serves not one minute in the pookey...

 

They will jail them all but can or will they bring the Shins back, I don't think so. 

18 minutes ago, Oziex1 said:

They will jail them all but can or will they bring the Shins back, I don't think so. 

They won't jail him, he can still appeal and when his appeal runs out in 10-15  he can always do a Shin.. eh i mean runner.  He might also be dead around that time, so nothing will happen. Remember he is rich.

Would love to know how the numbering system works in the Thai judiciary. How some cases seem to get fast tracked whilst others dissapear. Run over and kill someone nothing. Issue a new passport 2 years in jail. Quite incredible.

"Surapong’s action assisted Thaksin, who had earlier been convicted to a jail term and remained a suspect in many other crimes, in his travel to foreign countries."

that's false - thaksin already had many other passports from other countries around the world and could travel anytime anywhere.

It's called political vendetta, the democrat party and army have always worked hand in hand

1 hour ago, robblok said:

They won't jail him, he can still appeal and when his appeal runs out in 10-15  he can always do a Shin.. eh i mean runner.  He might also be dead around that time, so nothing will happen. Remember he is rich.

Yes he is rich, he is also from the wrong side of politics.

Once again the most heinous part of the crime seems to be 'tarnishing the reputation of Thailand'- what a joke.

34 minutes ago, Oziex1 said:

Yes he is rich, he is also from the wrong side of politics.

Yes, the side which has no moral compass and believes they can bend laws  and ignore official regulations to their own wims. 

 

How many charges is his BIL on, still going through the courts, many with massive evidence already well noted, but of course all very convenient for some to say politically motivated.

 

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The new passports for Thaksin damaged the dignity of the country’s justice system, the court said

What dignity?

Hypothetically damaging the reputation of the country, that's surely not a political motive for getting 2 years.... 555

Former FM Surapong given 2-year jail term, granted bail

By Thai PBS

 

 

Former foreign minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul was sentenced to two years in prison this afternoon after the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions found him guilty in a malfeasance case in which he is accused  of reinstating a revoked passport for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

 

He was granted a temporary release on a five-million-baht bail on a condition that he doesn’t leave the country without prior permission from the court.

 

Surapong, 65, was  indicted in February last year by the National Anti-Corruption Commission for allegedly violating Article 157 of the Penal Code regarding malfeasance and also committing wrongdoing under the anti-corruption law.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/former-fm-surapong-given-2-year-jail-term-granted-bail/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-06-20

13 hours ago, webfact said:

The new passports for Thaksin damaged the dignity of the country’s justice system, the court said.

pls  dont  worry the  whole  world already  knew,  must  dash  am  moving into my  new mountain retreat at Doi .................

18 hours ago, KiwiKiwi said:

More spitefulness from our esteemed 'stripe down his trousers' leader.

 

Is there no end to this man's downsides?

 

Were you here then? The country was going through the worst flooding in living memory and the PTP regime were making a pig's ear of dealing with it. This gentleman, then the Foreign Minister had his closed due to flooding Ministry opened especially to produce these new passports for his cousin, a convicted fugitive. He then allegedly hand delivered them to his cousin in Dubai. One of the two illegally issued passports was a diplomatic one. 

 

There was some outcry at the time. Complaints were made to the Ombudsman who asked Yingluck and her cousin to explain. They stalled, and stalled, and stalled, believing as usual that they could do as they pleased.

 

This was a glaring example of an abuse of power, nepotism and cost to the tax payers at a time when the country was devastated and people were dying in the floods.

 

 

16 hours ago, smutcakes said:

Would love to know how the numbering system works in the Thai judiciary. How some cases seem to get fast tracked whilst others dissapear. Run over and kill someone nothing. Issue a new passport 2 years in jail. Quite incredible.

Fast tracked?

 

The passport was issued in 2011, that's 7 years to bring him to court.

Guilty by the Supreme Court! Two years in prison! The final verdict!

How does one get bail?

Just wondering

 

 

20 hours ago, webfact said:

The new passports for Thaksin damaged the dignity of the country’s justice system

If there's one success under the Prayut regime, it's that the dignity of the country's justice system is no longer an issue.

Long Live the Court's Doi Suthep project!

6 hours ago, webfact said:

on a condition that he doesn’t leave the country without prior permission from the court.

This sounds familiar, albeit it was a she last time... 

       

1 hour ago, 300sd said:

Guilty by the Supreme Court! Two years in prison! The final verdict!

How does one get bail?

Just wondering

 

 

In the first article it states he can still appeal. So that is why he has bail, plus he is rich he won't go to jail. 

 

If there was ever a case of nepotism this is a great example, convicted criminal gets a diplomatic passport. A whole building that is flooded like most of the country opened just to get this passport (had to use boat to get there). Whole country having flooding problems that were handled poorly but Thaksins passport had priority. 

 

Anyway shows the utter disregard the PTP has for laws, the requests from the ombudsman were never answered by YL and her minions. Just like the junta they placed themselves above the law. It does not matter if its a junta or an elected government once in power they feel they can do as they please. 

19 minutes ago, robblok said:

In the first article it states he can still appeal. So that is why he has bail, plus he is rich he won't go to jail. 

 

If there was ever a case of nepotism this is a great example, convicted criminal gets a diplomatic passport. A whole building that is flooded like most of the country opened just to get this passport (had to use boat to get there). Whole country having flooding problems that were handled poorly but Thaksins passport had priority. 

 

Anyway shows the utter disregard the PTP has for laws, the requests from the ombudsman were never answered by YL and her minions. Just like the junta they placed themselves above the law. It does not matter if its a junta or an elected government once in power they feel they can do as they please. 

 

Well said and worth adding, on appointment to the minister position for foreign affairs he said publicly that he had no knowledge or experience in this field.

 

 

21 hours ago, robblok said:

Finally some justice, i remember this time Bangkok was flooding but all they worried about were the passports of Thaksin. The building was flooded but this took priority over all the people being flooded. Talk about nepotism.

 

I read he can appeal... so nothing much happens he won't go to jail. This will drag out he will be dead or do a runner.

 

Democracy - real democracy, has a solution to politicians that do not do their job well. Vote them out. Don't let some corrupt soldier put them in a prison that should have some space left for corrupt soldiers just because some under-developed people want revenge on them for something quite different..

33 minutes ago, KiwiKiwi said:

 

Democracy - real democracy, has a solution to politicians that do not do their job well. Vote them out. Don't let some corrupt soldier put them in a prison that should have some space left for corrupt soldiers just because some under-developed people want revenge on them for something quite different..

Yes a real democracy has solutions... but that was the problem there was a form of democracy but not a full one. Otherwise Thaksin would never have had his passports and the government would have responded to the complaints about the passports with the ombudsman. That did not happen, but it should have happened in a real democracy. 

6 minutes ago, robblok said:

Yes a real democracy has solutions... but that was the problem there was a form of democracy but not a full one. Otherwise Thaksin would never have had his passports and the government would have responded to the complaints about the passports with the ombudsman. That did not happen, but it should have happened in a real democracy. 

My understanding is that all actions taken by Surapong were legal and approved by opinion of the Council of State.

 

It's just that a fvery few of Thailand's movers and shakers didn't like them. So Thailand is governed by determining if the movers and shakers agree with something. Hardly democratic...

 

But Prayuth's time is inexorably drawing to a close as the relentless march of things he doesn't understand, continues. And all the 'yes sir's and 'no sir's and all the three bags full sir's, are not going to help him, because of his ignorance, arrogance and stupidity.

 

21 minutes ago, KiwiKiwi said:

My understanding is that all actions taken by Surapong were legal and approved by opinion of the Council of State.

 

It's just that a fvery few of Thailand's movers and shakers didn't like them. So Thailand is governed by determining if the movers and shakers agree with something. Hardly democratic...

 

But Prayuth's time is inexorably drawing to a close as the relentless march of things he doesn't understand, continues. And all the 'yes sir's and 'no sir's and all the three bags full sir's, are not going to help him, because of his ignorance, arrogance and stupidity.

 

You understand wrongly... he is convicted so it was not legal. Also not replying to the ombudsman is not a good thing. Can you tell me why a convicted criminal should get a diplomatic passport and witch normal democratic countries would do the same. Diplomatic passports are for diplomats.. not for convicted criminals. 

 

Will he ever spend a day in jail?