By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PRIME MINISTER ANUTIN Charnvirakul might probably dissolve the House of Representatives to call a general election only to avoid an otherwise-anticipated response to the Cambodia-based scammer issue which could possibly involve certain members of his cabinet, among others.
The prime minister-cum-interior minister has so far failed to take efficient steps to eradicate the transnational scammer rackets preying on their Thai and world victims whereas several Thai politicians including some at ministerial level have been suspected of clandestine involvement in those fraudulent rackets based in Cambodia, according to People’s MP Chutipong Pipoppinyo.
That allegedly refers to Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Agriculture & Cooperatives Minister Thammanat Prompao and Deputy Finance Minister Worapak Thanyawong, among others.
The de facto Klatham boss Thammanat today (Oct. 21) categorically dismissed allegations that he may have been more or less involved in “grey businesses”, apparently referring to those run by scammers in Cambodia and said he had been financially affluent doing legitimate businesses before he jumped onto the political arena over the last several years.
Worapak, a former president of the state-owned Krungthai Bank, told reporters at Government House that he will give a press conference about the matter but did not say when.
Nevertheless, Chutipong insisted that the prime minister shed light on the scammer issue which might probably involve those suspected ministers and unambiguously tell the people what the Bhumjaithai-led government will do to combat it rather than drag his feet and contemplate dissolving the House to call a general election sooner than earlier expected.
Anutin has recently said he might probably return the power to the people by dissolving the House to call a general election in a 60-day period as provided by law, leaving the scammer issue undone in the wake of certain “factors” on which he declined to elaborate.
In particular, the People’s MP said, the prime minister is practically obliged to find out and clarify to the public whether Thammanat may have been somehow involved in the scammer issue as alleged, given the fact that he reportedly shared lawyers and advisers with the notorious Benjamin Mauerberger, also known as Ben Smith who is reportedly known as adviser to senior Cambodian leader Hun Sen and known to seek naturalisation as a Thai citizen. The South African-born wheeler-dealer has also been allegedly connected with de facto Pheu Thai boss-turned-inmate Thaksin Shinawatra.
For fear of being cornered in the House chamber for failure to clearly respond to the scammer issue during censure debate, the prime minister might probably preempt it by dissolving the House, however. The House rules prohibit heads of government from dissolving the House after a censure motion has been formally filed at parliament.
Chutipong added that the ill-gotten money from the Cambodia-based fraudulent rackets could possibly be used to buy votes for some partisan contestants running in the election for MPs which might probably be held as soon as in the upcoming February or March.
The People’s have invariably called on the Bhumjaithai-led government to immediately declare an all-out war on all scammer businesses based in Cambodia and conspired with suspected Thai nationals to commit transnational crimes since they have generated immense, illicit profits for Hun Sen and his son Hun Manet to build their empire in Phnom Penh and buy war weapons to launch offensives along the disputed border with Thailand.
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front Page – Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakl.
First insert – People’s MP Chutipong Pipoppinyo.
Second insert – Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Agriculture & Cooperatives Minister Thammanat Prompao.
Third insert – Deputy Finance Minister Worapak Thanyawong. All photos – Thai Rath
Also read:
House might be dissolved sooner than expected due to ‘factors’
Anutin to keep himself from being ousted by no-confidence votes
7 Thai politicians not linked to a Cambodian scam case: South Korea
MP guarantees Thammanat not involved with call centre gang
Belarusian model kidnapped from Bangkok, killed for organs by scammers in Myanmar
Abhisit comes back as Democrat leader
