Deputy Prime Minister ACM Prajin Juntong is pursuing legal action against political activist Srisuwan Janya for defamation for allegedly providing false information about the government's satellite project.
ACM Monthon Satchukon, spokesman for ACM Prajin, said Thursday ACM Prajin had assigned a legal team at the Justice Ministry to study claims Mr Srisuwan made against the satellite project and false information he made public and file a complaint with police against him.
The legal team found Mr Srisuwan had provided false information to the National Counter Corruption Commission, which resulted in damage to ACM Prajin's reputation in his capacity as chairman of the national space affairs.
The THEIA satellite project deals with commercial communication satellites, not spy satellites as claimed by Mr Srisuwan, said ACM Monthon.
More importantly, the project simply is a technical study project jointly carried out by the government's sub-committee on space policy and the National Defence Studies Institute, said ACM Monthon.
No formal policy has been agreed about the satellites or any agreement reached.
Mr Srisuwan previously accused the DTI of pushing for the procurement of 112 THEIA satellites at a cost of 91.2 billion baht from the THEIA group in the US.
On Wednesday, ACM Preecha Pradapmuk, director of the Defence Technology Institute (DTI), countered Mr Srisuwan's accusations against the THEIA satellite project with details of the project.
The THEIA Group in the US had not sold any satellite to Thailand as suggested, he said.
The DTI on Dec 19 last year signed a letter of acknowledgement with the company, a process required to formally inform the DTI's board of directors about the type of business THEIA group is doing and how it may benefit the DTI, said ACM Preecha.
Later on Jan 15 this year, the DTI signed a letter of intent (LOI) on a joint research and development project on the possibility of owning a satellite.
The study would look at the advantages and disadvantages of owning a satellite as well as its impact on the economy. Further details were not available.
"It isn't required that this company (THEIA group) will be chosen for the next step in the satellite project," he said.
