Police have formed a panel to determine whether "Ying Kai", a woman suspected of lodging false complaints against her former employees, has violated the lese majeste law.
Central Investigation Bureau commissioner Thitirat Nongharnphithak said Wednesday the panel was ordered to investigate an alleged claim by Monta Yokrattanakan, 56, or Ying Kai, that she was a khunying, a title bestowed by the King. An investigation is underway to determine if she breached Section 112 of the Criminal Code, known as the lese majeste law, Pol Lt Gen Thitirat said.
Ms Monta made headlines after her former housekeepers accused her of lodging false theft complaints.
- Earlier report: 20 passports found in Ying Kai's condo
Songkan Atchariyasap, (bottom left) of the Network Against Acts that Destroy Kingdom, Religion and Monarchy, presents former employees of Monta 'Ying Kai' Yokrattanakan to the Lawyers Council of Thailand for legal help. (Photo by Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)
One of her former employees, Praphawan Jaikla, 19, said Ms Monta filed a complaint with Pracha Chuen police accusing her and her parents of stealing valuables worth more than 10 million baht while they worked at Ms Monta's condominium in Chatuchak district on March 18 last year. Ms Praphawan said the complaint was filed after she turned down Ms Monta's job offer to work in Hong Kong.
Pol Col Nattawat Kesarak, investigation chief of the Crime Suppression Division (CSD), said police had obtained additional evidence from Ms Monta's employees. Police also obtained records that Ms Monta filed for bankruptcy in the Central Bankruptcy Court.
Ms Praphawan and her lawyer, Kamolsak Sriprasert, Wednesday met CSD investigators to present evidence and discuss the possibility of pursuing other criminal charges against Ms Monta, including human trafficking.
Mr Kamolsak said six or seven others are likely to have been victimised by Ms Monta. One person, aged under 18, was taken to work in Laos, allegedly at Ms Monta's urging, for over two years, he said.
The lawyer said Ms Monta may also have persuaded other young girls to take care of VIP customers at casinos in Hong Kong, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. He said his legal team has evidence leading them to believe that if the suspected trafficking was true, some high profile figures, including ex-MPs, local politicians, high-ranking police and military officials, may be implicated.
Accused of abusive acts and false accusations, Ms Monta now faces charges of abusing the title of khunying. (Post Today photo)
Ms Praphawan said when she worked for Ms Monta she saw almost 20 passports in her boss's residence and that Ms Monta told her the travel documents belonged to other employees.
Also on Wednesday, Songkan Atchariyasap, chairman of the Network Against Acts that Destroy the Kingdom, Religion and Monarchy, took Ms Monta's former employees to seek legal help from the Lawyers Council of Thailand (LCT). The former employees included Ms Praphawan, her parents and Sukanya Sirimuang, 54, who was on Tuesday granted bail by the Criminal Court on a charge of stealing three million baht worth of valuables from Ms Monta.
Ms Sukanya said she worked for Ms Monta for a month. She was forbidden from leaving the home, which made her uncomfortable, so she quit. She said after she told her boss she would quit, Ms Monta and a Pracha Chuen police officer threatened her and forced her to confess to stealing. She made the confession out of fear, she said.
The police officer visited Ms Monta several times, Ms Sukanya said, adding she had never seen a large number of valuables in her boss' room. LCT president Dejudom Krairit said the council is likely to look into the charges against each former employee, adding the court may be asked to revive the cases.