Yingluck baiter to crypto watchdog: Sirichok bites back

Former Democrat MP Sirichok Sopha has taken on the job of opposition watchdog against the ruling Bhumjaithai Party, zeroing in on a debut MP and her billionaire husband.

Sirichok has questioned why Chaiyaphum MP Suchada Zhang Thaensap was allowed to serve in the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry at a time when her husband owned a stake in one of the world’s largest crypto-only gambling sites. The 59-year-old watchdog accuses Bhumjaithai of permitting a brazen conflict of interest.

He has also demanded a probe into how Thai authorities handled the site – Shuffle.com – and whether Suchada’s spouse has influence over its operations.

The controversy blew up after lawmakers began probing Suchada’s substantial asset declaration. The declaration includes a 1.4-billion-baht loan given by her husband – Australian national Taiyang Zhang – to a collapsing cryptocurrency hedge fund.

The ruling party has distanced itself from the allegations surrounding the couple, making it clear that Suchada must provide answers to the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Department of Special Investigation. Suchada and her husband deny any wrongdoing.

Conflict of interest?

Suchada served as secretary to DES Minister Chaichanok Chidchob in the previous Bhumjaithai-led government late last year. Sirichok contends that her tenure overlapped with Zhang’s shareholding in Shuffle, a crypto-only online gambling platform based in Curaçao.

Sirichok alleges that Shuffle was spared during a crackdown by Chaichanok’s DES Ministry, which only blocked access to the site after the recent controversy emerged.

Suchada insists her husband sold his shares in January, a month before she won a parliamentary seat to represent her northeastern home constituency.

Sirichok warned that proof of a conflict of interest could lead to criminal proceedings against Bhumjaithai secretary general Chaichanok, who appointed Suchada as a DES ministry aide last October.

Key Bhumjaithai figures, including Prime Minister and party leader Anutin Charnvirakul, have dismissed Sirichok’s allegations as sour grapes after he lost his seat in the last general election.

Sirichok maintains he is simply doing his duty as a citizen in scrutinising Suchada and the ruling party.

The Democrat politician was elected four times as an MP for Songkhla province before losing to Bhumjaithai’s Natchanon Srikokuea in February’s vote.

A four-time MP

Sirichok was born in Bangkok on June 14, 1967. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from King’s College London and an MBA from Prince of Songkla University.

Before entering politics, he managed family businesses in frozen seafood exports, real estate, and cold storage.

Sirichok first sought office in 1996, contesting a parliamentary seat in Bangkok but lost the election. He subsequently joined the staff of Chuan Leekpai during the Democrat Party leader’s second term as prime minister, working closely with senior party figures and eventually securing selection as an election candidate.

He finally entered Parliament in 2001 at the age of 34, retaining the seat in the 2005, 2007, and 2011 elections.

Debuting as an opposition MP, Sirichok emerged as a prominent critic of then-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s government, scrutinising its costly projects during censure debates. He was named a rising star in Parliament by media in 2001 and recognised as an outstanding debater the following year.

Sirichok later served as spokesman for the Democrats’ shadow Cabinet in opposition to Samak Sundaravej’s coalition government led by the Thaksin-aligned People Power Party.

When Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva became prime minister in 2008, Sirichok served as his secretary, defending his boss in frequent clashes with opposition MPs. So constant was his presence behind Abhisit during media appearances that opposition figures dubbed him “Wallpaper”.

Back in opposition, Sirichok regularly fired potshots at prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin’s sister, on the TV political talk show he helmed with two other Democrat MPs. The trio blamed her for the 2011 flood disaster, but came unstuck when they quipped she had missed an important parliamentary meeting for a rendezvous in a Bangkok hotel room.

Yingluck won the libel case, and the three politicians were handed year-long suspended prison sentences along with 50,000-baht fines. The Appeals Court later upheld the verdict.

In 2024, Sirichok left the Democrat Party in protest at its decision to join a coalition government led by Pheu Thai, the Democrats’ long-time rivals. He rejoined the party last December after Abhisit returned as leader.