A petition accusing Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and 2nd Army commander Lt Gen Wichai Saejorhor of neglect of duty in allowing a casino to be built by Cambodian investors in a disputed border area was filed with the Ombudsman on Monday.
It was submitted by Srisuwan Janya, secretary-general of the Association for the Protection of the Constitution, through Tawin Inchamnong, deputy secretary-general of the Office of the Ombudsman.
The petitioner accused Gen Prawit, in his capacity as defence minister, and Lt Gen Wichai of neglect of duty by allowing Cambodian private interests to build a casino in a disputed enclave along the border.
Mr Srisuwan said Thailand regards the area as part of Ta Phraya National Park, which is part of the Khao Yai - Dong Phaya Yen World Heritage forest area.
By allowing private individuals to invest in a gambling business in the area, the agencies responsible had committed malfeasance, causing damage to society and the country, according to the petition.
Since the Ta Phraya National Park is in one of the five national parks listed as World Heritage sites, permission from the director-general of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department was required to make use of the area.
For long-term use there must be a royal decree to revoke the national park status of the land, as required by the National Park Act of 1961.
Since Gen Prawit had earlier admitted that the area was still in dispute, as both Thailand and Cambodia claim ownership, allowing private interests to build a casino in it showed neglect of duty on the part of Gen Prawit and Lt Gen Wichai, Mr Srisuwan said.