[pumpineemob]

19/07/2012 at 06:34 PM | Bangkok Times

Abhisit's draft-dodging case resurfaces



There is solid evidence former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva dodged the military draft and the Defence Ministry
has sent it to the Office of the Ombudsman as requested, Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat said on Thursday.

ACM Sukumpol said the Ombudsman earlier sent a letter to the Defence Ministry asking it to the investigate facts
behind an allegation that Mr Abhisit, the opposition Democrat Party leader, had evaded military conscription and
falsified related documents.

He said the Ombudsman might have acted after receiving a complaint.

The Defence Ministry had compiled all related documents and then sent them to the Ombudsman on July 10, he said.

ACM Sukumpol said he had assigned the Judge Advocate General's Department to look into the matter in detail,
because the alleged offence occurred more than 20 years ago.

On Mr Abhisit's claim that he was exempted from conscription because he was a lecturer at the Chulachomklao Royal
Military Academy, ACM Sukumpol said it must be determined whether Mr Abhisit had evidence to back his claim of
exemption when he applied for the job at the CRMA in 1987 or whether he had used falsified documents.

The minister said the army had also investigated this matter and the results of the investigation revealed that some
documents had been forged and some military officers involved had been punished. This happened about 10 years
ago. The documents from the investigation had been sent to the Ombudsman.

The original investigation report was made to the then army chief and the Defence Ministry received a copy of it.

ACM Sukumpol declined to comment when asked if the army had covered up this matter to help Mr Abhisit. He
said only that the evidence the Defence Ministry has had been sent to the Office of the Ombudsman.