EDITORIAL

Onus on NACC

Last week, a jury appointed by a Los Angeles court found Gerald and Patricia Green guilty of paying over US$1.8 million (about 72 million baht at the time) in bribes to the governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), in exchange for a lucrative contract to host the Bangkok International Film Festival (BKK IFF) from 2002 to 2006.

With this verdict, there can be no more excuses or delays from the Thai anti-graft agency in launching an investigation into Juthamas Siriwan, the former TAT governor who granted the film festival deals, along with other contracts worth more than $10 million, to the Greens during those scandalous years.

The National Anti-Corruption Committee (NACC) is scheduled to meet today to discuss the case. The swift and decisive trial of the Greens by the US court means any further procrastination by the NACC in questioning the involvement of Ms Juthamas would greatly tarnish the authority of the local anti-graft body.

cont'd here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/23910/

-- Bangkok Post 2009-09-16

With this verdict, there can be no more excuses or delays from the Thai anti-graft agency in launching an investigation into Juthamas Siriwan, the former TAT governor who granted the film festival deals, along with other contracts worth more than $10 million, to the Greens during those scandalous years.

will they investigate everything she handled , or just restrict it to the contracts involving the Greens ?

With this verdict, there can be no more excuses or delays from the Thai anti-graft agency in launching an investigation into Juthamas Siriwan, the former TAT governor who granted the film festival deals, along with other contracts worth more than $10 million, to the Greens during those scandalous years.

will they investigate everything she handled , or just restrict it to the contracts involving the Greens ?

Logic would suggest to investigate everything; anyone who dealt with her knew that as with the Thaksin appointed AOT RHM looking after the airport; that this was the gatekeeper to getting lucrative contracts with a government agency with a big budget and lots of schemes and plans. Their connections stretch well back.

This was also the woman that spent a fortune to give us an ad campaign so bland I honestly have forgotten it....unseen in Thailand perhaps?

Her nickname was miss 20% for a reason. In the last year, some called her miss 40%.

But just the film festival would be enough.

Of course, now we start to hear, 'well they are all skimming'. Ah. So that must mean it is ok then.

What a relief!

Another one of Thaksin's "best and brightest" with their fingers in the pie. What an incredible surprise....

Nothing to do with Thaksin my friend. Lots to do with being a rich Thai - nine in ten of them are at it, corruption is probably the biggest single reason LOS is rapidly degenerating into a failed state. Sad but true.

Lots to do with Thaksin, appointed by him with her own special salary, not the usual TAT rate.

Yah.

I did hear Thaksin was responsible for swine flu and the fires in California too. Evil, pure evil.

Tourism is in the doldrums -- and here we have another case which will colour peoples opinions of Thailand

Is Juthamas still in Thailand? There are rumours going around that she isn't. If she is, she is keeping a very low profile and isn't answering her phone.

Husband Dusit Siriwan also seems to have dropped out of sight.

Is Juthamas still in Thailand? There are rumours going around that she isn't. If she is, she is keeping a very low profile and isn't answering her phone.

Husband Dusit Siriwan also seems to have dropped out of sight.

I thought they were divorced...had been for a long time now

We should call the country the rotten mango.

Anyone got any inspiring news about people doing good deeds, etc, in LOS? Is it me or am I just hearing one bad thing after another? What happened to morals, ethics, honesty here? Or has Taksin tainted the place with his ways to riches and happiness that people believe his ways are the best ways?

Is Juthamas still in Thailand? There are rumours going around that she isn't. If she is, she is keeping a very low profile and isn't answering her phone.

Husband Dusit Siriwan also seems to have dropped out of sight.

Is he in prison? He was convicted along with Samak and sentenced to 2 years in prison, which was reaffirmed upon appeal. Although not sure if they used up all the channels of appeal and I would suspect that that would have made news if he actually was sent off to prison.

So Dusit and Juthamas are another nice couple like Thaksin and Potjamin as well as Somchai and Thaksin's sister Yaowapa... all either banned from politics or criminally convicted (or both), with the exception that Juthamas has yet to be convicted.