PM urged to suspend Prawit under Article 44

[webfact]

PM urged to suspend Prawit under Article 44

By THE NATION

 

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan greets expectant journalists as he attended a meeting at Government House yesterday amid a spiralling scandal about allegations of his “unusual wealth”.

 

WATCH SCANDAL AND ‘MEAY’ COMMENTS PUT PRESSURE ON NCPO TO CULL ‘A BAD APPLE’

PRIME MINISTER General Prayut Chan-o-cha has been urged to exercise his absolute powers to suspend Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan from duty as the deputy premier remains mired in controversy.

 

“We call on Prayut to use Article 44 to temporarily suspend Prawit from his posts as deputy premier and defence minister without pay until the investigation conclusion,” Srisuwan Janya, secretary-general of the Thai Constitution Protection Association, said in a statement issued yesterday, referring to the absolute powers granted to the head of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).

 

In the statement, Srisuwan said Prawit was facing an investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) regarding whether he had intended to conceal his assets. 

 

Early this month, Prawit landed in hot water after being photographed wearing a flamboyant Richard Mille wristwatch and diamond ring that he had not declared in his assets list to the NACC when taking office in 2014. 

 

Social media users later piled on the pressure by posting photos of Prawit wearing seven other luxury watches while attending recent events. 

 

In his four assets declarations during his on-and-off membership in governments since 2008, Prawit has never declared a single asset worth more than Bt200,000 to the NACC. His latest declaration in 2014 valued his total assets at Bt87 million. 

 

The investigation has also raised questions about the general’s “unusual wealth” regarding his total assets and the expensive watches.

 

Pictures have shown him wearing what look like two Richard Mille watches that are estimated to cost between Bt4 million and Bt10 million. 

 

Srisuwan added that the deputy premier was also facing an online campaign pressuring him to step down over offhand comments he made about the death of cadet Phakhapong “Meay” Tanyakan, who died under suspicious circumstances at a military academy in October. Prawit’s remarks that he had also been previously disciplined harshly but had not died, seeming to blame Phakhapong’s poor health for his death, grabbed national headlines.

 

Srisuwan cited two previous suspension orders issued by Prayut, asking the premier to treat controversial incidents in a fair manner. 

 

The NCPO chief invoked Article 44 to suspend then-Bangkok governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra, who was under investigation over alleged irregularities during his tenure. Prayut also suspended Premsak Piayura, former mayor of Ban Phai Municipality in Khon Kaen, over accusations of misconduct in a case in which a reporter who exposed Premsak’s alleged engagement to a schoolgirl was stripped of his clothes as a form of public embarrassment. 

 

“I hope Prayut will not use a double standard or favour his close associates. [Prawit’s suspension] is necessary to get rid of a bad apple to save the whole bushel, or the whole organisation. It would help to maintain the junta’s good image concerning fighting corruption,” Srisuwan said.

 

Meanwhile, Prawit smiled yesterday before telling the media briefly that he felt tired amid the mounting pressure on him to resign. 

 

For the past two weeks, the embattled deputy premier has remained silent on how he will explain to the NACC his possession of the items, only saying early on in the affair that he would submit a letter of explanation to the agency.

 

However, local media have cited an aide to the deputy premier as saying that the watch had belonged to one of Prawit’s close friends who died earlier this year. The aide said the pair had known each other for more than 60 years since their elementary school days. 

 

The unidentified deceased friend, who was described as a businessman and watch lover, lent watches to Prawit, some of which were not returned, the aide reportedly said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30334249

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-12-19

[Thaiwrath]

[ezzra]

Being a general and all, he can assume the position as the head of the inactive

posts department, there he can wear as many fancy watches and diamond rings

and no one will see it right?

[ratcatcher]

[Bluespunk]

I don’t like Prawit and would enjoy seeing him lose his position (and ill gotten gains), but 44 can’t be constantly used to sort shit out. 

 

There needs to be a functioning legal system that punishes corruption amongst politicians. 

 

And not just when they, and their backers, lose power. 

Edited December 19, 2017 by Bluespunk

[klauskunkel]

Keep him on. For exactly these reasons:

2 hours ago, webfact said:

“I hope Prayut will not use a double standard or favour his close associates. [Prawit’s suspension] is necessary to get rid of a bad apple to save the whole bushel, or the whole organisation. It would help to maintain the junta’s good image concerning fighting corruption,”

 

[fantom]

What type of watch is he wearing in the introductory picture?

[mikebell]

Ask him to explain how to make 5 million a year on  a salary of under 200K.

[YetAnother]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Prawit has never declared a single asset worth more than Bt200,000

laws ? what laws ? they dont apply to me

[YetAnother]

6 minutes ago, mikebell said:

Ask him to explain how to make 5 million a year on  a salary of under 200K.

the guy is a dimwit, doubt he would understand the question

[peperobi]

Oha...what PM Prayut will do???

[Topdoc]

Okay okay, with such a gracious wai, let's move on and put this story behind us

[janclaes47]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan greets expectant journalists as he attended a meeting at Government House yesterday amid a spiralling scandal about allegations of his “unusual wealth”.

 

When the  they become so humble at once

[Lupatria]

41 minutes ago, mikebell said:

Ask him to explain how to make 5 million a year on  a salary of under 200K.

Thanks to a diamond studded amulet, he wins the lottery twice a month.

[Eric Loh]

No way Prayut will suspend his boss. 

[TKDfella]

I don't know what the rules are in Thailand for someone in gov. office being under investigation but I would have thought the obvious thing to do would be to cooperate with the authorities to show one's innocence. But the this is a Junta regime and I guess that is not likely to happen. The PM continually talks cracking down on corruption appealing to the populace to help so now let's see if he genuine/sincere in that appeal. However, perhaps I am wrong here to assume possible guilt instead of possible innocence so perhaps another poster might wish to correct me. 

[meinphuket]

Retire him here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3100775/Switzerland-s-Frog-Museum-boasts-108-stuffed-frogs-posed-quirky-vignettes.html

[khounteen]

Article 44 is supposed to be used on citizens and political opponents but not on their own kind?

[harada]

Bt500 m in the bank, who gives a stuff.  

[lvr181]

"Meanwhile, Prawit smiled yesterday before telling the media briefly that he felt tired amid the mounting pressure on him to resign. "

 

To the DPM:   When it is too hot in the kitchen, then get out (as any sensible person would do)! 

Edited December 19, 2017 by lvr181
Correction

[Srikcir]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Prawit has never declared a single asset worth more than Bt200,000 to the NACC.

Is this to say that Prawit doesn't have a single piece of real estate such as a house or a personal auto that's worth more than Bt200,000? To be true most everything he possesses must be on loan from the military or third parties. Or there is something untrue being represented. For example:

• Suppose one owns 80 rai worth collectively Bt8 million. But the 80 rai consists of a collection of 8 contingent individual tax parcels each worth Bt100,000. Reportable?

A "single asset" as a test for financial reporting might be okay when the asset is a functional or utilitarian asset (albeit my example). But can one use it to evade reporting valuable intangible assets? For example a single stock share falls under the Bt200,000 threshold but a portfolio of 100,000 shares of the same stock would exceed Bt200,000 (married split aside).

 

Finally, is a foreign single asset worth more than Bt200,000 reportable?

 

[Ossy]

Just imagine the din that 60 million cheering Thais will make, if and when Prawit's sacking was announced on prime-time telly . . . audible from Uranus would be an UNDER-statement. 

[Stargeezr]

Looks like he wore his cheapest  watch for this latest picture. Suspicious or what..

Geezer

[Acharn]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

In his four assets declarations during his on-and-off membership in governments since 2008, Prawit has never declared a single asset worth more than Bt200,000 to the NACC.

If every one of his listed assets was worth that much, he'd have to list 435 items. Those asset declaration forms must be something to behold. So, he has assets worth his total annual salary? How does somebody do that? /s

[Ossy]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The unidentified deceased friend, who was described as a businessman and watch lover, lent watches to Prawit, some of which were not returned, the aide reportedly said.

The unidentified deceased friend . . . oh, how convenient that the source of the watch(es) - that he cited 2 weeks ago ('borrowed from a friend', he claimed) - turns out to have died and, upon his now reported failure to return them, some time ago. How come he didn't say 'borrowed from a DEAD friend'?

 

The dirty, lying scumbag . . . to call him an apology for humanity is an insult upon those who truly are . . . Prayut and his ministerial merry-go-round, for example.

[Eric Loh]

One of Prayut's memorable quotes among many other classics " I can assure you that I never befriended corrupt people or received any benefit from them". This now is in my top 10 nauseating quotes which include "I will not stage any coup" and "I am a democrat soldier".  

 

[bluesofa]

"PM urged to suspend Prawit under Article 44"

Perhaps suspended under a motorway bridge would be a better idea.

[maxcorrigan]

1 hour ago, Eric Loh said:

No way Prayut will suspend his boss. 

Very true, he has already said if he is left on his own he will be dangerous or words to that affect!

[Ossy]

If I was Prayut - or Chicken-Legs as I think of him now, after last week's erotic display - I'd shoot Prawit, dead of course, whilst demonstrating how the new Police firearms work and, even if it did look fishy, he knows he's got blanket amnesty over anything and everything . . . sorted.                                                                  

Edited December 19, 2017 by Ossy
omission

[sawadee1947]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

necessary to get rid of a bad apple to save the whole bushel,

....and who will be The last one to turn off the lights........

 

I suppose there are only bad apples .......