Bangkok: The photo of 'Ben Smith' with Thai politicians may not be the final link to grey capital. Academics point out that photos of Ben Smith and Thai politicians may not be enough to clearly conclude the connection between gray capital and illegal money. They emphasize that more attention should be paid to tracking down illegal money.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Stithorn Thananithichot, a lecturer at the Faculty of Political Science at Chulalongkorn University, commented on the publication of old photos of Mr. Ben Smith posing with several Thai politicians, which have sparked widespread political criticism. He stated that using old photos to draw conclusions linking politicians to the grey capital movement is too hasty and is not sufficient evidence to prosecute the grey capital movement.
Mr. Stithorn stated that the images appear to be over 10 years old, during a time when "political figures" were in a different position than they are today. For example, the image of Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul in the same frame with Ben Smith was taken at a time when Mr. Anutin was likely still taking a break from politics, or if he returned, he still held no power, remaining more of a businessman. And of course, no one expected that years later, Mr. Anutin would rise to the position of Prime Minister.
Similar to the case of the photo of Thaksin Shinawatra that was released mid-year, Mr. Stithorn insisted that the photo could not be used to determine whether it was related to a business or to a grey network, adding that a single photo was not sufficient evidence to confirm a deeper relationship.
Academics point out that the issue society should prioritize is not finding fault in photographs, but rather paying attention to the financial flows of gray capital networks, to determine which groups or organizations in Thailand they are flowing into. They emphasize that if an investigation is to be conducted for the public good, it should begin with verifiable empirical evidence, rather than drawing conclusions or interpretations from other comparable evidence, which cannot be corroborated for legal use.
Mr. Stithorn stated that, as society becomes more aware of gray capital and scammer gangs, this presents an important opportunity to track the gray money trail of the Ben Smith network. This will clearly identify which individuals or organizations are involved in these illegal funds. He emphasized that this is the core of the problem and warrants expedited investigation before crucial evidence is destroyed or connections are severed.
Mr. Stithorn concluded by stating that government officials, key responsible agencies, and members of the public with information should work together to comprehensively track illegal financial transactions, as this will be the key to uncovering the true connections and provide clear legal action against perpetrators.