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Thammanat Threatens to sue Aussie Paper for Drug Allegation


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By Teeranai Charuvastra, Staff Reporter - September 10, 2019 11:42 am

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2019/09/10/thammanat-threatens-to-sue-aussie-paper-for-drug-allegation/
 

2012-09-09-18.23.03-1-696x522.jpg
Agriculture and Cooperative Assistant Minister Thammanat Prompao, right, joins a "cowboy night" with fellow government officials in Korat on July 21, 2019.

 
BANGKOK — Top government officials on Tuesday kept a tight lip when questioned about recent allegations that an assistant cabinet member spent four years in an Australian jail for drug trafficking.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha would not answer media questions when he arrived at Government House today. The assistant minister at the center of the scandal, Thammanat Prompao, also refused to comment, though he said yesterday he’s planning to sue an Australian newspaper for publishing the claim.

In an interview with BBC Thai, agriculture assistant minister Thammanat also said he has “already explained” everything about the case.

Read: Minister Won’t Explain Heroin Conviction, Jail Time in Australia

An investigative report by the Sydney Morning Herald said Thammanat was sentenced to jail for four years in 1993 over a heroin trafficking conviction. Thammanat previously told local media he served only eight months in jail and was paroled for community service.

Thammanat, whose past careers include a military post, has maintained he was not directly involved in the crime, a claim disputed in detail by the Herald.

The minister dismissed questions from reporters with a wave before entering Government House for a weekly meeting.

The allegation is the latest gaffe to hit the government coalition since coming to power in July. Thai laws bar those convicted of narcotics offenses from serving in the cabinet, but a government official has suggested the restriction is not applicable to politicians prosecuted by foreign courts.

When questioned about the controversy today, PM Prayuth did not give a reply. He later said the media should publish negative news less frequently.

“You often ask questions that turn my mood sour,” the prime minister said as he was touring an exhibition about China’s famed terracotta warriors.

Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam and Interior Affairs Minister Anupong Paochinda said it’s up to Thammanat to explain himself to the public.

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there y'go

surely the best response to this is,: "yes I did it, but I'm reformed and a good boy now, devoted to the service of the people" ?

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Started to detect some increasing odour on this one. Not that there wasn't a great stinking pile to begin with but now it seems the shovels are out, heaping even more onto the pile.

So we find that the esteemed Dr Thamanat holds a Phd and that his dissertation document shows it was submitted to Calamus University and California University (CUFCE). This raises a couple of points. The first, Calamus, is a known paper mill, money in degrees out, end of. The second might, or might not, be the real thing. It seems there really is a California University (CUFCE) in California but that its activities seem to be restricted to issuing equivalency awards.  Another California University CUFCE exists in the Philippines with an entirely different business model (ahem!).

I'm not a great education expert, my official studies finished after tech school so I am happy for someone to explain.

From the picture

http://static.bangkokpost.com/media/content/20190912/3324524.jpg

It seems this dissertation was submitted to both institutions, would that be normal. The CUFCE (real one) says it just issues equivalency awards.

If this CUFCE is indeed the real one and legitimate, is it reasonable they would be comfortable appearing alongside unaccredited institutions?

Also interesting is it possible to read online such documents. I would be utterly fascinated to read this dissertation. I presume it was published in English.

 

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I have genuine degrees from California, and I've never heard of either of these esteemed universities.  I studied at U C's Santa Barbara campus, but nowadays there are also numerous state universities (the former state colleges). Still, I haven't encountered a critter called California University.  I supect his PhD may have come from Khao San Road University.

p.s. Judging by the title of the dissertation, I expect that reading the English would be enough to drive one to drink. And no, I can't think of a reason why his "research" would be submitted to two different "universities" at the same time.

 

 

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