DEATH THREATS

Special Branch to guard judges after death threats claimed

BANGKOK: -- Police from the Special Branch have been ordered by the national police chief to provide extra security for Constitution Court judges.

Royal Thai Police spokesman Maj Gen Prawut Thawornsiri said General Wichean Potephosree made the order after a judge said he had received threats on his life.

Prawut said Special Branch police would provide protection for all Constitution Court judges at their offices, in addition to officers from the Metropolitan Police Bureau who take care of their security at home and while on their way to and from work.

"We will contact all the judges to find out about their individual needs to ensure increased security," he said.

Constitution Court Judge Boonsong Kulbupar earlier said he and his colleagues had received death threats by telephone. He also complained that the court's judges were working under heavy pressure.

Prawut said Wichean had set up an investigative team headed by General Ek Angsananont to find out about people behind the recording and distribution of the controversial video clips accusing the ruling Democrat Party of lobbying the court in connection with the dissolution cases against the party.

The investigators would also try to determine whether the clips had been doctored, he said, adding that the probe was expected to be completed in 30 days.

Four video clips and a slideshow of stills were released through the YouTube video-sharing website. One of the clips shows Democrat MP and defence-team member Wiruch Romyen talking to Pasit Sakdanarong, secretary to the Constitution Court president, about the cases against the Democrat Party.

Three other clips are recordings of conversations among Constitution Court judges in their office.

Pasit was removed from the post on Tuesday, a few days after the videos were made publicly available.

The slideshow clip contains a few pictures of Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda meeting with the Constitution Court president, Chat Chonlaworn, and a number of senior judiciary figures, with a caption saying that Prem was seeking Chat's help to spare the Democrat Party from being dissolved. The photos were later found to have been taken during an award presentation to Thammasat University's outstanding law graduates two years ago.

Meanwhile, opposition Pheu Thai MP Jatuporn Prompan said yesterday that he wondered why Boonsong did not file a police complaint over the death threats he received.

Pheu Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit described the judge's claim as a tactic to deflect attention from the scandal involving the Constitution Court.

"The judges must tell society frankly if there was lobbying by the Democrat Party," he said.

Prompong also said that the opposition party "has no fears" about the threat from the Democrats of possible dissolution proceedings against Pheu Thai, regarding its involvement in "resorting to unlawful means".

In a related development, police investigators have been sent to The Foodie restaurant in the Prachachuen area, in which the Wiruch-Pasit video clip was suspected to have been recorded with a hidden camera, according to a source familiar with the investigation. The place was examined and witnesses were questioned, the source said.

Pol Maj-General Panya Mamen, who heads the investigation team, said the probe would involve two parts - criminal offences on security and judicial proceedings, and violations of computer and information laws.

-- The Nation 2010-10-23

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