The panel, held by Col Kiattipong Nala, deputy commander of Metropolitan Police Division 5, will meet today (Sept 25) for the first time. It will investigate the activities of Col Chairit Anurit, former deputy commander of Metropolitan Police Division 5, and two other officers of lower rank from the provincial police office in Nakhon Pathom province in relation to Yingluck’s escape.
Critics already question how the panel can efficiently probe the matter when the panel chief shares an equivalent rank as suspect Col Chairit.
Suriyasai Katasila, an academic and ex-yellow shirt core leader, yesterday (Sept 24) called for the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to change the panel, saying the team will fail to win public trust as long as it consists only of officers who have to probe their colleagues.
He said he was afraid investigators will end up charging the suspects with petty offences such as using a fake car licence plate.
Meanwhile, a legal expert who asked not to be named pointed out that those caught helping Yingluck escape are likely to be found not guilty of violating the law because the escape and their alleged help took place before the arrest warrant was issued on Aug 25, after Yingluck failed to show up at the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions to hear the ruling in her dereliction of duty case.
A source, meanwhile, disclosed details of the three police suspects following initial inquiries.
Col Chaiyarit told investigators that on Aug 23 he drove a police patrol car to the car park of Tesco Lotus on Watcharaphon Rd in Bangkok to wait for Yingluck at 6:20pm. Five minutes later, a black Mercedes-Benz car parked by one side of his car.
He could not see at the time if she was in the car, and can’t remember the Mercedes-Benz’s licence plate number.
Afterwards, the Mercedes-Benz pulled out and led his car to the Chaiyaphruek housing estate in the Watcharaphon neighbourhood where it entered soi 23 of the housing estate while Col Chaiyarit was waiting in the patrol car at the entrance to the soi.
About two minutes later, a grey Toyota Camry carrying the licence plate number Nor Yor 2123 Bangkok emerged from the same soi and led his car away, said Col Chaiyarit, who admitted to being aware by then that Yingluck was inside the Toyota car.
He then switched to the Toyota Camry when both cars stopped at his house on soi 38 of the housing estate. When he got into the Toyota Camry he found Yingluck and her female secretary, both wearing black surgical masks fully covering their mouths and noses, and a dark cap.
From the housing estate project, Col Chaiyarit drove the car into Ram Intra Rd, heading to Min Buri district, turned left into Suwinthawong Rd, headed on to Chachoengsao province and then travelled on to Sa Kaeo province.
They arrived in Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo about 10pm on Aug 23 and proceeded to an area on Suwannason Rd about one kilometre from the Aranyaprathet Train Station where a dark-colour pickup truck was waiting, Col Chaiyarit said.
A man about 180 centimetres tall walked towards the Toyota Camry car after it parked behind the pickup truck to pick up Yingluck and her secretary before leaving in the pickup truck together. Col Chaiyarit said he could not tell whether the man was a Thai or a foreigner.
Col Chaiyarit said after that he drove on for about 500 metres and parked the Toyota Camry to catch some sleep until about 2am when he returned to Bangkok.
He was home by 6am and left the car there until Aug 28 when he replaced the car’s licence plate to a new one – Chor Khor 5323 Bangkok – and drove it to Sen Sgt Maj Pornpipat Makboonngam, another suspect, in Nakhon Pathom.
Sen Sgt Maj Pornpipat told investigators he left the car at his restaurant, just opposite Silpakorn University, on Aug 30. He then contacted Lt Col Samitr Chaiya-uenkham, a police investigator in Nakhon Pathom to get the car disassembled.
Lt Col Samitr told investigators that after he took the car from Sen Sgt Maj Pornpipat he simply left it at the house of one of his subordinates, Sen Sgt Maj Thorarak Chaosuankaeo, until he was contacted by a superior of Sen Sgt Maj Pornpipat asking him to return the car to investigators at the Royal Thai Police headquarters.
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