Ministry suspects decades of corrupt practices in school Internet service

[rooster59]

Ministry suspects decades of corrupt practices in school Internet service

By The Nation

 

Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin

 

THE Education Ministry suspects years of corrupt practices in its decades-long MOENET project, which supplied Internet access to agencies and schools under the ministry’s supervision.

 

Top ministry officials, including retired permanent secretaries, are now possible targets for a probe by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). 

 

“We will forward the case to the NACC to look at the role of senior officials who were in charge of the project,” Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin said yesterday.

 

Teerakiat, who himself headed the ministry’s fact-finding committee, suspected that corruption in MOENET might have gone on for decades. The ministry’s current deputy permanent secretary, Prasert Boonruang, has testified that he was offered a 7-per-cent bribe last year as representatives of TOT tried to persuade him to extend the MOENET contract with the firm. 

“But I turned down the offer. I will not engage in any kind of corruption,” he said. 

 

Teerakiat has now treated Prasert as a witness, even though the latter renewed the contract with TOT twice during the past two years. 

 

The decision was based on the fact that Prasert spoke up about alleged irregularities as soon as he detected them. 

 

“Initially, I extended the contract for three months so as to give relevant officials some time to prepare for procurement in line with the policy of then-education minister, General Dapong Ratanasuwan. Seven months later, I agreed to renew the contract again because there was no other bidder. But when a C8-level official came to me last October to recommend contract renewal again, I said a firm ‘No’ because things got suspicious,” Prasert explained.

 

Bribe offered

 

According to him, the C8-level official at the ministry tried hard to persuade him to endorse renewal of the contract, pleading that non-renewal of the contract would leave |more than 30,000 schools without Internet access. 

 

When Prasert continued to refuse approval for the contract renewal, the seven-per-cent bribe was offered. 

 

“That’s when I decided to alert the current education minister,” Prasert said. 

 

Teerakiat not only cancelled the contract with TOT early this year, but he also transferred the concerned C8-level official. 

 

Each year, the Education Ministry pays more than Bt3 billion for MOENET. 

 

TOT stepped in as Internet service provider for MOENET in 2002. In charge of the MOENET is the ICT centre of the ministry, which reports to the ministry’s Office of the Permanent Secretary.

 

Khunying Kasama Varavarn had served as the permanent secretary for Education |from 2002 to 2003, and also from 2004 to 2006. 

 

Other former permanent secretaries of the Education Ministry include Pornnipa Limpaphayom, Charuaypon Torranin, Sasitara Pichaicharnnarong, Panita Kambhu, Suthasri Wongsamarn and Kamjorn Tatiyakavee.

 

At the helm of the ministry’s ICT centre back in 2002 was Kiatisak Sensai. Laddawan Samittamarn served as the centre’s director between 2003 and 2004. 

 

Other former directors of the centre included Mayuree Rattanamung, Charnwit Tapsuphan, Nitibodee Tiangworakan, Jettana Dangintawat, and Orachart Suebsit. 

 

“The NACC will have to investigate which officials engaged in corrupt practices during the past many years. At this point, allegations have not yet been proven,” Teerakiat said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30343620

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-04-21

[Samui Bodoh]

1 minute ago, rooster59 said:

“We will forward the case to the NACC to look at the role of senior officials who were in charge of the project,” Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin said yesterday.

 

I had some hope until I came to the passage above...

 

The organization that dealt with Prawit's watches will do what...?

 

The NACC has NO credibility.

 

Why bother with it further?

 

[YetAnother]

3 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Top ministry officials, including retired permanent secretaries, are now possible targets for a probe by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). 

exactly why the corruption flourished and went 'undetected' for so long

[PatOngo]

20 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Teerakiat, who himself headed the ministry’s fact-finding committee, suspected that corruption in MOENET might have gone on for decades

.....and only now is something being done about it? Oh! That irresistible swill in the trough!

 

Edited April 20, 2018 by PatOngo

[smutcakes]

I suspect decades of corruption in the ministry of education.

[ThreeEyedRaven]

2 minutes ago, smutcakes said:

I suspect decades of corruption in the ministry of education.

I am confident of decades of corruption in the ministry of education. I am confident of corruption in every Government department.

I am hoping one day to hear of a single one that isn't, but that hasn't happened so far, and I am not confident it will.

[bluesofa]

31 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Prasert Boonruang, has testified that he was offered a 7-per-cent bribe last year as representatives of TOT tried to persuade him to extend the MOENET contract with the firm. 

“But I turned down the offer. I will not engage in any kind of corruption,” he said. 

 

I would like to believe him, I honestly would. However, the cynic in me thought perhaps 7% wasn't enough?

 

[worgeordie]

Each year, the Education Ministry pays more than Bt3 billion for MOENET.

3 BILLION, that's a lot,how much is that a school ?,Just Googled it and it

says that's 100,000 THB per school,if that's correct they seem to be over paying.

regards worgeordie

[colinneil]

I suspect decades of corruption, Teerakit said.

What a bloody clown coming out with a comment like that.

[robblok]

1 hour ago, Samui Bodoh said:

 

I had some hope until I came to the passage above...

 

The organization that dealt with Prawit's watches will do what...?

 

The NACC has NO credibility.

 

Why bother with it further?

 

I think the NACC can work good.. just not when it goes up against friends of the regime. That is not the case here so it will probably do its job.

[mikebell]

Can anyone name a public authority/organisation not tainted by corruption in Thailand?  If so, give it time.

[JAG]

All the rural government schools around here (Chiang Rai) seem to have 3BB "boxes" in their grounds. Certainly, the one next to which I live, if it uses TOT, will be abysmally slow, because we are too far from the TOT "box" to be able to get a decent broadband.

[mok199]

yet another probe...''we're going to need a bigger instrument''

[ubonjoe]

A baiting post and a reply to it have been removed.

[Lupatria]

What can one expect in a country where you hardly can buy a roll of toilet paper without corruption involved in the purchase?

[klauskunkel]

7 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Ministry suspects decades of corrupt practices in school Internet service

It takes one to know one

[Bangkok Barry]

9 hours ago, mikebell said:

Can anyone name a public authority/organisation not tainted by corruption in Thailand?  If so, give it time.

 

No. What a society to be proud of. But they are. They really believe that Thailand is the best country in the world.

Edited April 21, 2018 by Bangkok Barry

[nausea]

 

I was here when this was introduced at our local school, what a joke. Everyone knows, everyone accepts it for some reason. Oh, they'll be a reckoning one day. It's not like the people don't know.

[Jim1000]

It might be simpler to make a list of all the  things that are not affected by corruption - death and taxes anyone?

[Srikcir]

11 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Prasert Boonruang, has testified that he was offered a 7-per-cent bribe last year as representatives

 

11 hours ago, rooster59 said:

But when a C8-level official came to me last October to recommend contract renewal again, I said a firm ‘No’ because things got suspicious,”

 

11 hours ago, rooster59 said:

“That’s when I decided to alert the current education minister,

Five months later, Teerakiat cancels the contract with TOT early this year (more like when The Nation reported it this month?). That must mean that Prasert was overruled and the contract was still renewed. How else could Teerakiat cancel it?  

 

[KiwiKiwi]

They suspect...

 

This bunch of Sherlock Holmes' sure don't know very much about the nature of Thais, do they? And they're in charge of a Ministry? And Education?

 

Remarkable really, the blind, stupid and corrupt leading the blind, stupid and corrupt. And they expect respect? Really?

 

Thais don't think believe have anything to learn. Perhaps they've known everything from birth courtesy of their national guardian angel. Perhaps they should read ThaiVisa, because lots of people here know exactly what Thais are.

Edited April 21, 2018 by KiwiKiwi

[Dumbastheycome]

10 minutes ago, KiwiKiwi said:

They suspect...

 

This bunch of Sherlock Holmes' sure don't know very much about the nature of Thais, do they? And they're in charge of a Ministry? And Education?

 

Remarkable really, the blind, stupid and corrupt leading the blind, stupid and corrupt. And they expect respect? Really?

 

Thais don't think believe have anything to learn. Perhaps they've known everything from birth courtesy of their national guardian angel. Perhaps they should read ThaiVisa, because lots of people here know exactly what Thais are.

" Perhaps they should read ThaiVisa, because lots of people here know exactly what Thais are."  And  that is??????

[KiwiKiwi]

13 minutes ago, Dumbastheycome said:

" Perhaps they should read ThaiVisa, because lots of people here know exactly what Thais are."  And  that is??????

In my opinion? Under-educated, dishonest and largely self-deluded with  very few useful skills.

 

But hey, that's just my opinion based on my interaction with Thais. Your mileage might vary.

[Cadbury]

12 hours ago, robblok said:

I think the NACC can work good.. just not when it goes up against friends of the regime. That is not the case here so it will probably do its job.

The NACC does good work?? You must be joking!

Along with the PACC  these are two institutions are designed to protect the corrupt. Exampled by the fact that they have removed the RTP from the jurisdiction to be allowed to investigate corruption within the civil service. Like the those civil servants who ripped off the destitute. These two organisations are protectors of the scams.

 

 

[robblok]

13 minutes ago, Cadbury said:

The NACC does good work?? You must be joking!

Along with the PACC  these are two institutions are designed to protect the corrupt. Exampled by the fact that they have removed the RTP from the jurisdiction to be allowed to investigate corruption within the civil service. Like the those civil servants who ripped off the destitute. These two organisations are protectors of the scams.

 

 

Your sarcasm meter is broken.  (i was saying they were bias) read again what i wrote.

 

The NACC only does good work if the regime needs someone punished. 

 

Not sure if it would help if the RTP was included there as the RTP is corrupt too. 

Edited April 21, 2018 by robblok

[Cake Monster]

The corruption probably went challenged for decades, then somebody had there take reduced and hey ! we have a story.

[DILLIGAD]

The corruption probably went challenged for decades, then somebody had there take reduced and hey ! we have a story.

Unchallenged, you mean.


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