TV presenter arrested for web crimes
ASTV News1 satellite television host Yutthiyong Limloetwathi has been arrested for breaking the Computer Crime Act after he revealed alleged irregularities involving a food supply business to a prison.
He was released on bail a few hours after the arrest on Tuesday night under a joint Crime Suppression Division (CSD)-Ang Thong police operation.
Mr Yutthiyong raised doubts as to whether the arrest followed legal steps.
CSD investigators found him at a coffee shop in Lat Phrao Soi 122 in Bangkok before handing him to Ang Thong police who acted upon an arrest warrant granted by the Ang Thong Provincial Court.
In an interview with another ASTV news programme yesterday, Mr Yutthiyong admitted his programme, Sapha Kafae Sapha Prachachon, did refer to some alleged irregularities at the prison. But he said he did not understand why Ang Thong officers did not summon him first and why the arrest has been made this week as the court approved the arrest on Jan 11 this year.
According t o an initial police investigation, the 51-year-old host interviewed a group of food sellers at the prison. The group of sellers accused an operator, who has been recently granted a concession to supply food to inmates, of acting as a broker and began to charge them high fees in return for their rights to continue to supply food.
However, the allegation was viewed as false information by the operator. The third party then lodged a complaint with Ang Thong police, which eventually prompted the officers to charge Mr Yutthiyong on two counts.
“They [the officers] explained the programme was uploaded on to Youtube and went viral,” Mr Yutthiyong said, referring to the charges made under the Computer Crime Act.
As for the other alleged mistake, Mr Yutthiyong insisted he only followed a media role in allowing those sellers to air their problems.
“Their words had grounds,” he said. “They showed evidence, so I let them speak out to the public.”
The group of sellers claimed the operator allegedly increased the fees from 7% to 9-15%, Mr Yutthiyong said, naming the operator as Kan Kaset Wiset Chai Chan Cooperatives.
He said he is currently working with his lawyer to examine whether the process that led to his arrest was lawful.