Prayut defends Prawit over expensive watches

[snoop1130]

Prayut defends Prawit over expensive watches

By Kas Chanwanpen 
The Nation

 

 

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday dismissed reports that his deputy, General Prawit Wongsuwan, would resign amid growing pressure over the luxury wristwatch scandal.

 

Prayut said people should not mix up Prawit’s private matters and his work. Prawit’s personal belongings had nothing to do with the national budget, the premier emphasised.

 

The issue should be left for the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate, he added.

 

Prayut also said he could not exercise his absolute power under Article 44 to deal with the scandal. When he had done so in the past to punish officials involved in wrongdoings, the relevant agencies had to make a proper proposal to his office first, he said.

 

“It’s not that we can rely on the Article 44 all the time. I have to be careful using it,” Prayut said.

 

Prawit, meanwhile, said he was worried about nothing, even though some international media outlets had reported on the issue.

 

Before leaving Government House in his van, Prawit, who was apparently in a bad mood, simply said he would not allow reporters to ask him questions about the watches.

 

Pressure is building on Prawit despite a former military officer’s revelation confirming the deputy prime minister’s account of the origins of the watches: that they belonged to a friend from secondary school who had subsequently died.

 

However, former deputy prime minister, MR Pridiyathorn Devakula, another friend of Prawit’s from the same secondary school, said early this week that if he faced similar circumstances, he would have already resigned. He also said that he believed Prawit would resign soon because of the mounting pressure.

 

Prawit is facing fierce criticism after being photographed wearing many different high-end timepieces. Members of the public are continuing to ask how a military officer making less than Bt1 million a year could possibly have afforded the luxury items.

 

The government’s inaction and Prawit’s account that the watches had been lent to him by a late friend continue to draw questions and scepticism, including from the international media.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30336956

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-1-23

[worgeordie]

Maybe they both need to go then, corruption OK for some

but not for others.

regards Worgeordie

[Ricardo]

I do hope that the former-soldier PM's loyalty to his colleague is not misplaced.

 

Caesar's wife, or his deputy-PM, needs to be seen to be above suspicion, not untouchable.

[z42]

Scum, I just hope CSI LA has been digging it dirt on Prayuth also, his uexplainable wealth is being overlooked and has been the case since 2014 when he said something to the extent of "don't ask me about this now".

 

The military brass are a reprehensible bunch, can't think of even 1 honouable guy in the whole bunch. What a disgrace

[YetAnother]

24 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Prawit’s personal belongings had nothing to do with the national budget, the premier emphasised.

is it too much to ask of thais who govern to be intelligent ? who mentioned national budget in all this ? total deflection; pathetic

[brucec64]

What a difference 3 years makes...

 

Thailand in Focus : National Broadcast by General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of Thailand, on 28 August 2015

"During this week’s cabinet meeting, I reiterated to the all the ministers that we would not tolerate any form of corruption and that their ranks and powers shall not be abused in any way. " 

 

http://www.thaiembassy.org/islamabad/en/news/4251/59655-National-Broadcast-by-General-Prayut-Chan-o-cha,-P.html

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.

 

Winston Churchill
 

[Chang_paarp]

33 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

 

Prayut said people should not mix up Prawit’s private matters and his work. Prawit’s personal belongings had nothing to do with the national budget, the premier emphasised.

 

Except as an indication of integrity. 

[rkidlad]

56 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Prawit, meanwhile, said he was worried about nothing, even though some international media outlets had reported on the issue.

He's worried about nothing? What does mean? He's not worried? Trivial things worry him? 

 

I'm guessing he's not worried about the whole watch scandal. Why should he be? He has 44. He is not accountable to the public. How is Thailand supposed to develop with this kind of mentality at the helm? It can't. 

 

Sorry to say, but I think Thailand needs to wake up and realise you don't get anything for free. You have to fight for it. This whole watch scandal is going to disappear into the night. 

[YetAnother]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Prayut said people should not mix up Prawit’s private matters

do any of us really want (nor respect) people governing us, firmly thinking they are our 'rulers', squabbling over watches;

these people are what they are , more in a seemingly endless line of self-absorbed, far-less-than-competent thai generals;

frankly i believe we could find the best of a bunch of 15 year-olds, even here, to do a better job

[Chris Lawrence]

3 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Prayut said people should not mix up Prawit’s private matters and his work. Prawit’s personal belongings had nothing to do with the national budget, the premier emphasised.

But telling porkies do. There is a time to be ruthless and a time to eat humble pie. Benny's at the pie stage.

[JonnyF]

Embarrassing. 

 

Thailand 4.0 - Corruption and failure to declare assets is a personal issue. Elections delayed again. Do not ask me about my unusual wealth. Shut up, peasants.

 

 

[sammieuk1]

Never trust a name beginning with Pra seams to be answer here to this long running ticker debacle.

[Aussieroaming]

Prawit isn't worried, he has got all of the time in the world for this to blow over. But time will tell whether watchers are watching him.

[janclaes47]

4 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Prawit’s personal belongings had nothing to do with the national budget, the premier emphasised.

 

Does he mean he found the money for the watches in a forgotten drawer?

 

I think that money was once part of the national budget, before Prawit and others siphoned it to their private accounts.

[marinediscoking]

Shut up about watches, shut up about monuments, shut up about submarines, , shut up about my land, and of course shut up about elections.

Also let the "good people" take car of things. 

[BuckBee]

Pretty obvious they both got serious unusual wealth above standard earnings for their jobs and failed disclose it which breaking laws .

serious lies, serious double standards and serious scandal on a serious offence of hiding wealth that would have any other party politician in exile lol ...

If you can afford that value of watches how much cash you actually got !

If honestly borrowed them all would of been openly revealed but as usual it kid like stories and delay tactics .

These clowns got to go and about time some younger educated people made it into politics as all the old dogs are too far gone for house training .

[Bob12345]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Prawit’s personal belongings had nothing to do with the national budget, the premier emphasised.

But that is exactly the question, isn't it?

 

How can you be so sure they have nothing to do with the national budget?

Isn't it widely known that everybody at the army top makes their money by putting parts of the national budget, assigned to the military, into their own pockets?

If it has nothing to do with the national budget, then where did the money come from?

[dinsdale]

Just now, snoop1130 said:

“It’s not that we can rely on the Article 44 all the time. I have to be careful using it,” Prayut said.

Yep. Only for enemies of the junta not friends.

[Lupatria]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

“It’s not that we can rely on the Article 44 all the time. I have to be careful using it,” Prayut said.

Not a smart statement. They will slap it around his ears on many occaisions to come.

[Orton Rd]

Yet these corrupt people who nobody voted for want to extradite a former elected PM convicted in a kangaroo court of a non crime, comedy gold as usual.

[IamNoone88]

I wonder what brand he has been wearing recently ....... we seem to be thin on recent watch photographs.

[Khun Han]

It's beyond silly when the country's 'prime minister' is interfering with due process on one of his ministers (who everybody knows is actually his immediate boss, but couldn't be given the premiership because he's just too plain unpalatable for it).

[Hayduke]

Uncle's well-fed little sidekick fills too many squares and is just too valuable to let go…

 

 

If you want to look thin, hang out with fat people.

 

If you want to look good, hang out with ugly people.

 

If you want to look talented, hang out with inept people.

 

If you want to look modest, hang out with greedy people.

 

If you want to look dignified, hang out with boorish people.

 

If you want to look smart, hang out with stupid people.

 

If you want to look comparatively honest, hang out with terminally corrupt people.

 

 

It’s an image thing.

 

Edited January 24, 2018 by Hayduke

[Dukeleto]

It’s not that we can rely on the Article 44 all the time. I have to be careful using it,” Prayut said.

 

Really! I think that was a bit over simplified. What I think he meant to say was “I can only execute Article 44 when it involves anyone opposed to me and my crew and who threatens the current status quo”.

 

I wonder if free and fair elections are ever held in TLoF and Team PCoC losses, if he will be also not be relying on Article 44 to invalidate the outcome?

 

At some point in time I can eventually see that 95% of the worlds population will eventually grow weary of the nonesence that governments (elites) elected or otherwise keep imposing on them. I really just can’t see how it’s possible to keep this charade going without everyone eventually screaming “Enough ALL-F£%&ING-READY!”

[Blackheart1916]

Prayut defends Prawit? But yesterday' story had Prawit on the way out!?!

[crazykopite]

I would have thought that when you purchase a watch of such expense the company you purchase it off would hold a record of the buyer along with the serial number of the watch.

[soalbundy]

"Prawits personal belongings have nothing to do with the national budget"

 

Surely we have got things wrong here General, they aren't his personal belongings, he borrowed them, remember, do try to keep up with the stories or you will spoil things.

[nikmar]

8 hours ago, marinediscoking said:

Shut up about watches, shut up about monuments, shut up about submarines, , shut up about my land, and of course shut up about elections.

Also let the "good people" take car of things. 

 

And no demonstrations, defo no marching!!

[Maejo Man]

8 minutes ago, crazykopite said:

I would have thought that when you purchase a watch of such expense the company you purchase it off would hold a record of the buyer along with the serial number of the watch.

Of course they do, but do you think for one moment that Prawit would divulge the serial numbers to prove his innocence?