Fancy lampposts! There may be tough economic times but Thai council still spending millions on "Kinarees"

[webfact]

Picture: Siam Rath

 

The scandal and investigation known as "lamppostgate" has resurfaced in the Ratchathewa sub-district of Bang Plee district, Samut Prakan, central Thailand.

 

It has been claimed that corrupt councils spend money on fancy lamppost designs to gouge public money for themselves. 

 

Such designs can be seen in many places in Thailand, sometimes in completely out of the way locations where normal lighting would suffice.

 

Now in the very place where the scandal began before spreading elsewhere - and where an investigation is still unresolved after nine years - the local council has decided to put in 727 more "Kinaree" lampposts.

 

Kinarees are mythical creatures from Thai legend.

 

They are costing a whopping 69 million baht.

 

Ten on the council voted yes, four said no so mayor Songchai Nokkham's plan is going ahead.

They are also spending 54 million baht on CCTV and 25 million on a building upgrade. 

 

Ratchathewa has been investigated since 2013 over the issue reported Siam Rath. 

 

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[lujanit]

Blatant corruption.  Why not fix roads and pathways and skim that budget?  At least it would benefit the public.  If nothing happened since 2013 nothing will happen now or in the future.

[worgeordie]

They could have put them even more closer and extracted more corruption.

let there be light ,shine some light on the corrupt councilors .....

 

regards worgeordie 

[2baht]

Widespread scam, every Amphur has them! Kaching, kaching, Khup Phom!  ????

[Shuya]

90'000 THB per lamp more than the price for a standard one. Amazing Thailand.

[nikmar]

37 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

They could have put them even more closer and extracted more corruption.

let there be light ,shine some light on the corrupt councilors .....

 

regards worgeordie 

I was going to say just that - maybe they could put a row of lights in the middle of the canal!!!!

[Cranky]

You think they could put them up straight for that money. 

[klauskunkel]

It's actually alright that they continue with this lamp post scam, since by now everybody knows this indicates the corruption in the district admin. If your district has these lamp posts, your district is corrupt. They are obviously too lazy to come up with something subtler and less obvious, bless their little minds and greedy hearts... 

[smiggley]

Solar lights are cheap on Lazada, and posts are not very expensive either. 555.

[RichardColeman]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Ten on the council voted yes, four said no so mayor Songchai Nokkham's plan is going ahead.

Would have thought you got who you voted for in a council election

[off road pat]

1 hour ago, klauskunkel said:

It's actually alright that they continue with this lamp post scam, since by now everybody knows this indicates the corruption in the district admin. If your district has these lamp posts, your district is corrupt. They are obviously too lazy to come up with something subtler and less obvious, bless their little minds and greedy hearts... 

Hm,..those lampposts are part of the visible corruption,...the rest you/we don't know anything about !!!

[Roel]

Farang don't understand. We do for people. So they can see potholes!

[BangkokReady]

1 hour ago, RichardColeman said:

Would have thought you got who you voted for in a council election

Maybe the others were even more corrupt.  Or these ones just bought their way in.

[Jonathan Swift]

7 minutes ago, Roel said:

Farang don't understand. We do for people. So they can see potholes!

yes, a well lit pothole is much safer than no pothole at all

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, klauskunkel said:

It's actually alright that they continue with this lamp post scam, since by now everybody knows this indicates the corruption in the district admin. If your district has these lamp posts, your district is corrupt. They are obviously too lazy to come up with something subtler and less obvious, bless their little minds and greedy hearts... 

In Thailand no-one cares about corruption. It's so deeply ingrained into the culture and just a part of daily life. Widely accepted, as a survey some years ago proved, when - I think - 84% saw nothing wrong with corruption if there was something in it for them. Therefore, no-one needs to hide it, as in these district administrators. Because no-one cares.

 

And it's why, nine years later, a previous blatant example hasn't been resolved and never will be. They just go through the motion of saying - without actually doing anything - that an enquiry with 20 committees has been formed to investigate. But it's the same in any Third World country.

[PETERTHEEATER]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

has been claimed that corrupt councils spend money on fancy lamppost designs to gouge public money for themselves. 

Ooh! Who would claim such a thing?..........????

[thurien]

3 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

They are obviously too lazy to come up with something subtler and less obvious

the ultimate, subtle solution would be to buy "invisible" lamp posts which - as they are state of the art - not even require concrete bedding, electr. wiring etc.; by installing those nobody would be painfully reminded every day about corruption.

 

....ah I forgot: these invisible models are of course double the price of the profane types

[gomangosteen]

My partner is an accountant for a civil engineering company. Roads and bridges. Contracts mostly 600 million upwards, the standard cut for 'officials' is factored into their contract tenders at 11%. 

That's the way it is. Without those payoffs, no contracts. 

Every time a progress payment is due from local government, so too a progress payment is due to the local government inspectors who sign off on work completed.

 

 

[dallen52]

So divide by two.

Cost of envelopes negligible. 

Another blatant waste (rort).

[dallen52]

2 hours ago, Roel said:

Farang don't understand. We do for people. So they can see potholes!

In the canal..

Night fishing I suppose. 

[mran66]

9 hours ago, lujanit said:

Blatant corruption.  Why not fix roads and pathways and skim that budget?  At least it would benefit the public.  If nothing happened since 2013 nothing will happen now or in the future.

You answered your own question... Fixing roads have far smaller kickback that these very expensive lamps... Follow the money answers almost all questions here... 

[mran66]

44 minutes ago, gomangosteen said:

... the standard cut for 'officials' is factored into their contract tenders at 11%.

... Sounds reasonable, I've heard numbers about twice of that... 

[thailand49]

Stick those lamps where the sun dont shine! ????

[snoop1130]

NACC says Racha Thewa TAO has the right to buy more “fancy” lamp posts

 

 

Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) will not interfere with the decision of the Racha Thewa Tambon (sub-district) Administration Organisation (TAO) to procure an additional 727 “fancy” lamp posts, at an estimated cost of 69 million baht, to be installed in the sub-district.

 

NACC Secretary-General Niwatchai Kasemmongkol said today (Thursday) that the TAO Council in Samut Prakan Province has the authority to press ahead with the lamp post project, even though it is already being investigated by the anti-corruption watchdog for alleged misuse of funds to procure hundreds of similar lamp posts at inflated prices previously.

 

He said that there are five case files open on the lamp post project and the NACC is expected to wrap up all the cases early next year, ahead of a ruling by the commission. The accused will be given a chance to defend themselves, he added.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/nacc-says-racha-thewa-tao-has-the-right-to-buy-more-fancy-lamp-posts/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-12-01

 

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[gomangosteen]

These lampposts didn't even get posts ... loosely attached to buildings along a Chanthaburi riverside road, only a few function as lights, several have fallen off and sit propped up on the pavement as ornaments.

 

I wasn't aware of this fraud business ... there's also a stretch of rural road, no houses,  that strangely has about 150m of fancy lights for no apparent reason. I don't know if they're connected, or purely decorative. 

 

Money well spent?

 

Did consider taking one home for the garden, but that would be akin to a crime against humanity and the "ha ha" full force of the law would apply

 

 

[hotchilli]

20 hours ago, webfact said:

Now in the very place where the scandal began before spreading elsewhere - and where an investigation is still unresolved after nine years - the local council has decided to put in 727 more "Kinaree" lampposts.

Let the skimming continue.

[hotchilli]

19 hours ago, nikmar said:

I was going to say just that - maybe they could put a row of lights in the middle of the canal!!!!

Missed opportunity, they could have thrown a connecting arc over the klong and had an avenue of light reflecting in the water below, could have had fish-tail boat rides at night..

for a price.

[AhFarangJa]

15 hours ago, Cranky said:

You think they could put them up straight for that money. 

No, No, No,...... They put them in at a cant, then get more money to level them up later....

[AhFarangJa]

19 hours ago, nikmar said:

I was going to say just that - maybe they could put a row of lights in the middle of the canal!!!!

That is where the next 700 or so are going.....

[Classic Ray]

12 hours ago, gomangosteen said:

My partner is an accountant for a civil engineering company. Roads and bridges. Contracts mostly 600 million upwards, the standard cut for 'officials' is factored into their contract tenders at 11%. 

That's the way it is. Without those payoffs, no contracts. 

Every time a progress payment is due from local government, so too a progress payment is due to the local government inspectors who sign off on work completed.

 

 

This is a product of the Thai economic model. Low efficiency of tax collection leads to a shortfall in the money available for public officials’ salaries. 
 

Low salaries means they must be creative to supplement them to support their desired lifestyles. So skimming becomes a way of life.

 

Capital projects are well supported as great skimming opportunities. Maintenance not so much, which is why, together with skims on the original project quality, the infrastructure crumbles after a few years. Just look at how short the lifetime is of new roads. 
 

As there is no appetite to change the model, supported by the businesses and officials  who benefit, it will continue ad infinitum.