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Thai Senator Accused Of Sex Offenses Resigns Parliament BANGKOK (AP)--A Thai senator accused of sex crimes including rape of a minor announced his resignation from the nation`s Parliament late Wednesday, clearing the way for his prosecution. The accusation against Chalerm Promlert - and the Senate`s vote last week against a waiver of his parliamentary immunity - had caused public outrage. The scandal was one of several to shake the Senate recently, along with bribery allegations and the expulsion of ten members - including the senate speaker - for committing poll fraud. "To ease public tension and in order to uphold public faith in the upper house, I am announcing my resignation and ending my activity in the public sphere from now on," Chalerm said at a news conference. Under Thai law, the Senate must approve the trial of a member, who otherwise has parliamentary immunity while the house is in session. Chalerm, 63, would have been forced to face trial anyway when the Senate went into a scheduled recess from June 3 to Aug. 1, but the Senate`s vote granting him even limited immunity outraged many people, including a minority of senators. Chalerm, who had already resigned his position as deputy senate speaker, earlier Wednesday said he was giving up his parliamentary immunity, and told prosecutors he was ready to face trial, police said. He made an unannounced visit to the office of the public prosecutor to acknowledge the charges against him, police Lt. Gen. Pichit Kruanthechakupt told reporters. A first court hearing for Chalerm was scheduled for April 25, Pichit said. Court registrar Somporn Babprasert said Chalerm was charged with statutory rape of minors, luring girls under the age of 15 years for sex and luring girls aged 15 to 18 years for sex. If convicted he faces up to 15 years in prison. "He neither denied nor accepted the charges," Somporn said. Chalerm was freed on a 1 million baht ($1=THB43.565) bail. Chalerm was arrested in January after allegedly having sex with five teen-age girls aged 14 to 17 years at a hotel in a Bangkok suburb, for which he paid THB4,000 baht to each of them. Having sex with a girl 15 years or younger is statutory rape in Thailand. The sex scandal, followed by other embarrassing allegations of bribery and poll fraud against other senators, has severely hurt the credibility of the house, the first elected upper chamber of Parliament "To say that the country`s first elected Senate is in deep trouble would be a gross understatement," the Nation newspaper said Wednesday in an editorial. "The Senate, with its credibility in tatters, must engage itself in soul-searching to find a new way to not only contain the damage but also to make a positive contribution to the country`s ongoing political reforms," it said. (END) Dow Jones Newswires 14-03-01 |
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| aus der Diskussion: | Waste or make money in Thailand |
| Autor (Datum des Eintrages): | BodyG (14.03.01 18:51:53) |
| Beitrag: | 526 von 611 (ID:3101128) |
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