Chaiyanat denies involvement in Yannawa pub management
The businessman under suspicion of drug and corruption offences, Chaiyanat Kornchayanant, has denied any involvement in the management of the Yannawa pub, where 104 customers, mostly Chinese nationals, tested positive for drugs during a police raid.
Chaiyanat who donated 3 million baht (US$80,000) to the beleaguered Palang Pracharath Party could have landed the ruling party and one of its leaders, Prawit Wongsuwan in some very hot water.
But Chaiyanat insists he had nothing to do with the pub, and any media reports suggesting so were false. He has threatened lawsuits against media outlets linking him to the pub.
Chaiyanat said he is a legitimate businessman in the tourism sector. The property where the Yannawa pub is located is owned by the Hainan Association of Thailand and was rented out to another party.
Pol Maj Gen Theeradet Thamsuthee said police have information about the pub’s owner but refused to share it with the media. He said police were “gathering evidence” before seeking warrants for those involved.
Theeradet guaranteed that police would investigate straightforwardly and transparently.
Meanwhile, Southern Phra Nakhon district court handed down two-year suspended sentences for drug charges for two Chinese women arrested at the pub. Both women, aged 40 and 28, reportedly confessed. The pair were among 26 people arraigned on Friday following their arrests during the raid.
