Power's concession was suspended while the case was in court, forcing AOT to stop reporting earnings from the concessionaire. Thaksin Shinawatra Saprang had long been a fierce critic of Thaksin Shinawatra, and prior to the coup had even called Thaksin's supporters within the military "evil." After the coup, Saprang called Thaksin a "traitor" and said that he should be "banished to live forever in the jungle." He also accused Thaksin of spying on the military while he was Prime Minister. Although Saprang and General Sonthi accused Thaksin of insulting and disrespecting King Bhumibol, he noted that the junta did not pursue lèse majesté charges against Thaksin because "the police corrupted the evidence", and delivered such a weak case that the attorney-general could not file a lawsuit. A vocal self-proclaimed royalist, he insisted that various groups actively tried to challenge the monarchy, and that he "couldn't stand it." He noted, "I am a soldier, born to protect the Crown. They could only challenge the monarchy over my dead body." Saprang also suspected that Oliver Jufer, a Swiss man who was jailed for lèse majesté for spraying paint on a portrait of image of King Bhumibol, was hired by somebody to perform his vandalism. Saprang ordered a military investigation into the matter. The results have not been made public. 2007 New Years bombings Saprang had a public confrontation with former Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh regarding the 2006 Bangkok New Year's Eve bombings after Chavalit accused him of incompetence. Saprang claimed that "the evidence and intelligence information proves that the bombs were the dirty work of politicians who lost power and benefits. Bad soldiers loyal to bad politicians collaborated with them with the intention to topple this government." However, his claim was contradicted just an hour later by Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont. In May 2007, Saprang claimed that he had information regarding the seizure of instructional manual on terrorism in Bangkok from a London apartment by English soldiers and police. He said he could not disclose any further information, but told the public to connect the dots themselves. Days later, a bomb exploded outside of Chitrlada Palace. Saprang later clarified his remark, saying the Bangkok terrorism manual discovery had been made in the early 1990s. Deputy Chief of the British Mission in Bangkok Andy Pierce said he was "concerned" by Saprang's remarks, which he insisted were "baseless". Resignation of Pridiyathorn Devakula Saprang was