Thaksin Cracks Down On Fake Doctors

[george]

PM orders 'check' of educational backgrounds of all House MPs

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has instructed the Ministry of Education to examine educational backgrounds of all MPs in the House of Representatives after a Chat Thai Party MP claimed that 13 MPs of the ruling Thai Rak Thai (TRT) Party hold fake educational documents.

"I'm interested in the allegation and I've ordered the Ministry of Education to look into the case and to conduct a 'thorough check' of educational backgrounds of all the incumbent House MPs", the prime minister told journalists here today.

"This will be fair to all parties, and any MPs who are found to hold fake educational documents will be definitely taken action", he noted.

Mr. Thaksin's remarks followed a recent claim by Mr. Choovit Kamolvisit, a former massage tycoon turning to now become a party-list Chat Thai MP, that 13 MPs of Mr. Thaksin's TRT Party hold fake educational paper records.

Turning to an alleged corruption case in the procurment of CTX 9000 bomb detectors for Bangkok's new internatonal airport, the Suvarnabhumi Airport, the prime minister reiterated that the government would terminate the contract immediately if the parties involved in the deal were unable to defend themselves against the allegation.

Thailand purchased the CTX 9000 devices from the US-based GE-Invision Technology company through a dealer firm, Patriot Business Consultants, in Bangkok.

However, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (US-SEC) said it its recent audit report that the procurement of the bomb detective machines might not have been transparent.

The US-SEC said that the cost of the procurement of the CTX devices might have been nearly Bt3 billion baht higher than the actual cost.

The official investigation into the alleged corruption case is expected to be completed within two weeks.

--TNA 2005-05-05

[Teach]

Well, if the investigation is thorough and transparent, and the penalties for fraudulent doc's is removal from holding any gov' position or more rightly life ban I can see an awful lot of vacancies in governmental careers popping up. Hope they start right at the top of the chain. A new PM might be just what the 'Doc' ordered.

T.

[RDN]

... the prime minister told journalists here today.

"This will be fair to all parties, and any MPs who are found to hold fake educational documents will be definitely taken action"...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Has he got an English degree?

[george]

HOUSE CREDENTIAL: Govt to check all MPs educations

Tit-for-tat accusations build up to a crescendo before Thaksin steps in

BANGKOK: -- The government will check into the educational credentials of every member of Parliament in a bid to end a row between government and opposition lawmakers.

“I have instructed the Education Ministry to verify school diplomas issued to MPs in order to clear up lingering doubts on their qualifications to hold House seats,” Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said yesterday.

The row erupted last week after Thai Rak Thai MPs initiated a judicial review on the educational background of Chat Thai MP Nopadol Phonsen from Uthai Thani.

In a countermove, Chat Thai MP Chuwit Kamolvisit threatened to expose the names of 13 Thai Rak Thai MPs who he said had questionable education records.

Raising the stakes, a group of four Thai Rak Thai MPs, led by Phayap Panket, claimed on Wednesday that Chat Thai Party leader Banharn Silapa-archa has unlawful possession of a key that could be used to unlock water gates at Chao Phya Dam.

Reacting to the row, Thaksin said bickering between the Thai Rak Thai and Chat Thai parties is confined to junior lawmakers while veterans remain on amicable terms.

Chuwit said he welcomes Thaksin’s pledge to scrutinise the educational records of lawmakers.

“I will suspend my move to expose bogus education credentials among government lawmakers until the completion of the government investigation,” he said.

Thai Rak Thai deputy leader Pongthep Thepkanchana approves of the idea, and said that it would put a halt to any suspicions the public may have.

“I don’t want MPs to panic. The old MPs who did not use a degree to apply are all right, unless they used fake education records,” said Pongthep.

Samut Prakan MP Songkram Kitlertpairoj said he does not know what Chuwit’s claim that he had used fake education records was based on. He professed his innocence and said that because he had graduated from government schools, a check of his records would clarify the matter. Chuwit should not accuse people without evidence and had better talk to his lawyer, he said.

Bangkok MP Wattana Sengpairoh said he could not accept Chuwit saying that a moustached Bangkok MP had used fake papers and that he should have named the person involved. He said his educational records can be verified and that he had even been the president of his alumni society.

Nonthaburi MP Chalong Riewrang said he does not agree with the prime minister’s decision to check educational certificates because the Election Commission had verified them prior to the general election. Chuwit should not try to make his reputation by examining the qualifications of other MPs, but should examine himself, he said.

Fifty Thai Rak Thai MPs signed a letter asking for Chuwit’s qualifications to be examined. They plan to present the list to the House Speaker for the consideration of the Constitution Court at a later date.

--The Nation 2005-05-06

[Humphrey Bear]

So, one needs a certain level of education to become an MP?

This means that the majority of poor farmers cannot become MPs and represent other poor farmers?

I thought there was universal suffrage in a democracy?

[mouse]

The government will check into the educational credentials of every member of Parliament in a bid to end a row between government and opposition lawmakers

If they do that than they will surely find the many other Members of Parliament that have Honorary Doctorate Degrees from Schools in North America, that are not in any way accredited in any one state, in North America, have a campus, or are not under scrutiny of some sort for running scam educational degree systems.

In other words they will find that members of Parliament have basically purchased their degrees. Some knowingly and other not. I became suspicious when I heard some of the names of the schools and checked the schools through the Internet myself.

After they finish checking Members of Parliament, then they should start checking the legions of Senior Department Chiefs and then the Senior Management of Government entities such as the post Office, and of course all elected and appointed political officials.

In the end they will find that most are as competent as the farmers and members of the general public that they pretend to represent.

If they make sure that the truth is revealed in this and many other situations throughout Thailand, then maybe, just maybe the corruption in this country can be slowed. Of course than they would also have to have real exams at the schools throughout Thailand and actually have a failure rate, for only then could the educational system have any credibility here or throughout the rest of the world.

Also it should be noted that PM Taksin actually went to School in North America and if he does not act forcefully on this issue then the value of his hard earned degree is surely to be lessened.

Edited May 6, 2005 by mouse

[astral]

This means that the majority of poor farmers cannot become MPs and represent other poor farmers?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

According to a recent newpaper article, poor farmers will be able to ge degrees

without attending classes...........................

Thai degrees are two a penny.

Remember Prime Minister Banharn.

He got a Masters with masterly dissertation in English,

when he could not string two words together.

The word amanuensis comes to mind.

[The_Other_Mac]

... the prime minister told journalists here today.

"This will be fair to all parties, and any MPs who are found to hold fake educational documents will be definitely taken action"...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Has he got an English degree?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You'll be amazed to hear that the Thai prime minister gives press releases to the Thai press in the Thai language.

[The_Other_Mac]

So, one needs a certain level of education to become an MP?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Correct.

Idealists back in the west have complained about this before, but there is a good reason for the law - it was introduced to force out the old-style nothern power-brokers who are more usually described as opium warlords. The type of people who wave guns around in parliament and have no respect for, well, anything at all, and certainly not democracy.

Realistically a poor uneducated farmer (=with no money to even pay the membership fee for a political party) is not going to become an MP, so that point is irrelevant.

I thought there was universal suffrage in a democracy?

Ahem. Such as the 1% of the U.S. population in prison that almost certainly would have thwarted the plans of the Bush dynasty in 2000?

[Heng]

Sweep out the old guard, it's about time we inter-Thais rose to power. It'll be the same show of course, but with better grammar.

[Explorer]

Sweep out the old guard, it's about time we inter-Thais rose to power.  It'll be the same show of course, but with better grammar.   

it rhymes!

Explorer