'Men in black sought millions to reveal name of mastermind'

[Lite Beer]

POLITICAL VIOLENCE
'Men in black sought millions to reveal name of mastermind'
The Sunday Nation

Police commandos provide security as five suspects accused of involvement in an armed attack during the 2010 political unrest are taken to the Criminal Court yesterday for permission for police to detain them during further investigation.

BANGKOK: -- Some of the "men in black" who launched attacks during the political unrest in 2010 offered to reveal the mastermind in exchange for millions of baht, Democrat Party politician Thaworn Senneam said yesterday.

Thaworn claimed to have been approached by four of the armed militants who took part in the violent - sometimes deadly - attacks during the 10 weeks of street protests by red shirts protesters against the Democrat-led government led by Abhisit Vejjajiva four years ago.

Thaworn served as deputy interior minister during the government's tenure.

Thaworn said four of the "men in black" demanded Bt5 million each from him in exchange for "telling the truth" and identifying the people who hired them.

The Democrat politician said he rejected the offer, as the requested sum was too high.

He said they had told him that those who hired them promised a car and Bt1 million cash for each of them after they completed their operation. However, they each ended up being paid only Bt100,000 after finishing work.

According to Thaworn, dozens of "men in black" were trained in the use of weapons in Cambodia before launching the attacks.

Thaworn said the men who approached him were a different group than the five suspects who were arrested earlier this week in connection with the deadly attack near the Democracy Monument on April 10, 2010, that led to the deaths of at least five soldiers, including then-Colonel Romklao Thuvatham.

More than 90 people were killed and some 2,000 others injured in the unrest that led to riots and arson attacks on many city buildings.

'They did exist, despite denials'

He said the recent arrests and the people who approached him were proof that the "men in black" did exist, in addition to findings by official investigative committees, although some groups of people denied their existence, including the red shirts' United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship.

Thaworn was also a leader of the People's Democratic Reform Committee, which organised over six months of street protests against the previous government led by Yingluck Shinawatra.

In a related development, police yesterday took the five suspected assailants during the 2010 unrest - four of them men and one woman - to seek permission from the Criminal Court to detain them for 12 days while police investigate the case.

Police Colonel Prasopchok Prommoon, deputy commander of the Crime Suppression Division, where the suspects are being detained, said that investigators needed more time to question the suspects in order to determine their accomplices.

"We are gathering evidence for the arrest of the other people involved in this crime," he said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Men-in-black-sought-millions-to-reveal-name-of-mas-30243231.html

-- The Nation 2014-09-14

[tingtongtourist]

Im sure there will be many here soon to tell for free who the boss is

[Somtamnication]

It will never be known. It cannot be proven. Just one more mystery for the super sleuths on tv.

[EricBerg]

Promised a million and gotten 100,000. Seems even the middleman was corrupt. Strong shina smell there. Especially when the boys were trained in Cambodia.

[thesetat2013]

Since we are in a military rule right now they should offer these men a life in prison for their info or a firing squad if they dont talk. They have already as much as admitted their guilt in their demands. So a firing squad would not be out of order

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[JohnnyJazz]

The message is very clear. Give me one million and I give the name of someone from the other side.

This is Thailand after all. ;-)

Edited September 14, 2014 by JohnnyJazz

[Bluespunk]

"The Democrat politician said he rejected the offer, as the requested sum was too high."

That's why he turned them down?

Not because they were murdering, criminal scum who were now resorting to extortion to gain further financial rewards for their criminality?

Lordy Lordy.

[givenall]

Why pay for something that everyone already know

[wprime]

They should have made a counter offer of 1M baht and a car, then once they've named the mastermind, only give them 100,000 baht.

[Bluespunk]

They should have made a counter offer of 1M baht and a car, then once they've named the mastermind, only give them 100,000 baht.

Or better still, gaol them.

[StealthEnergiser]

With all these recent captures and intelligence that has been gathered it makes me think that they will act on the mastermind and supporters fairly quickly (within next 30 days ).

I would also think that most other countries will give support for extradition requests especially in todays climate of terrorism around the world.

Maybe stopping their private planes would also help if the masterminds have them.

I am sure they must be starting to get very worried and will no longer be able to hide behind lies false accusation or lawyers such as amsterdam.

[jaidam]

Surprising to see the red shirt's armed wing demanding a fortune to reveal their boss. One would have thought that as democratic idealists, fighting for freedom and an end to amart oppression, helping to achieve justice would be reward enough.

[halloween]

"......those who hired them promised a car and Bt1 million cash for each of them after they completed their operation. However, they each ended up being paid only Bt100,000 after finishing work."

That's why you get a work contract. I have to wonder if a sense of guilt didn't influence the hirers to the extent that they partially kept to the deal by putting a subsidy on new cars.

[jcb2001]

At least, the twine is starting to unravel. The truth is getting closer.

[rametindallas]

IF Thaworn had a police/government he could trust, it would have been a good time to set up a 'sting' and get them into custody where the advanced interrogation techniques of the RTP could have efficiently gotten all the information they had in exchange for not being interrogated further. Unfortunately, Mr. Thaworn only had Tawit and Chalerm for enforcement and we know they didn't want the truth to come out. Mr. Thaworn probably saved those murderous thug's lives by not turning them over to T and C.

[chainarong]

Well attach some leads to their nuts, that will make em sing and you only have to pay for the electricity , mind human-rights will be onto this as they were complaining about atrocities under the latest coup which was denied , in The Western Press last Friday , so another issue won't worry very much and as someone said they are just scum anyway. Did anyone see in the Thai press about the accusation from Human -rights watchdog about all the Generals men and treatment of suspects etc., though not.

[AleG]

I wouldn't be surprised if some people start to be killed to plug leaks.

Well attach some leads to their nuts, that will make em sing and you only have to pay for the electricity , mind human-rights will be onto this as they were complaining about atrocities under the latest coup which was denied , in The Western Press last Friday , so another issue won't worry very much and as someone said they are just scum anyway. Did anyone see in the Thai press about the accusation from Human -rights watchdog about all the Generals men and treatment of suspects etc., though not.

Torture doesn't work, it's not just about being a touchy-feely liberal tree huger or whatnot. It's good for getting the victim to tell you what you want to hear, but if you are interested in getting to the facts it does not work.

[halloween]

It's a bit like a jigsaw puzzle; you don't just work in one place. Now we have some of the pieces at the bottom, to go with those at the top - the huge sums of cash that was withdrawn by members of the Shinawatra family. Soon the two will be connected together and we will see the whole ugly picture. Not everybody, mind you, because there are none so blind as those who refuse to see.

[mrtoad]

There's a strong odour blowing in from Dubai

[bangkokheat]

accessory to the crime= jail time

[bangkokheat]

same for obstruction to justice= jail jail jail

[halloween]

I wouldn't be surprised if some people start to be killed to plug leaks.

Well attach some leads to their nuts, that will make em sing and you only have to pay for the electricity , mind human-rights will be onto this as they were complaining about atrocities under the latest coup which was denied , in The Western Press last Friday , so another issue won't worry very much and as someone said they are just scum anyway. Did anyone see in the Thai press about the accusation from Human -rights watchdog about all the Generals men and treatment of suspects etc., though not.

Torture doesn't work, it's not just about being a touchy-feely liberal tree huger or whatnot. It's good for getting the victim to tell you what you want to hear, but if you are interested in getting to the facts it does not work.

With 4 suspects in custody and kept well apart, if interrogation produces the same story then you can be sure that you have the truth. There are thousands of little details that can be checked, (colours, times, meals), that nobody is smart enough to remember as a lie, but are easily remembered as truth.

There is no Keyser Soze here.

[wprime]

I wouldn't be surprised if some people start to be killed to plug leaks.

Well attach some leads to their nuts, that will make em sing and you only have to pay for the electricity , mind human-rights will be onto this as they were complaining about atrocities under the latest coup which was denied , in The Western Press last Friday , so another issue won't worry very much and as someone said they are just scum anyway. Did anyone see in the Thai press about the accusation from Human -rights watchdog about all the Generals men and treatment of suspects etc., though not.

Torture doesn't work, it's not just about being a touchy-feely liberal tree huger or whatnot. It's good for getting the victim to tell you what you want to hear, but if you are interested in getting to the facts it does not work.

In Thailand they don't kill people to plug leaks. The informants shoot themselves in the head a few times because they can't bear life anymore.

[GentlemanJim]

Funny, in the photo, non of the perps, ( who were effectively armed terrorists), who have all confessed are in cuffs or leg irons. With the jail time they are facing a break for freedom would be a dead cert I would have thought.

[toybits]

This taints whatever they "reveal" - because with the right amount of money, they can be made to say whatever who is paying them pleases.

[CMHomeboy78]

They were essentially mercenaries and probably didn't know for sure who the "mastermind" was.

It was the money, the car, and the excitement they wanted.

[trainman34014]

As they were cheated by the boss and underpaid why don't they try plea bargaining, names and testimony in return for short prison terms or freedom from prosecution, plane tickets and half a million in dosh or whatever suits there purposes best. Deals to be done.. Truth is most likely that the 'Authorities' don't want to know who Mr Big actually is !

[Just1Voice]

The men in the right side photo are 2 of the arrested and allegedly "men in black". The men in the left side photo are PDRC guards.

LOL!!

[Fat Haggis]

Riiightttttt..!!! So a group of MIB gunmen went to a democrat MP demanded money, who didn't think it was appropriate to get their names at the time and hand the names over to the Police, it's only now he's come forwards? ... Yep.. I'll swallow that story.. unlike several posters here.

[halloween]

Funny, in the photo, non of the perps, ( who were effectively armed terrorists), who have all confessed are in cuffs or leg irons. With the jail time they are facing a break for freedom would be a dead cert I would have thought.

If by some miracle they managed to escape, where are they going to run to? They are now badly compromised and a severe embarrassment to those they might name.