Thai Army chief assures the army will not protect wrongdoers

[webfact]

Army chief assures the army will not protect wrongdoers



BANGKOK: -- The army will not protect Lt-Gen Manas Kongpaen or anyone suspected of involvement in wrongdoings but will give him a chance to defend himself, said Army Commander-in-Chief General Udomdej Seetabutr on Tuesday.

A separate find-finding probe led by Lt-Gen Prakarn Cholayuth, commander of the Fourth Army Region, has been launched by the army to determine Lt-Gen Manas’s alleged involvement in the trafficking of Rohingya migrants as charged by the police.

General Udomdej said that the army was aware of the allegation against Lt-Gen Manas, an army specialist, for quite some time and did not just sit idly by regarding the case.

Asked whether accused has been suspended from active duty, the army chief said that the army was following the procedure after the police had issued warrant for his arrest.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha, meanwhile, said that Lt-Gen Manas would be treated in accordance with the letters of the law like any other individuals charged with criminal offences.

He, however, said that he would not get involved in this case.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/army-chief-assures-the-army-will-not-protect-wrongdoers


-- Thai PBS 2015-06-03

[Strangebrew]

Guess That is to say he is on inactive post with full pay till this dies down or some Burmese is found to take the blame.

[NongKhaiKid]

So Udomdej knew for a long time and wasn't surprised when an arrest warrant was issued but wasn't sitting idly by.

Well that's true, he was taking the time to assure of no army officer being involved knowing he was being less than truthful. It seems an army fact finding investigation has just been started now the BIB have forced their hand so what was being done previously ?

The PM is claiming he won't get involved but they are only words coming from a man who is continually reported as involved in everything including issues that shouldn't really be taking up his time.

This case involves the army whom he previously indicated he doesn't want to hear criticised so it's impossible to believe he will take a giant step back and leave it at that.

[toybits]

High-ranking officials hardly does the work himself. Often, he has minions doing his dirty work for him. So the chain of command means that there are several junior minions under him that does the dirty work for him. What happens to those people. Surely they knew what was happening and benefited from it as well. If they knew what they were doing - nobody EVER dared blow the whistle. They probably know what the consequences of that would be. If your boss was the head honcho of a crime against humanity - murder would be the least of his worries.

[FangFerang]

The Army will not protect wrongdoers -- on this one issue, and after this point in time.

It would take witnesses and testimony to indict the Navy boys -- and any Rohingya were told they would be arrested or deported immediately, making any such testimony impossible.

Edited June 3, 2015 by FangFerang

[MockingJay]

There's honor among thieves...

[Baerboxer]

Prime Minister Prayut the lying Prat, has been involved in this from the outset. As the former Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Army, shouldn't he also be charged with dereliction of duty or is that only reserved for his opposition and enemy like for instance Ms.Yingluck. Talk about double standards, don't turn around in a hurry General PM you might just get bitten on the ass.

The art of sophistry is alive and well.

Had Yingluck really been the PM, attending parliament and answering questions and joining debate, or actually attended any rice policy meetings she was supposed to chair, or listened to all those internal and external warnings and actually done something rather than lie and dismiss them with scorn she would not be in trouble.

No one expects any leader can watch 100% of the people 100% of the time. But she simply didn't do anything, even when warned time and time again apart from lie and blame everyone else - must be a family trait.

You accuse the current PM of being involved. Hope you are aware of the defamation laws of Thailand.

[Reigntax]

So if the army are not influencing the police investigation why was it announced, I believe on Monday, that the army gave approval for the police to issue arrest warrants?.

[Srikcir]

Prime Minister Prayut the lying Prat, has been involved in this from the outset. As the former Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Army, shouldn't he also be charged with dereliction of duty or is that only reserved for his opposition and enemy like for instance Ms.Yingluck. Talk about double standards, don't turn around in a hurry General PM you might just get bitten on the ass.

The art of sophistry is alive and well.

Had Yingluck really been the PM, attending parliament and answering questions and joining debate, or actually attended any rice policy meetings she was supposed to chair, or listened to all those internal and external warnings and actually done something rather than lie and dismiss them with scorn she would not be in trouble.

No one expects any leader can watch 100% of the people 100% of the time. But she simply didn't do anything, even when warned time and time again apart from lie and blame everyone else - must be a family trait.

You accuse the current PM of being involved. Hope you are aware of the defamation laws of Thailand.

Really, what could Yingluck have done to investigate the military's performance in detecting and stopping human trafficking? Use the Police or DSI?What could she have done if justified to make military officers implicated in human trafficking accountable for their crimes? Imagine police arresting General Manas at a military post. That would no doubt trigger a quick coup or a constitutional court ruling to remove her from office for abuse of power.

While human rights abuses declined since Yingluck took office in August 2011, no security forces personnel have been prosecuted for past or recent human rights abuses. But such forces, especially embedded in the South, may operate outside the law by groups that do not see themselves bound by the Thai constitution. It may have been a catch-22 situation for Yingluck.