Bangkok Governor & 'strip the reporter mayor' suspended

Article 44 of interim constitution invoked by PM Prayut to suspend Bangkok Governor & Mayor Premsak from duty effective immediately.

POLITICS

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand suspended

Article 44 of the interim constitution was invoked by Prime Minister Prayut Thursday to suspend Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra from duty effective immediately.

A number of high-profile scandals have plagued the Bangkok Governor recently including the New Years decorative lighting project at City Hall with alleged irregularities according to the Office of the Auditor General (OAG).

Sukhumband was suspended but not removed his position as Bangkok Governor.

Sukhumband will be reinstated to the position if an investigation by government agencies clears him of blame.

LIGHT SHOW INVESTIGATION

The OAG launched an inquiry into the 39.5 million baht light show erected at Lan Khon Muang in front of City Hall from Dec 31 last year to Jan 31 as a holiday-period tourist attraction.

Investigators found evidence of misspending, and auditor-general Pisit Leelavachiropas suggested MR Sukhumbhand be suspended from office for his alleged involvement.

MR Sukhumbhand has since sued Mr Pisit for defamation, alleging he had misled people into wrongly believing the governor misspent the city's budget funds.

Dr. Premsak Piayura in Dec. 2013 mayoral election campaign photo (Source: Dr. Premsak Piayura's Facebook), Inset: Out of the frying pan into the fire, Wikipedia man in underpants, scene looking suspiciously like a traditional Thai engagement ceremony.

CONTROVERSIAL 'MARRY THE SCHOOLGIRL' THEN 'STRIP THE JOURNALIST' MAYOR SUSPENDED ALSO

PM Prayut also invoked section 44 to suspend Premsak Piayura as the mayor of Ban Phai Municipality near Khon Kaen.

Like Sukhumband, Premsak was suspended from duty but not removed his position unless a government investigation finds him culpable.

Premsak has been accused of misconduct in a case in which the reporter who exposed his alleged engagement to a schoolgirl was stripped of his clothes as a form of embarassment and punishment (see here).

ABUSE OF POWER INVESTIGATION

Ban Phai district residents have demanded the suspension of Mr Premsak from office, his exclusion from any education role and an investigation into allegations of abuse of power arising from his alleged engagement to an underage girl.

He is also being investigated for humiliating a reporter by locking him up in a room, stripping off his trousers and taking pictures because the reporter wrote a story about his alleged engagement to the girl.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1051077/bangkok-governor-sues-auditor-general

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