From: kamol@ipied.tu.ac.th (Kamol Hengkietisak)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai
Subject: Bangkok Post Nov16: Manoon set to surrender
Date: 15 Nov 92 15:23:13 GMT
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MANOON Roopkachorn, the alleged mastermind of the 1983 
assassination plots against national leaders, is expected to 
surrender to Police Department chief Sawat Amornvivat this week to 
fight the charges in court.
 
Sources close to the ex-army general told the Bangkok Post that 
Manoon has already returned to Thailand after spending more than a 
year in hiding overseas following the February 23 coup last year 
against the Chatichai Choonhavan government by the National 
Peace-keeping Council.
 
Manoon was accused by the NPKC of masterminding assassination 
attempts against a member of the country's top institution and 
national leaders who included former prime minister Prem 
Tinsulanonda and ex-military boss Gen Arthit Kamlang-ek. The 
assassination attempts were claimed to have been made after Manoon 
led a group of "Young Turk" army officers in an unsuccessful bid 
to overthrow the Prem government in 1981.
 
The sources said Manoon was confident that he could prove he was 
innocent. They said Manoon decided to surrender after consulting 
with several senior politicians including de facto Palang Dharma 
Party leader Chamlong Srimuang, Chart Pattana Party leader 
Chatichai Choonhavan and Democrat Secretary-General Sanan 
Kachornprasart. Maj-Gen Chamlong and Col Sanan were Manoon's 
classmates at the Chulachomklao Military Academy.
 
The senior politicians welcomed Manoon's decision to surrender so 
that he could fight the charges in court.
 
Manoon, a leader of the Chulachomklao Military Academy Class 7, 
fled the country in the wake of police allegations, backed by the 
all-powerful Chulachomklao Academy Class 5 members in the NPKC, 
that he was the mastermind of the assassination plots.
 
Manoon, who then held the rank of major-general and was assigned 
to assist Gen Chatichai, was implicated by Col Bulsak Pocharoen, 
his classmate who switched sides to become a key NPKC witness in 
the case.
 
Muan Chon Party leader Chalerm Yubamrung, who was then minister of 
the Prime Minister's Office, came out to defend Manoon, saying the 
allegations were pure fabrication and offered to bring witnesses 
to counter the police charges. But his move was pre-empted by the 
NPKC-led coup and Maj-Gen Manoon was subsequently stripped of his 
rank.
 
Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, asked for comment, welcomed Manoon's 
decision to surrender, saying Manoon "could not have run forever."
 
The sources said Manoon had wanted to surrender for quite some 
time to fight the charges in court but his supporters and close 
associates advised him to delay the decision until after the 
general election.
 
Manoon, the sources said, has contacted well-known human rights 
lawyer Thongbai Thongpao to handle his defence.
 
Manoon has said he has a taped statement of Col Bulsak made in 
1986 which contradicts with the statement the latter made which 
was televised by the NPKC after the coup.
 
In the televised statement, Col Bulsak accused Manoon of being the 
mastermind of the assassination plots while in the taped statement 
which Manoon claims to possess Col Bulsak has called his former 
classmate "highly loyal to the members of the country's highest 
institution."
 
The sources quoted Manoon as saying that he would fight the case 
in court till the end and ask the army to restore his rank after 
he is proven innocent.