THAILAND - MAJOR Chamlong Srimuang, a leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy on Tuesday challenged Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to file defamation suits against those whom he accused of editing the video clip to cause him damage.

Mr Somchai had admitted on Saturday that he was the man in the video clip circulating on the internet and posted in the manager website but the video was edited with intention to defame him.

'This is a serious issue because he is accused of using office time to hook up with a woman. For this type of allegation, leaders of other countries would have resigned, if they had been accused,' Maj Chamlong said.

The video was shot by an unidentified cameraman between March 22 and 27 this year and was viewed more than 261,000 times in less than 24 hours after it was posted on the Manager website.

The 25-minute clips includes 4 parts featuring the man who resemble Mr Somchai in his red Mercedes picking up a woman in her 20s, in front of a convenience store, and the couple have dinner at a restaurant serving southern-style Thai food.

The second part features the same fellow driving a BMW to a love motel after picking up another woman from a house.

The third part shows the man wearing eyeglasses parking his white Lexus SUV at a restaurant and has lunch with a lady who resembles Yaowapa Wongsawat.

The final part was taken on March 27 when the man picked up a woman at the Justice Ministry on Chaengwattana Road for lunch, and then went to HomePro department store where they bought a refrigerator. -- ANN