Thammanat claims he ‘just slept’ in Aussie lock-up

By The Nation

 

 

At a parliamentary questioning session on Wednesday (September 11), Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompao insisted that his 1993 jail sentence in Australia had been settled and that he would like to continue working as a Cabinet member.

 

Thammanat had explain himself to Seri Ruam Thai party-list MP Pol Lieutenant Wisanun Moungpraesri, who is holding Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha responsible for nominating Thammanat for a Cabinet post even though he allegedly lacks the qualifications required of an MP.

 

The questioning stemmed from an Australian media report this week saying that Thammanat had served four years in a Sydney jail in the 1990s after allegedly pleading guilty to conspiring to import a commercial quantity of heroin and has reportedly been blacklisted from re-entering the country.

 

However, Thammanat insists he never confessed to smuggling heroin following his arrest in April 1993 and that his case had never been taken to court. As per a pre-bargaining process, he said, he was “locked up” for eight months and then “I was sent to take care of some younger detainees. After this work, I would return to sleep in the place the officials had prepared for me”.

 

The minister said it took four years for the case to wrap up.

 

“The Australian court just held me in the pre-bargaining process until the inquiry process was complete. After it ended, I still wanted to stay there with my family,” he said, adding that he has undergone many rounds of clearing his name and now wanted to live in the present and work to serve the Thai public.

 

“I won’t allow something that happened nearly 30 years ago to ruin my ideology to spend the rest of my life serving people. No matter what position I am in, I vow to work to repay my motherland and uphold Thailand’s three main pillars – nation, religion and monarchy,” he said.

 

 

Earlier on Wednesday, Seri Ruam Thai Party leader Pol General Seripisut Temiyawet told reporters outside Parliament in the Kiak Kai area that if he were prime minister, he would resign to take responsibility for proposing a person with a criminal past like Thammanat and have him royally appointed as Cabinet member.

 

“You can’t argue that this is a matter under a court procedure from outside the country. Those involved in drug trafficking are all bad. How can such a person hold a minister’s position?” Seripisut asked.

 

As for Thammanat’s claim that this is being used to discredit and smear his name, Seripisut said: “I don’t want to say that I was the person who tipped the foreign media. After all, the Australian media already had some information. When the government will not do anything, I as the opposition must find an indirect way to check this. If you want to scold anyone for this, just scold me.”

 

When asked whether he was worried about being sued, he said: “How can a drug inmate sue an innocent person?” He also said he had just asked the media to find information and had not guided or paid them. “I admit to raising this point with the Australian media. I cannot stand by to see the government supporting this person as a minister.”

 

Meanwhile, Thai Civilised Party leader Mongkolkit Suksintharanon said he was ready to back opposition MPs in their request to have Thammanat investigated and punished if he is found to have committed a wrongdoing, even though he considers him a brother. However, he said, people should first wait to study the Australian court documents, which can be requested by the executive or legislative branch.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, meanwhile, revealed that Thammanat had provided evidence to explain his qualifications to the Secretariat of the Cabinet before taking up the Cabinet post, but he does not know if the Australian court verdict was included.

 

 

Meanwhile, political activists Ekkachai Hongkangwan and Chokchai Paiboonratchata visited the Election Commission (EC) head office on Wednesday and asked the agency to look into several points related to Thammanat, such as how he managed to get reinstated in the Army and then got promoted in 1997 after returning to Thailand, why he used the military rank of captain in the documents he submitted to join the current Cabinet even though his title was revoked in a Royal Gazette announcement in September 1998 and why his Thai ID card number starts with 4 when according to his year of birth – 1965 – it should start with 3.

 

Chokchai also urged Thammanat to be honest about what he did in Australia. “How can be we sure you won’t lie to people when running the country?” he asked.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30376085

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-09-12

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5 minutes ago, webfact said:

After this work, I would return to sleep in the place the officials had prepared for me”.

 

Maybe someone could persuade Al Pacino to star in the movie 

The story has changed for the second or third time this week. He has admitted that he was in prison for four years now. Will be interesting to see if what version he releases next. The deportation has not been addressed.

I like the bit where "After this work, I would return to sleep in the place the officials had prepared for me". To uninitiated, it is a prison cell, the conditions were probably better than some of the military barracks he has stayed in but it was a prison cell.

 

47 minutes ago, webfact said:

However, Thammanat insists he never confessed to smuggling heroin following his arrest in April 1993 and that his case had never been taken to court. As per a pre-bargaining process, he said, he was “locked up” for eight months and then “I was sent to take care of some younger detainees. After this work, I would return to sleep in the place the officials had prepared for me”.

 

The minister said it took four years for the case to wrap up.

 

“The Australian court just held me in the pre-bargaining process until the inquiry process was complete. After it ended, I still wanted to stay there with my family,”

That is not how the Australian courts work. He could put it to a test, and see if he can get a visa to visit Australia for any reason, tourism or official trip. I will give short odds he will struggle. 

30 minutes ago, Chang_paarp said:

The story has changed for the second or third time this week. He has admitted that he was in prison for four years now. Will be interesting to see if what version he releases next. The deportation has not been addressed.

I like the bit where "After this work, I would return to sleep in the place the officials had prepared for me". To uninitiated, it is a prison cell, the conditions were probably better than some of the military barracks he has stayed in but it was a prison cell.

 

That is not how the Australian courts work. He could put it to a test, and see if he can get a visa to visit Australia for any reason, tourism or official trip. I will give short odds he will struggle. 

After 30 years it is probably a "spent conviction". No searching, other than by law enforcement would be made available.

However,if the aus press are now searching, they may have articles relating to the case on file.

 

As you say, his version of events is not how the Aus justice system works. 

Let the good times roll...Canada's Bob Ford ''on the crack pipe''...

Edited September 11, 20196 yr by mok199

Typical Thainess

42 minutes ago, Reigntax said:

After 30 years it is probably a "spent conviction". No searching, other than by law enforcement would be made available.

However,if the aus press are now searching, they may have articles relating to the case on file.

 

As you say, his version of events is not how the Aus justice system works. 

Because the Aus justice system works, unlike the Thai justice system that allows this low life criminal to be in parliament. 

even if he had spent time 'In Remand' pending any Trial; his not getting Bail:

 

 ^{- because the Courts recognised him as a Flight Risk?}

 ^{- he no longer had enough $$$ for Posting Bail, as he lost all potential funding channels; because it was the same illgotten funds taken, by confiscation as evidence, from his nefarious activities} 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Chokchai also urged Thammanat to be honest about what he did in Australia. “How can be we sure you won’t lie to people when running the country?” he asked.

2 minutes ago, LomSak27 said:

and when he cannot even lie straight in a prison bunk...

6 minutes ago, mok199 said:

Let the good times roll...Canada's Bob Ford ''on the crack pipe''...

 

Canadian deflection ... tsk tsk. You need an AMerican deflection,a true blue, made in the USA deflection,  to go anywhere with that. You know that right. 

 

Ok   

 

 

 

Edited September 11, 20196 yr by LomSak27

The most interesting question - to which we'll probably never know the answer - is "who benefits"?  Which of Thammanat's political enemies here tipped off the Australian press to follow up and publish the story?  The defamation laws would never have allowed the Thai press to initiate such reporting, but now someone else has brought it to light they can mention it

Just wondering what this guy has on the PM  and why he's so important to the PM to force the latter to lie and go into great pains to deny and distort court documented facts of a serious criminal past, imprisonment and being an imposter labeling it a " small Issues" and let bygone be bygone"...

Alrighty then! We have a sleeping beauty. LOL

Dealing heroin is one of the most serious offenses you can commit in Thailand. I’m sure the Thai government have been in contact with the Oz authorities and will officially confirm his story soon. 

 

The good people in power are of the highest moral character. They wouldn’t just brush it off with statements like, “it’s a small matter”, “it happened in the past” and “why don’t we look at the former government’s transgressions. Why focus so much on this government”. Oh, no. 

 

Ive also recently read he has a bogus PhD from a university where you pay for your credentials. To that I say, let’s check where Thaksin got his qualifications. If there are any discrepancies there, we should just let this current matter rest. 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand’s three main pillars – nation, religion and monarchy,”

But money number 1.

From sinister to minister!

We're told he was given a Royal Pardon, so assume that legally absolves him of any continued responsibility or affects.

 

We're also told that, as this crime was committed in a foreign country, it is somehow less severe or relevant.

 

In classic local tradition, the guilty then throws back the charges to the accusers, ends up having them charged with Defamation, and even Lese Majeste.

 

Prayuth/Prawit will not give an inch on this. Any sort of corruption/malfeasance just gets papered over: family business, wristwatches, oath, heroin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 11, 20196 yr by mtls2005

1 hour ago, Reigntax said:

After 30 years it is probably a "spent conviction". No searching, other than by law enforcement would be made available.

According to AFP website, any conviction for which a sentence of imprisonment over 6 months is imposed can never become spent.

https://www.afp.gov.au/what-we-do/services/criminal-records/spent-convictions-scheme

3 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

3 hours ago, webfact said:

After this work, I would return to sleep in the place the officials had prepared for me”.

 

 

1 hour ago, mok199 said:

Let the good times roll...Canada's Bob Ford ''on the crack pipe''...

My how somethings never change. God bless our home and native land. 

This guy (and the PM) are calling BS to Australian news releases...bona fide reports that explain this guys illegal activity.....for which he was gaoled for 4 years.

Patronage goes far in Thailand regardless of ones criminal past.

1 hour ago, tifino said:

and when he cannot even lie straight in a prison bunk...

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

 

However, Thammanat insists he never confessed to smuggling heroin following his arrest

But  he was found guilty,not confessing,does not mean you are innocent,

he's wriggling like a worm ,to try and get out of this.

"The minister said it took four years for the case to wrap up"  A.K.A. a prison sentence.

regards Worgeordie

 

One word ... UNBELIEVABLE

The quality of the Thai government in control. Goes to stand that no one in this honest elected government is pure as the white driven snow. Can't make this stuff up. 

Wow, this guy has just got another few points from me in that he'll be Thailand's next PM, well DPM anyway.

I think any of us who have worked with Thais or, especially, taught Thai students (both at the secondary-school and university levels) will recognise this extraordinary capacity for many Thais to offer up the most bare-faced, brazen lies - idiotic lies, intelligence-insulting lies - and expect them to be believed.

The tragic thing is: in Thailand, those lies ARE believed (or at least, those in power pretend to believe them).

There is truly no hope for this country (not for decades, at least) ...

He even got himself a PhD from a non educational accredited Calamus Int. University. Probably bought on line.