Minister orders probe into annual loss of Bt1.5-bn from fund

[webfact]

Minister orders probe into annual loss of Bt1.5-bn from fund

By THE NATION

 

Labour minister Pol General Adul Sangsingkaew.

 

LABOUR MINISTER Pol General Adul Sangsingkaew has assigned a fact-finding panel to launch and complete in 15 days a probe into allegations that associations advocating the cause of those with disability had misappropriated funds.

 

They have been accused of siphoning off as much as Bt1.5 billion a year from training/seminar expenses and funds for employing the physically challenged.

 

President of the Network for Protection of Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Preeda Limnontakul, along with the alleged victims, yesterday petitioned the Department of Special Investigation to investigate the allegations and provide protection to the witnesses. He said if the case remains unsolved, he would petition the United Nations.

 

Adul told the media yesterday that this was the first such corruption complaint since his ministry had implemented job promotions for disabled persons in 2009. 

 

Adul said his ministry’s mission, as per the Promotion and Development of Quality of life of Persons with Disabilities Act, included ensuring business establishments adhered to the principle of hiring of one physically challenged person per 100 workers, by employing those who had registered with the ministry’s Department of Employment (DOE). 

 

 

So far, in fiscal year 2018, a total of 1,979 physically challenged people had registered with the DOE and 1,565 of them were hired in available job positions.

 

He said his ministry was not responsible for the money that those establishments – which had failed to hire any or fell short in hiring the required number of physically challenged personnel – had to contribute directly to the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Fund.

 

He said this year 14,623 employers had contributed to the fund at the rate of Bt109,000 per annum per person in lieu of their salary.

 

Adul said his ministry would check DOE provincial branch offices, which oversee job-promotion measures, including providing space for goods and services by the physically challenged, arranging subcontracting work for them, and other assistance such as sign language interpreters, if they had followed the regulations.

 

After that the DOE branch offices would send photocopies of related documents about aid provided to the physically challenged and their caretakers to the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS)’s provincial branch offices and the Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEP) to do follow-up checks.

 

MSDHS Minister Anantaporn Kanjanarat said the alleged corruption in training/seminars arranged by associations, as well as the hiring of physically challenged persons, was the Labour Ministry’s responsibility. He said this should be probed on a case-by-case basis, as it was unlikely to be a case of systemic corruption.

 

MSDHS spokesperson Supatcha Suttipol said 36,833 physically challenged persons were employed under the 100:1 ratio rule. She insisted that the DEP had not received any complaints from such workers about their association/foundation taking any illegal commission from their pay.

 

She said the authorities would check on Preeda’s allegations, including his claim of a threat to his physically challenged friend who was forced to sign consent not to pursue legal action in exchange for Bt20,000. 

 

Preeda, who had earlier this week complained about this case to the Office of the National Human Rights Commission, said the MSDHS should not hurriedly dismiss the corruption allegations but instead launch a through investigation. 

 

Citing from stories told to him by 50 victims, Preeda said a Chon Buri company had hired a physically challenged person in January 2016, who then resigned a few months later.

 

He now lives in Ayutthaya and continues to get paid at Bt7,000 a month – of which Bt2,000 was deducted as commission. In another case, 100 physically challenged persons in Phetchaburi province had given their disability identification cards “for employment” to a company representative who then paid them Bt500 per head along and gave them a worker ID card, he added.

 

He said he had uploaded all the information so that officials, if they wished to probe and solve the problem, could have access and launch an investigation. He said the process should take only a month to complete.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30354820

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-09-20

[YetAnother]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

He said if the case remains unsolved, he would petition the United Nations.

definitely will put fear in all involved

[davehowden]

Form a committee, have meetings, draw up agenda, blah blah blah ......

End result problem buried.

[Aussie999]

15 days is NOT a realistic timeframe..... more like look, I'm doing something about it, now leave me alone.

[mikebell]

Just when you think Thai Officialdom can sink no lower, they manage to do it.

[Samui Bodoh]

"...They have been accused of siphoning off as much as Bt1.5 billion a year from training/seminar expenses and funds for employing the physically challenged..."

 

1.5 BILLION baht a year and no one noticed? 

 

I call BS!

 

If 1.5 BILLION Baht has been siphoned off for the last XXX number of years, then it is simply impossible that this was not widely known throughout the Ministry, from the lowest level all the way to the top. Simply Impossible.

 

Does the Ministry have Auditors? Round them up immediately and toss them in jail until there is an adequate explanation. Round up each and every supervisor around; governments cannot spend monies, any monies, without a signed authorization. Look up the signer and toss them in jail until there is an explanation.

 

As enjoyable as my last paragraph might be, it is unrealistic; there are too many people. However, what is possible is to authorize a blanket investigation of the top ten people at the Ministry from the last ten years, and put their affairs under a microscope. Money rises to the top.

 

If Thailand were the least bit  interested in finding the wrong-doers and solving this issue of massive, industrialized theft, rounding up the leaders is what is needed.

 

But, sadly, I doubt very much that Thailand actually wants to solve this; too many 'powerful' people, too many 'good' people and too many 'leaders' would get splashed with shame and spunk.

 

It is a sad commentary, but it seems that Thailand would rather have the most destitute robbed from rather than admit 'Good' People are stinking thieves.

 

Sad.

 

Truly sad... 

 

 

[Lungstib]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

He said this should be probed on a case-by-case basis, as it was unlikely to be a case of systemic corruption.

We have the massive amount of 1.5 billion baht, a 15 day time limit which would indicate a big hurry to get this over and the above suggestion which in this country is laughable. Already there are ministries suggesting it couldn't be them and a desire to pass it off to individual companies. Whitewash must be getting in short supply but I'm sure officials are doing their best to supply lots of it. 

[a977]

Must be an election coming up, only 15 days to find 1.5b over x number of years, me be thinking somebody still got nose in trough and doesn't want to get found out,. Now I wonder who that person could be can't be the army their too busy controlling the people, can't be the General's their too busy telling Porkies about elections, don't have to be Einstein to figure this one out.

[Cadbury]

It is obvious there are no audit procedures in place to allow these frauds to be discovered. And even if there were such practices the auditors would be bought off and end up being complicit in the scam. It is usually left to the victims to expose the fraud. That's just the way it is in the Thai civil service; rotten to the core!

The politicians set the example and the civil service says "why not me" and dive their trotters into the vast amounts of easy access money sitting there waiting for them. Hollow words by the PM  will do nothing to change the situation. 

[tomacht8]

Those who pay taxes in thailand can only be annoyed. Everywhere there are criminal figures who rob the population. It's absolutely sickening.

[worgeordie]

Almost,well I think everything that involves Government funds has

an element of corruption,syphoning off money meant for the poor,

destitute,farmers,construction,roads,everything,they dont leave 

anything untouched,and there is no end in sight,because those

that make the laws and make sure they a carried out may also

be involved,like the fox guarding the hen house.

regards worgeordie

[happy chappie]

Looks like they've been having 10,000 claims @9,000b going in their pockets.a mere 90,000,000 a month.when ever I read funds,millions or billions I can guarantee there fraud involved.thievery is ok to do in Thailand and only against the law if you get caught.at a guess I would suspect everyone in the administration to be having a slice of the cake.

[Artisi]

Only 1.5 billion, just a drop in the ocean, or should that be trough - not even worth investigating as it will just be a bookkeeping error resulting from the tea-lady's lack of attention to detail. 

[JAG]

1 hour ago, Cadbury said:

It is obvious there are no audit procedures in place to allow these frauds to be discovered. And even if there were such practices the auditors would be bought off and end up being complicit in the scam. It is usually left to the victims to expose the fraud. That's just the way it is in the Thai civil service; rotten to the core!

The politicians set the example and the civil service says "why not me" and dive their trotters into the vast amounts of easy access money sitting there waiting for them. Hollow words by the PM  will do nothing to change the situation. 

Of course there are no effective audit procedures. I would even question whether "fraud," is the most appropriate term - open plundering seems to fit better!

 

It is however, part of the unspoken contract which applies to the way that the country is governed.

 

Wealth is power. It brings with it further control of and access to the country's economic resources. The cartel who occupy this " high ground" need the various agencies and arms of government to keep them there. They buy their loyalty by allowing them the freedom to be as corrupt as they wish, or perhaps more accurately as they can be.

 

They loyalty of those further down the food chain in these agencies is ensured by a sophisticated system where the proceeds are shared out according to rank.

 

 

 

[Chassa]

43 minutes ago, happy chappie said:

thievery is ok to do in Thailand and only against the law if you get caught

True everywhere, not just Thailand.

[happy chappie]

48 minutes ago, JAG said:

Of course there are no effective audit procedures. I would even question whether "fraud," is the most appropriate term - open plundering seems to fit better!

 

It is however, part of the unspoken contract which applies to the way that the country is governed.

 

Wealth is power. It brings with it further control of and access to the country's economic resources. The cartel who occupy this " high ground" need the various agencies and arms of government to keep them there. They buy their loyalty by allowing them the freedom to be as corrupt as they wish, or perhaps more accurately as they can be.

 

They loyalty of those further down the food chain in these agencies is ensured by a sophisticated system where the proceeds are shared out according to rank.

 

 

 

They do have auditors,they get one of the biggest slices of the cake.

[trainman34014]

It takes just 15 minutes to figure out where the money has gone but it will take 15 years to bring those responsible to any punitive form of justice !

[kannot]

So you see the true  underbelly  of  Thailand where some of the  most vulnerable in society are even threatened, the "real" Thailand, not that happy  smiley grengjai BS crap , its runs on total fear thru the hierarchy.

[kannot]

1 hour ago, tomacht8 said:

Those who pay taxes in thailand can only be annoyed. Everywhere there are criminal figures who rob the population. It's absolutely sickening.

Something I have avoided all my life is taxes, evasion ,avoidance, whatever its  just a  sick game, it never goes where it should and in Thailand its  even more of a   dismal joke, I always said the best way to tax is to slap it on everything bought ( which they do anyway) and forget income tax as thats the  biggest disincentive to work hard ever.

[mercman24]

wonder what happened to the inquiry as to the massive corruption ripping off the poor people, thats gone quiet, still typical, they think people forget if left long enough

[tomacht8]

China simply hang, for the effective fight against corruption, the thieving officials on the gallows.

In particularly severe cases like this, Thailand should also consider this.

[hotchilli]

Nothing to do with corrupt officials or government offices, it's all the companies !!!!

Thailand is rotten to the core with corruption and it always will be.

No-one will clean it up because it goes right to the very top & is endemic all the way to the gutter!

[Lucky mike]

Need punishment to fit the crime!

[Lupatria]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

Minister orders probe into annual loss of Bt1.5-bn from fund

Anyone else they forgot to hand out an invitation to the trough?

[Redline]

No enforcement by the police probably caused most of these disabilities, no oversight of any monies that go to the poor and disabled, which apparently seem to disappear because of manipulation through fear of the vulnerable populations-pretty sickening