A three-star general accused of trafficking migrants through the South was expected to surrender to police Tuesday, saying he is ready to defend himself against any charge.
Lt Gen Manas Kongpan, 58, told reporters he was en route to the rural Padang Besar police station in Songkhla province to turn himself. As of 7pm, he had not yet appeared.
The Sadao district station lies a short distance from deserted jungle camps where dozens of migrant graves were found May 1, setting off a dramatic crackdown on human trafficking that has led to the arrest of more than 50 figures, including top local politicians, police officers and, now, a senior Royal Thai Army adviser.
It also ignited the ongoing migrant boatpeople crisis, as traffickers accustomed to bringing their human cargo to camps on both sides of the Thai-Malay border suddenly had nowhere to go and abandoned the refugees at sea.
Lt Gen Manas Kongpan
Lt Gen Manas, the most senior official to be arrested in the scandal, maintained his innocence.
"I would like to ask the society not to jump to conclusions that I am guilty," he said. "I would like it to see information from both sides and let the court decide. I am asking for justice... because I can explain this and I am ready to defend myself," he said.
Lt Gen Manas showed up in uniform at the Vajiravudh military camp in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat on Tuesday to answer questions from a disciplinary committee chaired by 4th Army commander Prakarn Cholayuth.
Lt Gen Prakarn on Tuesday confirmed that Lt Gen Manas contacted police to arrange his surrender. The southern army chief assured that any solider who was involved in human trafficking would be prosecuted.
Lt Gen Manas was wanted on an arrest warrant issued by a local court in Songkhla for his alleged involvement in the trafficking of migrants, including Rohingya Muslims, through jungle detention camps in the South. He faces charges of human trafficking, detaining victims of human trafficking and holding victims of trafficking for ransom.
Lt Gen Manus' people-smuggling route reportedly originated in Bangladesh and Myanmar and passed through Thailand to Malaysia. The smuggling occurred between November 2012 and May this year.
Police picked up Lt Gen Manus's trail after bank books and financial records detailing banks transfers to him were found during a search of a trafficking suspect's home in Ranong province, investigators said.
Lt Gen Manas was the former commander of the 25th Infantry Regiment Task Force from 2005-2006. In 2007, he was assigned to work in the three southernmost provinces.
He was promoted to commander of the 42nd Military Circle in Songkhla and the Chumphon army from 2008-2009. He was then promoted to army senior adviser with the rank of lieutenant general in April.
