Financial support for insurgents targetted

The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) has recently submitted to the Attorney-General’s Office a list of the first batch of about 100 people facing arrest warrants in the deep South who are to be declared by the civil court as people associated with terrorism.

          Once declared as people linked with terrorism, these people will be prohibited from undertaking all business transactions with their bank accounts invalidated, according to AMLO secretary-general Pol Col Sihanart Prayoonrat, citing the new anti-money laundering law aimed at curbing financial support for terrorism activities which came into force in February this year.

          There are altogether more than 4,000 people slapped with arrest warrants in the far South.  But the court will declare a list of 5-10 people at a time whom it believes are linked with terrorism.  However, these people are entitled to defend their innocence by submitting evidences to the court and to ask for their names to be delisted.

          Under the new law, officially known as the Anti-Financial Support for Terrorism Act, there are two sanction lists of people associated with terrorism – the first list is about international terrorists and the second list is about Thai nationals wanted for terrorism in other countries and people slapped with arrest warrants in the deep South.

          Any individuals who engage in business transactions with these blacklisted people will face a fine up to one million baht and a maximum jailterm of three years.

          Pol Col Sihanart believed that the declaration of the blacklists of people associated with terrorism would not impact on the ongoing peace dialogue process between the government and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN).  Nor will it worsen the unrest situation any further because it is already bad enough, he said.

          National Security Council secretary-general Lt-Gen Paradorn Pattanathabut said that people blacklisted could ask for their names to be dropped from the list if they could prove their innocence.

          Panitharn Wattanayakorn, a security expert, warned that putting anyone in the blacklist must be done with extreme caution and that there must be evidences to prove their association with terrorism.  He noted that several people facing arrests in the far South were not involved with terrorism but were wanted for ordinary crime cases.

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Caption : AMLO secretary-general Pol Col Sihanart Prayoonrat

Thanks : Photo from www.bangkokbiznews.com