Thai Lawyer Denies Prison Sentence Rumors, Vows 4 Political Investigations

Patthapong Supakorn, widely known as Aun Buriram, a lawyer in Thailand, has vehemently denied circulating rumors that he was previously imprisoned for 16 years for drug offenses and later changed his name to practice law. Through his personal Facebook account, Aun Buriram clarified that his name has always been Patthapong Supakorn, stating that while his birth name was Kriangkrai Pornsang, his father changed it to Patthapong Pornsang shortly after birth. At the age of nine, his father then changed the surname from Pornsang to Supakorn, which he has used ever since. He asserted that he has never been imprisoned nor faced any serious criminal charges, admitting only to receiving traffic tickets. He questioned how he could have committed criminal offenses while practicing law for over a decade without any history of corruption, illicit associations, or attempts to overthrow the government. "I have never, ever cheated, never cheated tax money, never cheated anything at all," he stated. Challenging those he referred to as the "Buriram gang," Aun Buriram dared them to release any evidence of his alleged past imprisonment. He pointed out the chronological inconsistency, noting that if he had served 16 years in prison, he would have been a minor or a university student at the time, and began his legal career in 2009 (B.E. 2552). He also cited comments made by General Seripisuth Temeeyaves, a former national police chief, who had previously urged him to reveal any such evidence. Aun Buriram declared that he would not stop his activities and announced four main missions he plans to undertake soon: 1. Exposing the full scope of the Senator election bid-rigging network, going beyond what the People's Party has revealed. 2. Conducting a detailed investigation into the bid-rigging in the Senator elections in Amnat Charoen Province. 3. Investigating a political figure disqualified by the court who allegedly transferred assets to their children and spouse, arguing that the family members should also be held accountable. 4. Investigating the alleged illegal occupation and utilization of S.P.K. land by a student council president, noting that this case has already been judged by the court and the land should have been returned to the state. Meanwhile, sources within the justice system indicated that the lawyer accused of serving a 16-year sentence and changing his name is not Patthapong Supakorn. Instead, it is another lawyer with a similar surname who was imprisoned between 1999 and 2015 for drug offenses at the Phraen Nakhon Prison. Comparing this information with Patthapong's age (40) and his legal career spanning over a decade, it is likely that Patthapong was still in secondary school and university during the alleged imprisonment period. This other lawyer is reportedly decades older than Patthapong, suggesting no direct connection to Patthapong Supakorn. Source: INN News