Updated: Anthony Chai’s case

In an earlier post, PPT mentioned the case of Californian businessman Anthony Chai, who is suing a a Canadian web hosting company incorporated in the United States, for releasing personal information to the Thai government. These disclosures are alleged to have allowed Thai officials to “identify, detain, and interrogate the plaintiff, Mr. Anthony Chai, both in Thailand and on U.S. soil.”

This is a lese majeste case goes back to 2004, with Chai having been detained by the Department of Special Investigation in Thailand in 2006.

The complaint lodged with the Californian court is available here as a large PDF. Interestingly, that filed complaint includes details of interrogations that took place in Hollywood, at a hotel. It is stated in that document that also present was “Palace Representative Joe Kashemsant.”

A bit of searching shows Joe Kashemsant listed in a Wikileaks cable as being in the Office of the Principal Private Secretary (PPS). It states:

The Office of the PPS does not have clear lines of authority, with certain employees’ informal roles/influence  more significant, such as Mom Butrie’s, than their titles  might suggest. Another such informal player is the Queen’s  foreign liaison officer within the OPPS, M.L. Anuporn “Joe”  Kashemsant, son of the King’s now deceased cardiologist and the former National Counter Corruption Commissioner,  Thanphuying Preeya, who indicted Thaksin on a false assets  declaration in 2000 and is a regular at the Queen’s dinner  table. Once the number of the Queen’s foreign visitors  slowed dramatically in recent years, Anuporn started  freelancing more in political intrigues.

He is also mentioned in this April 2001 letter from the Christian Legacy Institute’s Leon Sexton as “my friend ‘Joe’ Kashemsant who works for the king.” We only cite this as it links to an earlier post at PPT about the connection between royals and right-wing Christians in the U.S. associated with Herbert W. Armstrong. There’s more on this odd group and Thailand here.

Anthony Chai has been added to PPT’s list of Pending Cases.

Update: ars technica has an account of this case worth reading.

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