Serial petitioner Srisuwan in police custody on an extortion charge

Well-known serial petitioner Srisuwan Janya has been taken into police custody on an extortion charge, after he and two associates allegedly demanded 1.5 million baht from the director-general of the Rice Department in exchange for dropping his plan to lodge a complaint of alleged corruption against the official.

The police action followed the filing of a complaint by Natthakit Khongthip, director-general of the Rice Department, claiming that Srisuwan, Yotwarit Chuklom and a former United Thai Nation party candidate called “Pimnattha” had tried to extort three million baht from him.

The trio threatened to expose alleged corruption in the Rice Department’s project to cut rice production costs unless Natthakit paid them three million baht. The amount was, however, negotiated down to 1.5 million baht.

Police then set up a sting operation, by letting a courier take the first…