Democrat Party MP Sirichoke Sopha yesterday released a state-ment concerning a prison interview between him and suspected arms dealer Viktor Bout.
The move was in response to a statement with contradictory con-tent issued on Sunday by an opposition MP who had visited the Russian the previous day.
Sirichoke claimed no other people were present during his meet-ing with Bout, countering what was said by the chairman of the House committee on foreign affairs, Pheu Thai MP Torphong Chaiyasarn, that an unidentified person also listened to their talk.
The Democrat MP said the Corrections Department and the prison chief could back up his statement about no one else being present during the interview. He also hit back at Torphong, saying he was unsure which country he served as a House panel chairman, as he had worsened Thailand's image. "He is doing damage to the country and I am not sure if he can call himself a Thai."
Sirichoke said that while it was Torphong's right to believe any-thing Bout had said to him on Saturday, it was common for the Russian not to tell the truth. So he had probably chosen to tell the Pheu Thai MP any story that might minimise his chances of being extradited to the US.
The Democrat said he would attend the House committee meeting tomorrow whether or not he was invited to do so, in order to "cut open" Torphong with evidence and photos in a session in which the media would be present. "Torphong did not do his homework before his visit, and he was convinced by everything the suspect said."
Sirichoke said he had been well prepared before his own visit with background information about Bout and was able to trick him into speaking about "knowing Thaksin well", but the MP declined to give more details. "Certain details need to be verified, as they have impli-cated third countries," he added, without elaboration.