KHON KAEN: Ban Phai mayor Premsak Piayura has been summoned to testify on Monday or face arrest as the furore grows over his alleged abuse of reporters who published a story he didn't like.
The physician and former Thai Rak Thai MP has been accused of locking five reporters in his office and stripping the clothes off one of them to be photographed.
Pol Col Witthaya Thonglao, the deputy Khon Kaen police chief, said that officers had already interrogated four Ban Phai municipal officials and the five reporters involved in the incident. Forensic officers have also seized hard disks from all closed-circuit television cameras installed at the municipal office.
As sufficient evidence had already been gathered, investigators had sought approval from the Khon Kaen provincial court to arrest Dr Premsak, said Pol Col Witthaya. But the court approved a summons instead.
"The court considered the police request and found that the accused person has a permanent address and job security. The court then approved a summons for Dr Premsak to testify before Ban Phai police on Monday. If he fails to show up, we will seek court approval for his arrest,'' he said.
Dr Premsak has been accused by five reporters based in Khon Kaen of ordering his subordinates to take off the trousers of Korsit Kongcom, a reporter for the Thai-language Daily News, in front of the four others in a locked room at the mayor's office on July 26.
He was reportedly upset by a news story on the front page of the Daily News, which featured a picture of him with a teenage girl and 400,000 baht in cash in front of them in what looked like an engagement ceremony. The images went viral online and drew criticism as the girl is a Mathayom 5 student and Dr Premsak is a married man.
The furore could cost Dr Premsak his position as chairman of the education committee of Ban Phai School. The school is preparing documents related to the case and is expected to send them soon to the Office of Secondary Education, Zone 25, said Kitti Buncherd, the director of the office.
''As soon as we receive the documents, we will launch an inquiry into the case. After this, we will submit the report to the provincial education committee, chaired by the Khon Kaen governor, for making a decision. Our office will comply with the committee's decision,'' he said.
Parents and alumni of Ban Phai School on Thursday submitted a letter to the school director, Wathanyu Phuchada, seeking Dr Premsak's ouster. They also want him to give up his role as a special lecturer at the school, where the girl in question is a student.
Dr Premsak earlier claimed he had been at the girl's house only to help her family.
On his Facebook page, the embattled mayor on Saturday wrote a message to lash out at his critics and the local media. He alleged that the Khon Kaen reporters' association and Rabiatrat Pongpanich, chairwoman of the Happy Family Association, had colluded to attack him.
On Friday he asked the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to investigate the roles of the five reporters for intrusion and harassment. The NBTC has no authority over print news media.
He also submitted a petition calling for media reform to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, saying his privacy had been violated.