BANGKOK: A Thai gunman who gained national notoriety after opening fire at a political clash with an assault rifle said yesterday he had been hired by anti-government protesters.
Wiwat Yodprasit, who was arrested Wednesday and faces charges of attempted murder and possession of a gun, told reporters he had been trained to use the M16 rifle by the protesters’ private security guards.
The 24-year-old said he was paid $9 a day to act as a guard for the movement, which is backed by the Bangkok-based establishment and wants to oust Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
China detains uprising head
BEIJING: Chinese prosecutors have detained on bribery charges a deputy chief of a village which attracted worldwide attention when it rebelled against its Communist leaders.
Hong Ruichao, one of the leaders of the 2011 uprising in the southern village of Wukan which saw locals drive out Communist Party officials accused of illegal land grabs, was held on Wednesday.
The report suggests a further blow to villagers’ hopes of retrieving their land after state-run media reported that another deputy chief, Yang Semao, was detained on similar charges last week. The Lufeng city government said that the bribery charges against Hong were connected to “building projects,” without giving details.
Japanese firm fined over graft
WASHINGTON: Japanese trading company Marubeni Corporation has agreed to pay an $88m fine after admitting bribing Indonesian government officials to secure a lucrative power project.
A Justice Department statement said Marubeni and employees from consortium partner Alstom had bribed a high-ranking Indonesian member of parliament and members of the country’s state-owned electricity company to secure a $118m contract.
Payments totalling several hundred thousand dollars were funnelled to corrupt officials in Indonesia via bogus consultants hired specifically to disperse the bribes, the statement said.
Agencies
