PM REINS IN YONGYUTH

Thaksin tells him not to take matters into own hands; several probes planned

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday banned the PM's
Secretary-General Yongyuth Tiyapairat from taking matters into his own
hands after he led a controversial raid on a house suspected of
manufacturing illegal drugs.

Thaksin denied Yongyuth had acted on a tip-off obtained from a PM's
complaints box, and that it was in fact an informant who had told the
secretary-general.

"I have told him not to interfere, and that it is his duty to send
information to the police. He is too diligent a person with a strong will,"
the premier said.

A 70-year-old man was shot in the controversial early-morning raid after
authorities fired some 200 rounds into his house in Ayutthaya's Bang Sai
district.

Reports stated Yongyuth had received a complaint alleging five people were
producing amphetamine tablets in the house. Police found no evidence of
drug production and the raid has been labelled a human-rights violation.

Thaksin, however, said Yongyuth would not be held responsible for the
incident. "He did not carry out the raid - he just inspected the scene. The
search was conducted with a search warrant. I understand that there was
fighting to resist arrest," he added.

Deputy national police commissioner-general Amnuay Petsiri said Ayutthaya
Governor Somsak Kaewsuthi had set up a panel to probe the raid. Police will
also mount an investigation.

"The police will have to take responsibility. They must learn from this
mistake. We must not repeat such a mistake," he said.

Yongyuth, meanwhile, insisted the investigation into the case would
continue and that an ex-prisoner locked up for drug offences had tipped off
the authorities.

"I did not order the raid. My name was involved because police reported to
me about the raid and I inspected the scene afterwards because I want to be
able to inform my boss," he said.

Mano Thongpan, a former lawyer for the Law Society of Thailand, said those
in the house could file attempted-murder and malfeasance charges against
police.

National human-rights commissioner Dr Pradit Charoenthaitawi said the
occupants could file a lawsuit with the Administrative Court.

"What happened was a cold-blooded and grave human-rights violation. There
were only the elderly, women and a child in the house," he said.

Lt-General Prapan Nilwong, National Security Centre commander, said he had
also appointed a panel to investigate the raid.

Sorakom Intawattana, the son of the home's owner, Udom Satakurama, is a
first lieutenant with the National Security Centre.

Prapan said Sorakom had been transferred from Division 12, which is
involved in national security matters, to a less-sensitive division at the
centre because of his involvement in the incident.

Democrat Party deputy spokesman Sathit Pitutecha said he would ask the
House committee on justice and human rights to also investigate the incident.

"If the raid is deemed to be attempted murder, Yongyuth can be charged for
masterminding attempted murder," he said.

"All officials involved should be charged with malfeasance and dereliction
of duty," he added.

Udom, 65, who was in the house at the time of the raid, said it was sad
that Yongyuth insisted that he had done the right thing but only at the
wrong time.

"He said that amphetamine tablets were being produced in my house at night
but the police raid was in the morning," she said.

"He also alleged that a few suspects escaped. But we only have four of us
here and only the dogs ran away that night."

She said her family's construction business had been adversely affected by
the incident, and her neighbours now looked on her family in a bad light.

Asked why she had built underground rooms at the property, Udom said her
house used to have two levels but the lower level was flooded and she
therefore dumped soil around it to prevent further damage.