JUSTICE Minister Somsak Thepsuthin admitted today (Oct. 27) that a man rumoured to possibly be linked to an illegal nightclub in Yanawa district raided by police yesterday had donated 3 million baht to Palang Pracharath Party last year, Thai Post newspaper said.
Somsak, who is the head of the Palang Pracharath strategic campaign team, said it was true that Mr. Chainat Kornchayanan, who according to rumours could be linked to the illegal nightclub raided by police yesterday, made the donation but explained that the party was unable to investigate the details of every donor.
Palang Prachat verifies if the donations are in accordance with the Election Commission’s regulations and in this case it was so, he said, adding that further details about the donors is for government officials to check.
Asked whether this was a political bribe because Chainat got Thai citizenship and has a business in Thailand despite being a Chinese national, Somsak said if the donation was not properly accounted for it would be another matter but in this case it was.
The party did not dwell on where the money came from and with general election due early next year the focus is on qualifications of donors as set by the Election Commission and this donor was not wrong on this point, he explained.
Asked whether he knew Chainat personally, Somsak said he did not.
Upon being pointed out that news had spread that Chainat is linked to people in Palang Pracharath Party, Somsak said he had inquired and no one is particularly close to him and he probably made the donation because he liked the party’s policies with there being many people who do so.
At 3.30 a.m. yesterday police raided three adjacent buildings illegally run as a nightclub in Yanawa district, Thai Rath newspaper said.
Acting on a tipoff that these three buildings, Jinling, Leela and Wip Wup car wash, were illegally run as entertainment venues for Chinese customers with there being drug parties and gambling taking place, around a hundred policemen mounted the raid.
They found drugs and drug paraphernalia strewn across the floor with ketamine also found in a storeroom. The workers tried to destroy the drugs but failed to completely do so because of the large quantity there.
Present at the nightclub were 237 mostly Chinese tourists, 111 men and 126 women. In addition there were 29 Cambodian and Thai employees. Around 30 of the tourists had initially tested positive for drug use.
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Top, below and Front Page: The mainly Chinese customers rounded up during the police raid and the drugs found there. Photos: Thai Rath
Inset: Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin. Photo: Thai Post
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