Thailand’s former deputy commerce minister, Banyin Tangphaporn, tried to commit suicide while on remand at Bang Khwang maximum security prison last Friday, after prison officials uncovered alleged plots to kidnap the wife of the prison warden to hold hostage in return for his release and to escape while being taken to the court next Monday, if the first plan failed.

Informed sources in the Corrections Department said that officials managed to intervene and save Banyin as he tried to hang himself in his cell.

The sources said that Banyin was transferred from Bangkok special prison to Bang Khwang after officials learned that he had allegedly hired a former inmate to kidnap the wife of the warden of Bangkok special prison in Lampang province.

If the plot did not work out, the former inmate and accomplices would try to seize Banyin as he is escorted from prison to court for a hearing on June 22^nd, said the sources.

The Crime Suppression Division were asked, by the unidentified prison warden, to track down the former inmate. He was eventually caught and revealed the entire plot to authorities. This resulted in Banyin being moved to Bang Khwang prison and he eventually tried to commit suicide, said prison officials.

While on remand in Bangkok special prison, pending trial on a murder case, officials said that Banyin had asked for privileges and to be transferred to more comfortable zone. He also demanded that prison officials not record his conversations with visitors.

Banyin and two other accomplices were each sentenced to eight years for falsifying official documents and using them to take ownership of more than 300 million baht in shares, belonging to a construction businessman, Mr. Chuwong sae Tang.

He is also alleged to have ordered the abduction of the brother of Judge Ms. Panida Sakuntaprasert, who was in charge of the illegal share transfer case, to bargain for light sentence, but Judge Panida rejected the demand.

The judge’s brother was later found dead, believed killed by men hired by Banyin.

The murder case is still pending in court.