Move Forward party leader Pita Limjaroenrat issued a statement today (Thursday) via Facebook to defend himself against allegations that he lied about being detained by military officials at Bangkok’s military airport, following the coup in September 2006, which prevented him from attending his father’s funeral.

Pita said he never expected that he would have to explain such a painful experience as the sudden loss of his father, to whom he had no chance to say goodbye because of the coup in 2006, which ousted the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Critics claim that what he said in his recent interview with TV news anchor Sorayuth Suthassanachinda over the incident contradicted what he said in an interview on the same subject which he gave to another TV anchor, Surivipa, over a decade ago.

On Wednesday, Air Marshal Vachara Riddhagni, who claims to have been a friend of Pita’s father Pongsak, said that he saw Pita on the first day of the funeral, adding that the Move Forward leader made contradictory statements about the reason he almost missed the funeral. He also accused Pita of lying about having difficulty finding money to pay for his father’s funeral, as the family is quite wealthy.

Displaying pictures of the funeral, Pita said he missed the first four days, but did attend the funeral for the remaining three, hence, what he said in his interviews with Sorayuth and Surivipa were not contradictory.

He referred to a report by Chanel News Asia saying that, on September 22^nd, 2006, a plane returning from New York, carrying a group of officials of the Thaksin government, was forced to land at Bangkok’s military airport by military officials.

He said he was among the officials who were detained at the airport for 5-6 hours. He added that he returned home at about 8pm, which was the first time he had met his mother and brothers following his father’s death.

Pita claimed that Air Marshal Vachara might have mistaken him for his brother, insisting that he was still in the US on the first day of his father’s funeral.

He admitted, however, that mud-slinging is normal in Thai politics, adding that he is not worried and will continue to campaign for the party.

Meanwhile, political activist Srisuwan Janya said that he will file a complaint with the Election Commission on Friday, seeking an investigation of Pita for allegedly violating Section 73(5) of the Constitution by attempting to mislead the public.

He accused Pita of lying about his detention by the junta, forcing him almost to miss his father’s funeral, in an attempt to gain sympathetic support from the public.