Democrats Assert Party Won't Interfere in Assault Case
Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said the party won't interfere after MP Chaiyachon Detdecho was accused of assaulting a police deputy at a funeral in southern Thailand, insisting the case must proceed through the legal system.
On August 13, Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva commented on accusations that party MP Chaiyachon Detdecho, who oversees southern operations, assaulted a Thung Yai police station deputy during a funeral. Abhisit said the party is conducting a thorough review of the matter and has spoken preliminarily with Chaiyachon, but is requesting time to verify the facts before issuing further statements. Party secretary-general Chaiyut Banwattana said he is unaware of the details and circumstances since he has not yet spoken with Chaiyachon. He stated that with charges already filed, the case must proceed through the legal system, and the party will not interfere or intervene in any way. He added that while the party has internal procedures for reviewing matters that could damage its reputation, the current case has entered the judicial process and must be allowed to follow its course. "The party is not ignoring what has happened, but we must follow party regulations, such as establishing a fact-finding committee," Banwattana said. "However, since this case is now in the legal system, we must allow the process to proceed."
