By Piyanuch Thamnukasetchai
The Nation
Published on August 13, 2009



The Department of Special Investigation has set up a team to look into the Chevrolet Safina sedan seized from the mother-in-law of a suspect in the assassination attempt on People's Alliance for Democracy leader Sondhi Limthongkul, after it was found with a fake licence plate.
Narat Sawettanant, DSI deputy director-general, said yesterday that the car carried a Bangkok licence plate even though it was registered in Chiang Mai to Channarong Muser, a drug suspect arrested by the DSI on March 20.

This car was among five vehicles confiscated along with Bt117 million worth of Channarong's assets.

The DSI then employed the five cars for civil service work.

The Narcotics Control Board approved the official use of the cars in June but they were still in the process of being listed in the DSI's seized vehicle management system so that they could be given civil service licence plates.

It was believed that the Sondhi case suspect, Pol Lance Corporal Worawuth Mungsanti, who was a Narcotic Suppression Police officer seconded to the DSI, might have started using the car in the meantime, Narat said.

The DSI would give full cooperation to police investigators and its chief, Tawee Sodsong, had already assigned a fact-finding committee on Tuesday to determine how Worawuth got hold of the car and whether it was a violation of regulations, he added.