“Will there be some kind of attempt to blow the case, or not?” “We want to know how transparent the investigation will be,” he said over the phone. Rangsiman said police could be under pressure from powerful people seeking to protect Upakit from prosecution.

The case is a test for Thailand’s law enforcement and justice systems, said Rangsiman Rome, a parliamentarian from the Move Forward Party, which sits in opposition to the ruling coalition of retired military generals and allied parties. Also detained is Upakit’s former business partner, a well-connected Myanmar tycoon and arms dealer named Tun Min Latt. Meanwhile, Dean Gultula, Upakit’s Thai-American son-in-law who was a director of a company he founded, is sitting in a Thai jail. Upakit has instead been served with a summons for questioning, which means he could be treated as either a witness or as a suspect, depending on how the investigation goes. Now, a source with knowledge of the case has confirmed to OCCRP and Prachatai that a warrant for Upakit’s arrest was indeed issued last week, and then withdrawn. One influential Thai news program reported that it never existed, while another outlet took down a story about the warrant without explanation. (Photo: Upakit Pachariyangkun/Facebook)īut the arrest warrant for Upakit appeared to have been quickly canceled. Thai Senator Upakit Pachariyangkun (front) in 2015. For a few tense hours last week, Thai Senator Upakit Pachariyangkun was wanted for arrest in connection with an alleged drug trafficking and money laundering ring operating out of a casino in the Golden Triangle.

Golden triangle thailand myanmar casino