Campaigner Rejects Prawit’s Claim All Watches Were ‘Loaners’

[webfact]

Campaigner Rejects Prawit’s Claim All Watches Were ‘Loaners’

By Teeranai Charuvastra, Staff Reporter

 

  

Deputy junta chairman Prawit Wongsuwan chairs a government meeting on Jan. 10

 

BANGKOK — An activist who called for an investigation into deputy junta boss Prawit Wongsuwan’s undeclared luxury watches said Wednesday he remains unconvinced by the general’s claim they were all loaned by friends.

 

After Gen. Prawit broke his silence Tuesday for the first time since the scandal surfaced a month ago to say he’d borrowed all 24 timepieces spotted in his possession so far, transparency advocate Veera Somkwamkid said it was an outright lie and urged the anti-graft agency to reject his explanation.

 

Full story:  http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2018/01/17/campaigner-rejects-prawits-claim-watches-loaners/

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2018-01-17

[candide]

I guess his friends hide their watches in their socks when they see him, for fear he would borrow them!  "Watch out! Prawit is coming!" Ah!Ah!

[darksidedog]

This should be pretty easy to check out. Get the 24 watches produced and check from their serial numbers who bought them, when and where. Pound against a pinch of shit says he is lying.

Edited January 17, 2018 by darksidedog

[rkidlad]

This is all building nicely. More and more people jumping all over this story and his ridiculously insulting lies. 

 

Funny how he didn't say this from the beginning. He's taken all this time to think up this pathetic lie. Shows you the serious lack of intelligence and the complete arrogance at the top. 

[Chang_paarp]

Veera Somkwamkid is a very brave person. I hope there is no "attitude adjustment" in his future.

[nikmar]

21 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

This is all building nicely. More and more people jumping all over this story and his ridiculously insulting lies. 

 

Funny how he didn't say this from the beginning. He's taken all this time to think up this pathetic lie. Shows you the serious lack of intelligence and the complete arrogance at the top. 

 

Thing is, what can he say. If all is legit then it would be over now.

 

Borrowing 1 watch would be unusual but I could go for that as an excuse, but 24. Ridiculous to the extreme, and the only people pretending that it isnt are the Junta.

 

[55Jay]

If you needed any further example that the Junta is aloof and the media impotent........  No doubt he expected that feeble explanation to fly without much challenge or follow up. 

 

Almost as good as Hillary Clinton giving us a glimpse of her arrogance with that quip about her email server being wiped.  "You mean wiped like, with a cloth?". 

[AsianAtHeart]

Only one explanation for all of this makes sense to me as properly fitting all the puzzle pieces: Advertising.

 

Years ago, apparently the NASA astronauts were given luxury sports cars to use just for the publicity they would generate while using them in the limelight of the space program.  While the automakers were doing nothing illegal, they would likely have preferred to remain behind the scenes with their contribution, letting the unsuspecting public think the astronauts had selected their cars themselves--all the better for the advertising.

 

Is the watchmaker behind Prawit's watch wearing?  If so, it would not be illegal, would it?  Prawit would get the benefit of free use of the watches while the company gets the free advertising....it would be a win-win, even without any monetary exchange.

[fakename]

I think Prawit is going to have 24 pissed off friends, if they are all investigated! Im sure they didnt declare any watches, so who is going to take the wrap, him or his friends!

[coulson]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Prawit broke his silence Tuesday for the first time since the scandal surfaced a month ago to say he’d borrowed all 24 timepieces

He's on borrowed time

[Chris Lawrence]

Thai politics is very subtle. The General has caught Shinawat Disease. Common with top echelon types, doesn't go away until one is forced out of political office. It is catchy.

[ChrisY1]

For a supposedly mature man, trying to fob off ownership in this manner is at best, infantile.....but that's what Thailand is full of. And no doubt, a devout buddhist!

I would almost bet that most were purchased outside Thailand....or if purchased in Thailand, then very likely no duty ever paid....these guys get away  with that nonsense...(same as vehicles).

His arrogance is disgraceful considering his position in the public arena...Prayuth equally so.

[mark01]

All this time and that's the best he can think of?

Is this the same type of "loan" my Thai gf asks for occasionally?

[RichardColeman]

I'm guessing if he 'did' just borrow them, he wont name the loaner - I doubt they declared them as assets either !

[soalbundy]

Useless excuses,hire me, here an example of more believable stories

 

"I found them"

 

"They were presents from anonymous well wishers"

 

"Every time one of my teeth break I find one under my pillow"

 

"I sometimes suffer from Alzheimers so I can't remember but I am cured now,...... is that you mother"?

 

"It's a Buddhist thing, sometimes they just appear on my wrist and then disappear, it's a mystery" 

[stephenterry]

More to the point, why hasn't the Thai Anti-Graft Agency  been investigated by the Thai Anti-Graft Agency. After all, the head honcho has connections with this Prawit, and it is clearly a conflict of interest, or more likely not a conflict of interest depending on his POV.

 

As for the activist, I sense he will be sued for defamation at some point.

 

 

 

.  

[Happyman58]

19 hours ago, Chang_paarp said:

Veera Somkwamkid is a very brave person. I hope there is no "attitude adjustment" in his future.

He is brave But it is like pis  sing in the wind Of coarse it was a big porky told by the deputy PM

[samsensam]

i was talking to a friend's children (aged 10 and 12) the other day, for some reason this topic came up, the children mocked this guy and also told me a local journalist had told him to his face that people did not respect him, they were impressed how brave the journalist was to say this.

[Srikcir]

18 hours ago, AsianAtHeart said:

apparently the NASA astronauts were given luxury sports cars to use just for the publicity they would generate while using them in the limelight of the space program. 

One astronaut was given a car by GM, the others either purchased or leased.

Even though legal, "NASA worried photos of them in the cars would serve as an official endorsement" [that would be unlawful]

https://jalopnik.com/5799011/why-americas-first-astronauts-all-drove-corvettes

But a fanciful story.

[stephenterry]

2 minutes ago, samsensam said:

i was talking to a friend's children (aged 10 and 12) the other day, for some reason this topic came up, the children mocked this guy and also told me a local journalist had told him to his face that people did not respect him, they were impressed how brave the journalist was to say this.

And eventually the power of social media and its use by the young generation will eventually be the undoing of the junta, as Thai people will accept that there is an alternative to subservience. 

[Jonmarleesco]

Borrowed them all? So the good general can't afford to fork out on a reasonably priced Timex or Seiko; he has to 'borrow' expensive models from friends, many of whom seem to have passed on, conveniently forgetting to tell their nearest and dearest about the arrangement. Obviously, Prawit thinks that he's clever enough to be able to fool all of the people all of the time. It hasn't occurred to him that few are fooled by such an implausible story.

[baboon]

Post withdrawn. 

Edited January 18, 2018 by baboon

[baboon]

15 minutes ago, Jonmarleesco said:

Borrowed them all? So the good general can't afford to fork out on a reasonably priced Timex or Seiko; he has to 'borrow' expensive models from friends, many of whom seem to have passed on, conveniently forgetting to tell their nearest and dearest about the arrangement. Obviously, Prawit thinks that he's clever enough to be able to fool all of the people all of the time. It hasn't occurred to him that few are fooled by such an implausible story.

The excuses given are really the most insulting thing of all about this whole episode, aren't they?

The junta would have been better off sticking to 'shut up about it Or Else', rather than becoming (even more of) a laughingstock...

[Bundooman]

20 hours ago, AsianAtHeart said:

Only one explanation for all of this makes sense to me as properly fitting all the puzzle pieces: Advertising.

 

Years ago, apparently the NASA astronauts were given luxury sports cars to use just for the publicity they would generate while using them in the limelight of the space program.  While the automakers were doing nothing illegal, they would likely have preferred to remain behind the scenes with their contribution, letting the unsuspecting public think the astronauts had selected their cars themselves--all the better for the advertising.

 

Is the watchmaker behind Prawit's watch wearing?  If so, it would not be illegal, would it?  Prawit would get the benefit of free use of the watches while the company gets the free advertising....it would be a win-win, even without any monetary exchange.

"If" so, then why wouldn't he have stated that immediately, when the story broke?

[AsianAtHeart]

3 minutes ago, Bundooman said:

"If" so, then why wouldn't he have stated that immediately, when the story broke?

Maybe because it would look like a conflict of interest and still be an unsatisfactory response to most of the critical public?

[lamyai3]

On 1/17/2018 at 2:07 PM, webfact said:

all 24 timepieces

As of today's news there's now 25. Like his inexhaustible supply of generous friends, this story really is the gift that keeps on giving... 

[Retiredandhappyhere]

Prawit's excuse for "owning" a couple of dozen expensive watches is so insulting to the intelligence of the media and to all Thais, but, most of all, it is a total disgrace that his boss is apparently allowing him to come up with obvious nonsense like this, while allowing him to remain in such a senior position of power in the country.  Surely, he must realize how degrading this episode is for the country, which is becoming a laughing stock on corruption and other issues.