Ex-election candidate held over mask plot

Ex-election candidate held over mask plot

Anonvat 'admitted to being a sales agent'

Vendors pack and clean their food stalls in the Yaowarat area after City Hall banned late-night shops and hawkers from operating between midnight until 5am. (Photo by Nutthawat Wicheanbut)
Vendors pack and clean their food stalls in the Yaowarat area after City Hall banned late-night shops and hawkers from operating between midnight until 5am. (Photo by Nutthawat Wicheanbut)

A former election candidate of the Paradonraphab Party has been arrested for his alleged involvement in hoarding face masks with "Sia Boy", who claimed to be a close aide to a member of a deputy cabinet minister's team.

Police arrested Anonvat Vorametchayangkoon in the Wang Thong Lang area for possession of 100 boxes containing a total of 5,000 face masks on Tuesday, Pol Maj Gen Natthasak Chaovanasai, commander of the Consumer Protection Police Division said yesterday.

The police had linked Mr Anonvat to the hoarding of 200 million face masks by Sornsuvee "Boy" Poo­raveenasawatchari, 47, who was earlier arrested for putting false information into a computer system about the sale of face masks.

During interrogation, Mr Anonvat allegedly confessed to having ordered face masks from a nai thoon or big businessman. He did not name the man. However, he told police he had supplied boxes of face masks which were later sold, according to police.

He also admitted to previously being a sales agent for another man in the same business and he had received a 10 satang commission for each mask sold.

Pol Maj Gen Natthasak said Mr Anonvat had provided useful information and the investigation was being extended to bring those involved in selling overpriced face masks to task.

The investigation had linked Mr Anonvat to the "Thai mask'' Facebook page, which had posted messages offering huge quantities of face masks for sale. The page claimed the masks were imported.

Mr Anonvat also had links to Mr Sornsuvee, who claimed to be a close aide to a member of Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Thamanat Prompow's team. Mr Thamanat has denied any involvement.

A young man wears a face mask, hooded jacket, and gloves as protection against Covid-19 as he has his photo taken on the skywalk near the Victory Monument BTS station. Apichit Jinakul

Mr Sornsuvee, or Sia Boy, posted video clips offering to sell 200 million surgical masks before he was arrested on charges of putting false information into a computer system.

Mr Sornsuvee's Facebook posts and video clips were copied by Mam Pho Dam, a popular independent investigator, who claimed to know why masks were in such short supply.

Mam Pho Dam claimed the posts she captured were from Mr Sornsuvee, whose Facebook account was later closed.

Pol Maj Gen Natthasak said the investigators would dig deeper into links between Mr Anonvat and other people involved in the face mask scandal.

A worker sprays a water jet to clean the pavement behind a locked gate in Chatuchak Park where a placard says the park will be closed during April. Arnun Chonmahatrakool

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT