BILLIONAIRE POLITICIAN CHARGED
Supporters urge Future Forward Party leader to fight after facing charges
THE telegenic leader of an anti-junta political party, who rose to prominence in the election last month, was charged with sedition yesterday, drawing hundreds of his supporters onto the streets urging him to “fight”.
Billionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit heads the youthoriented Future Forward Party, which won more than six million votes in the March 24 polls with its message of ousting the military from politics.
It had joined an anti-junta coalition with six others claiming the right to form a government in the aftermath of the vote, whose full results are expected by May 9.
Earlier this week, he posted on Facebook that police had summoned him to appear to face a sedition charge relating to antijunta rallies in 2015.
Hundreds turned up yesterday in front of the Pathumwan police station downtown here, wearing T-shirts bearing the tycoon’s face
and shouting “Save Thanathorn!” while waving placards that said “Military, get out!”
While inside, he and his party members tweeted out photos of what was happening, showing Thanathorn affixing his fingerprints to the chargesheets, with representatives from foreign embassies and the United Nations observing.
More than two hours later, he emerged and said he had been charged with “inciting unrest... helping the suspect escape... and the illegal assembly of more than 10 people” for his actions in 2015.
“We believe we are innocent. I did everything in good faith,” Thanathorn said.
The case would be tried in a military court and the maximum sentence was seven years, said his lawyer, Krisadang Nutcharut.
Before leaving, Thanathorn flashed a three-finger salute, a resistance symbol borrowed from Hollywood movie The Hunger Games, as his supporters did the same while shouting “Thanathorn, fight, fight!”
The charismatic leader is already under investigation for spreading false information when he criticised the junta in a Facebook discussion last year.