Da Torpedo’s brother arrested

Daranee Charnchoengsilpakul’s brother Kittichai has been arrested and detained at Bangkok Remand Prison since 29 Aug on charges made 12 years ago.

According to Daranee’s lawyer Prawase Praphanukul, who has visited him in prison, Kittichai was arrested on a warrant issued in 1999, and charged with misappropriation and malfeasance as a government official under Articles 147 and 157 of the Criminal Code, which are punishable by lengthy jail terms.


Kittichai (photo: Thai E-News)

Details of his alleged crimes have not yet been made available.  

After the arrest, Kittichai was brought to the court for indictment in the afternoon of the same day. 

The court set 17 Oct for the preparatory court hearings, which is the same day that Daranee is to hear formally the Constitutional Court ruling on her case.

The news of his arrest only emerged when Somyos Prueksakasemsuk in prison told his visitors last week that Kittichai had been remanded in his prison zone.

According to Prawase, before the arrest, Kittichai received a phone call from a woman who told him that she and her three friends, who she claimed to be factory workers in Nonthaburi, wanted to visit Daranee with him.  He agreed to come to Bangkok from Phuket and meet them in front of a KFC branch at the Tesco mall in Pak Kred, Nonthaburi on 29 Aug.

However, on that day, he did not see them at the meeting place, but was met by police instead.

Prawase noted that the police must have coordinated with the public prosecutor in advance, as Kittichai was then immediately brought to the court for indictment.

He said that the arrest would affect Daranee as her brother was the only person who had taken care of her by buying things for her in prison and handling donations. 

He believes that this might have been an attempt to discredit Kittichai in the eyes of foreign reporters who have often contacted him for their coverage of Daranee’s case, because they are not allowed to visit Daranee in prison.

This was a trick by the authorities to lure Kittichai to Bangkok at his own expense to save their time and money, the lawyer said.

Kittichai travelled by bus to Bangkok on a weekly basis to visit his sister during her three-year detention.

Prawase will check with the court on Monday about the bail conditions.

The Constitutional Court ruled on 11 May that the Criminal Court’s order to hold the trial of Daranee in secret was not against the Constitution.

On Monday, Somyos Prueksakasemsuk will be brought to court for the arrangement of court hearings.

Sombat Boon-ngam-anong has reported on his Facebook page that Binda Pandey, Chairperson of Fundamental Rights and Directive Principle Committee of Constituent Assembly of Nepal, will visit Somyos at the Bangkok Remand Prison on 15 Sept.


Binda Pandey (photo: Thai E-news)

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