Social activist Guntouch Pongpaiboonwet on Friday defended the work of his foundation as questions mounted about its finances, while Deputy Prime Minister Thamanat Prompow denied any involvement in the controversy.
The two men, at separate press conferences, dealt with a number of questions about their relationship and how the Gun Jompalang Chuai Su Foundation had come to name Thamanat’s foundation as the recipient of its assets in the event of dissolution.
Speaking to reporters at Government House on Friday, Thamanat, who is chief adviser to the Klatham Party and its de facto leader, dismissed speculation linking him to the foundation’s internal affairs.
“He never consulted me. I had no idea,” he said, referring to Mr Guntouch, also known as “Gun Jompalang”.
The controversy erupted after it was revealed that Clause 39 of the foundation’s regulations stated that, should the foundation be dissolved, all remaining assets would be transferred to the Thamanat Prompow Foundation.
Thamanat, who is also the minister of agriculture, insisted he had no prior knowledge of this clause and said Mr Guntouch’s foundation had since altered it.
“That’s his business. It has nothing to do with me,” he said. “Every foundation must designate a successor in case of dissolution. For example, my foundation names Wat That Thong as the beneficiary.”
When asked whether the clause had been changed, Thamanat confirmed it had, but said he did not know who the new beneficiary was. He also rejected any suggestion that the issue was linked to the Klatham Party.
Mr Guntouch has more than 9 million followers on Facebook and has emerged as a social media star for his ultranationalist activities on the Thai-Cambodian border in recent weeks.
The high profile has brought increased scrutiny about where the money to fund his campaigns comes from, and complaints about a lack of transparency at his foundation.
Mr Guntouch held a press conference at the Asawin Grand Convention Hotel in Bangkok on Friday to address allegations of financial irregularities.
Accompanied by the foundation’s chairwoman, Kanchana Sataworn, and the accounting team, he said the foundation had total incoming funds of 207 million baht, expenditures of 117 million, and remaining assets of 90.17 million baht. (Story continues below)
Rukchanok Srinork, an opposition People’s Party MP for Bangkok, puts a question to “Gun Jompalang” at his press conference on Friday. She asked him about his remark that he was not close to politician Thamanat Prompow, asking why he had to lie about their relationship. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)
Media members pack a press conference held by social activist Gun Pongpaiboonwet, widely known as Gun Jompalang, at the Asawin Grand Convention Hotel in Bangkok on Friday. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)
Ms Kanchana explained that the foundation was initially established with 500,000 baht pooled from the activist’s friends. She acknowledged that the controversial Clause 39 — naming the Thamanat Prompow Foundation as the successor — was included hastily during the registration process due to a lack of legal expertise. She added that the clause had already been changed.
The accounting team clarified that under Thai civil and commercial law, foundations must designate a successor to manage remaining assets upon dissolution. Donations are not considered taxable income, and unallocated funds must be transferred to another legal entity to prevent misuse.
The foundation chairwoman insisted that no funds had ever been transferred to the Thamanat foundation. She said the foundation was chosen at the time because of past collaboration during flood relief efforts, including setting up community kitchens.
“They didn’t take assets — they helped with logistics and support. We weren’t close to any other foundation,” Ms Kanchana explained.
Mr Guntouch admitted the inclusion of the Thamanat Foundation was made in haste.
“Many people were upset and the information was distorted, We never intended to give our assets to anyone. The money never went to the foundation,” he said.
He confirmed that Clause 39 had now been revised to name a new, more stable foundation — though he declined to disclose which one. “If I name it now, people will say I’m trying to use them,” he said.
The activist announced that he would assume the role of chairman himself to ensure greater transparency.
“At first, I didn’t want to take the position because I thought not having authority would make things more transparent. But since people want me to take responsibility, I’ll do it myself,” he said.
Rukchanok Srinork, an opposition People’s Party MP for Bangkok, also attended the press conference. She has been pressing Mr Guntouch to clarify a number of issues, such as his access to government-owned helicopters to carry out his work.
At the press conference, she questioned Mr Guntouch about his remarks that he was not close to Thamanat, asking why he had to lie about their relationship.
In response, Mr Guntouch said he was confident that he was not being used as a political tool by anyone.
Earlier, prominent lawyer Decha Kittivittayanan urged the Interior Ministry to investigate the legitimacy of the Gun Jompalang Chuai Su Foundation, questioning whether it is a bona fide charitable organisation or merely a proxy entity.
He called on authorities to assess whether its operations comply with legal standards.
Mr Decha also criticised Mr Guntouch’s recent claim that he could simply change the name of the organisation designated to inherit the foundation’s assets in the event of its dissolution.
Mr Decha argued that such a change cannot be made unilaterally and called on the Interior Ministry, which oversees charitable foundations, to clarify the legality of such actions.
Agriculture Minister Thamanat Prompow chairs a meeting of the National Beef and Buffalo Development and Product Policy Committee at the ministry on Oct 22. (Photo: Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives)
