Ekkayuth attacked, asks govt to clarify

[admin]

Ekkayuth Anchanbutr, a real estate businessman, claims he was attacked by a man at a coffee shop at the Four Seasons Hotel after a meeting with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Thurssday.

Mr Ekkayuth said he met Ms Yingluck about 2pm today.

He said less than 10 minutes after the prime minister left, he was attacked by a man intent on taking his life, but he fought back.

One of his body guards came to his rescue while the assailant was pulling out his gun, Mr Ekkayuth said at a press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel.

The businessman said he believed his attacker was a person who was close to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

"I want to ask whether the prime minister was involved (in the attack)," Mr Ekkayuth said.

The well-known businessman, who has openly been critical of Thaksin, said he thought the attacker was a man in uniform but was in plain-clothes at the time, wearing a pair of jeans.

The man's face was familiar and it was obvious that he used to work for Thaksin, he said.

"The police chief (Pol Gen Priewpan Damapong), and Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung, would you please help identify the attacker," he said.

Mr Ekkayuth said he would not file a complaint with police, but would give the government one day to clarify this matter, otherwise he would talk about it on a daily basis.

Mr Ekkayuth earlier posted in his Facebook page, saying that he had been attacked, and invited the media to the press conference.

Ms Yingluck declined to reply to reporters questions about the allegation.

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Edited February 10, 2012 by FarangFarang

[FarangFarang]

PM denies misconduct at Bangkok hotel

The Nation February 11, 2012 1:00 am

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday that she had not done anything morally questionable while she was at a Bangkok hotel earlier this week.

"I did not have a meeting there. But as prime minister, I can meet anybody at a public place. It is not damaging," she said. "I am a woman, and I insist I did not do anything wrong."

When asked if she would take legal action against outspoken businessman Akeyuth Anchanbutr for suggesting that she may have been party to misconduct, Yingluck said: "I will be patient. I believe people will carefully consider what he says."

On Thursday, Akeyuth told the press that he happened to run into the prime minister while he was at the Four Seasons Hotel on Wednesday afternoon. He said that he had only seen the premier from a distance and 10 minutes after she left the premises he was attacked by a man.

"It could be because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and saw something I should not have," he said.

Deputy government spokesman Anusorn Iamsa-ard said yesterday that he was suspicious about Akeyuth's claim that someone from Yingluck's security detail had attacked him, adding that there was a "hidden agenda" behind this allegation.

At the press conference, Akeyuth described his alleged assailant as an armed officer in plainclothes. Akeyuth claimed that the man was about to draw a handgun before his bodyguards came to his rescue. He added that the assailant fled after his bodyguards intervened.

"The assailant knows and is close to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra," Akeyuth said, adding that he would not file a police complaint.

Anusorn said Akeyuth had "plotted a good story", adding that his decision against filing a police complaint aroused suspicion. "If the attack was not a set up, maybe he was attacked because many people dislike him," the spokesman said.

He also rejected Akeyuth's theory that the alleged assailant was a man in uniform.

Akeyuth, a businessman who runs the politically oriented website Thai Insider, is well known for his staunch criticism of Thaksin - Yingluck's older brother.

He has also recently said that Yingluck was unsuitable for the premier's post and has also made comments about her that could be considered sexist against women from the North.

Meanwhile, national police chief General Priewpan Damapong yesterday urged Akeyuth to file a police complaint so his case can be investigated and the authorities can obtain pertinent information such as the examination of his wounds.

Priewpan said he did not think the alleged attack had anything to do with the prime minister's security detail. "The prime minister is a woman, so I don't think she would allow the use of violence," he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung also rejected the claim that someone in the PM's security team was involved in the attack, adding that Akeyuth should not have tried to link Yingluck to this matter or tried to politicise it.

Meanwhile, opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva called on the government to explain what happened in order to quell any suspicion that this matter has something to do with the premier.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/PM-denies-misconduct-at-Bangkok-hotel-30175656.html