Will Thanathorn return from Europe?

Will Thanathorn return from Europe?

Rumours swirl about FFP boss' possible 'escape' to Europe - For the PPRP, Thammanat's negotiating skills outweigh the scandals that have dogged him - Youngest cabinet minister Athirat's lack of experience raises questions about his political style

Thanathorn: Odds stacked against him
Thanathorn: Odds stacked against him

Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit rarely stays out of the limelight even when he is out of the country.

Will Thanathorn return?

The billionaire businessman-turned-MP is once again at the centre of speculation following an allegation he might be plotting to escape from potential fallout from the Constitutional Court trial he faces in the media shareholding saga.

Even though the FFP's legal team is fighting tooth and nail to defend Mr Thanathorn, the legal odds are stacked against him.

The team asked the court to rescind its order to suspend Mr Thanathorn as an MP, and FFP secretary-general Piyabutr Saengkanokkul contended the Election Commission (EC) was not authorised to consider the case against Mr Thanathorn because as of March 24, the party leader no longer held such shares.

Mr Piyabutr also insisted the EC had been too hasty in its petition against Mr Thanathorn and added the trial should be open and transparent.

The EC alleges that Mr Thanathorn held shares in V-Luck Media Co, a media firm, when he registered as an MP candidate in early February, an alleged violation of Section 98 (3) of the charter, which prohibits owners and shareholders of media or publishing firms from applying to become MPs.

The case subsequently was handed to the court which issued an order suspending Mr Thanathorn as an MP on May 23, pending a ruling. However, he was allowed to submit additional evidence to the court.

The shareholding issue has triggered a tit-for-tat exchange with FFP MPs seeking court action against 41 government MPs for allegedly breaching the charter's rule on shareholdings in media firms.

The court has accepted petitions against 32 of the MPs for alleged media shareholding rule violations, but did not suspend them.

The petition against the nine other MPs were rejected, as the judges "found no grounds to support the accusations".

The court move not to suspend the 32 MPs drew comparisons with Mr Thanathorn's situation.

The court explained that unlike the case against Mr Thanathorn, it did not need to suspend the 32 government MPs because the case against them came directly to the court through the House Speaker. It also came without being screened by any agency or with enough evidence, meaning the court would have to investigate the matter further.

Mr Thanathorn's case, on the other hand, was reviewed by an inquiry panel set up by the EC and the court felt it had enough evidence on hand to suspend him.

In the meantime, Mr Thanathorn's current overseas trip to Europe has his critics betting on the likelihood of him returning. They believe the media shareholding trial alone does not lend credence to the theory that Mr Thanathorn will remain abroad to avoid punishment as that offence does not entail a jail term.

However, critics thought the FFP boss could be in more serious trouble if the shareholding case found him to be involved in forging documents. That might land Mr Thanathorn in the realm of criminal law which entails punishments that include a jail sentence, according to a political source.

However, many observers were dismissive of the possibility of Mr Thanathorn taking flight. They insisted it did not hold water since no document forgery charge has been pressed against Mr Thanathorn and even if one were, the FFP boss would still have plenty of time to prepare his defence and fight the case.

It would almost certainly be a long process, from investigation to any indictment.

Also, observers agreed it would be more politically astute for Mr Thanathorn to have his feet firmly on Thai soil even if he faces a criminal investigation, since he has plenty of supporters to rally behind him.

Thammanat: Has a colourful past

Troubleshooter 'worth it'

The Prayut cabinet is a mixed bag of people of high-calibre and figures with controversial backgrounds. Undoubtedly, Deputy Agriculture Minister Capt Thammanat Prompao is the most controversial of them all.

Capt Thammanat, 53, is often linked to late former army heavyweight Gen Trairong "Seh Ice" Intararat, which gives him a "mafia" image. He is also believed to be involved in several enterprises including one that deals with lottery ticket distribution and he is alleged to hold sway over Bangkok's Klong Toey market.

The deputy minister has also had a few run-ins with the law at home and abroad. He was jailed in Australia in a narcotics-related case in 1993 and in 1998 he was linked to a murder of an academic in Si Sa Ket which led to him losing his military rank.

These scandals started making the rounds as soon as his name came up as a potential cabinet minister. He had been tipped to become the next labour minister thanks to his role in keeping various political factions in the coalition happy.

Capt Thammanat, a Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) MP for Phayao and head of the PPRP's strategic committee in the North, held his peace during the formation of the government. But a day after he was formally named a deputy agriculture minister, he came out to defend his integrity.

At a press conference on Thursday, he insisted there was a misunderstanding about the case in Australia, which took place when he was a second lieutenant. It was a mishap during a vacation in which he was jailed for eight months but eventually acquitted.

As for the murder the researcher, Capt Thammanat said he felt really "uncomfortable" about this case in which the victim was reportedly sexually assaulted.

He was held in prison for three years and eventually acquitted. He was only arrested because he owned the office where the murder took place.

He also claimed to have washed his hands clean of a company that received quotas to sell government lottery tickets and denied any alleged involvement in an 800-million-baht bitcoin investment scam in which a Finnish bitcoin-owner was conned into transferring the cryptocurrency for bogus investments in Thai stocks and other assets.

With questionable events in his past, there must be quite a good reason as to why Capt Thammanat was appointed to the cabinet.

His past will be used against him by political opponents and it could even trigger a crisis for the government, according to some political observers.

There is also the possibility that the opposition may seek to censure Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha who proposed Capt Thammanat's appointment as a cabinet minister, according to political sources.

In early media reports, Capt Thammanat's "public image" issue almost cost him a cabinet seat with reports his brother would assume a ministerial post instead.

According to political observers, the appointment of Capt Thammanat indicates that the man is necessary and is worth the possible political troubles that may arise.

It is believed that it is his skills of negotiation that the PPRP has exploited to solve disagreements among its factions over minister quotas and given the fact the PPRP is made up of several political groups, the party is hoping that Capt Thammanat will live up to expectations as a troubleshooter.

Athirat: No experience with large projects

New kid on the block

Newly appointed Deputy Transport Minister Athirat Rattanaset, 35, is the youngest cabinet minister in the new government led by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who is starting his second term as prime minister.

A former official at the Interior Ministry, Mr Athirat was elected an MP under the banner of the Pheu Thai Party in the 2011 general election which saw the party romp to victory and form a government with Yingluck Shinawatra as premier.

Now, Mr Athirat is back in parliament as an MP on the ticket of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP). Mr Athirat has vowed to draw on his experience as a state official and lawmaker to work in the country's best interests.

Mr Athirat was born and brought up in the Rattanaset family, whose clan members have politics running through their veins with Nakhon Ratchasima as their political stronghold.

His parents, Virat and Tasaneeya, won elections in Nakhon Ratchasima several times before.

Mr Virat made a bold decision to lead his family in breaking away from Pheu Thai and joining the PPRP to stand in the March 24 election.

Theirs and other defections rattled Pheu Thai and prompted fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra to lash out at those who switched allegiances.

Thaksin said that anyone who left Pheu Thai, especially those in the North and the Northeast, would end up failing in the recent election.

In the polls, Nakhon Ratchasima had 14 House seats up for grabs -- the largest number in the country except Bangkok, and Thaksin looked like he would have to eat his words when Mr Virat and his family members secured five seats, while Pheu Thai won only four.

Mr Virat, who was in 7th place on the PPRP's party list, won a party list seat, while Ms Tasaneeya, Mr Athirat, Tawirat Rattanaset -- who is Mr Athirat's younger brother -- and Tassanaporn Katemetheekarun, who is Mr Athirat's aunt, all won constituency seats in the northeastern province.

Mr Virat once belonged to the now-dissolved Chart Thai Party, which has been reborn as the Chartthaipattana Party, and served as deputy agriculture minister in the Chuan Leekpai government before he was forced to resign over a scandal surrounding a vegetable seed distribution project.

In order to avoid this coming back to haunt him, Mr Virat agreed to become chief government whip, and make way for his son, Mr Athirat to join the instead.

It remains to be seen whether Mr Athirat who has no experience in handling large state projects will be able to measure up to the task at the Transport Ministry, which is pouring hundreds of billions of baht into the construction of new rail networks, observers said.

It will also be interesting to see whether he can get along with two seasoned politicians -- Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob of the Bhumjaithai Party, and the other deputy minister, Thaworn Senneam of the Democrat Party -- according to observers.

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