Democrat leader says charge not the same as Jakrapob's who was forced to quit cabinet
By Mongkol Bangprapa
Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday refused to dismiss MP Somkiat Pongpaiboon from the party despite pressure from the People Power party (PPP) which has demanded the opposition take action against him.
Mr Somkiat, facing a charge of lese majeste, is in a comparable position to former Prime Minister's Office minister Jakrapob Penkair, who faced a similar charge and opted to resign from cabinet.
"We cannot use the same standard in this case," Mr Abhisit said. "Somkiat is not a minister. He's only an MP."
Mr Somkiat is an MP under the proportional representation system, known as the party list. The former lecturer at Rajabhat Nakhon Ratchasima University is also among the five key leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).
An address he made to anti-government protesters put him in hot water. He was alleged to have shown disrespect to Rajavinit school teachers by calling them Khmers. His Majesty the King gave the school its name.
The former academic was later charged with lese majeste. The charge was lodged by the PPP.
Mr Abhisit said he talked with Mr Somkiat about the charge. Mr Somkiat said he never intended to insult the King.
"The party does not have sufficient reason to expel him," Mr Abhisit said, adding the party would wait for the outcome of the police investigation.
PAD coordinator Suriyasai Katasila said PAD core leaders also saw no need to reduce Mr Somkiat's role during the investigation. He has already surrendered to police to hear the charge, so now they will keep a close watch on the prosecution process, he said.
Mr Somkiat was released after he was allowed to use his position as bail.
Mr Suriyasai questioned the PPP's move to "unusually" speed up legal action against Mr Somkiat.
Looking back to the case of Mr Jakrapob, Mr Suriyasai said he did not see many PPP members come out to demand his expulsion from the party.
"The monarch is being exploited to serve as a political tool," Mr Suriyasai said.
"The PPP is not justified to put pressure on Mr Somkiat. In fact, it should pressure police who are handling Mr Jakrapob's charge."
The police were criticised for acting slowly on Mr Jakrapob's case.
Mr Jakrapob, who resigned from his post in May, was accused of insulting the monarch when he talked about a perceived clash between the democratic and patronage systems at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on Aug 29 last year.
Meanwhile, PPP MP for Chiang Mai Supong Towijakchaikul is preparing to seek support from 40 fellow MPs in his call for parliament to investigate Mr Somkiat's ethics.
The focus is on Mr Somkiat's dual role, which often sees him using strong words at rallies to attack MPs and parliament despite his role as a legislator.
"It's not unusual to see such a role inside and outside the parliament," said Mr Suriyasai.
Some PPP members also have such a dual role, he said. Some set up a group to protest PAD, while some tried to encourage people to oppose the increasing role of judges in deciding cases relevant to the administrative branch.
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