Disaster Fraud In Six Northeastern Provinces

[webfact]

PACC to investigate disaster fraud

By The Nation

BANGKOK: -- An investigation into reliefassistance programmes in six northeastern provinces - in which bogus disasters were made up to qualify for financial aid - will be completed next week, the Office of the Public Sector AntiCorruption Commission (PACC) said yesterday.

PACC agents will also travel to the North next week to review several requests for financial aid made by provincial and local authorities relying on possible fake disaster reports, said secretarygeneral Pinyo Thongchai.

The PACC probes found corruption and irregularities in almost all areas where locals could make complaints in the six northeastern provinces. In many disaster reports, pictures of flooded areas elsewhere were used to fool the Interior Ministry, and provincial or local authorities were allotted Bt50 million in payments, Pinyo said.

"In eight districts of Surin province, construction contracts and procurement deals for relief operations were doctored or written in different versions and then submitted to the ministry. As a result, several areas were pronounced disaster zones without real incidents ever taking place," he said.

In the PACC's report to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, a recommendation will be proposed to standardise criteria for declaring disasters.

"For example, rain volume and duration of floods should be put under the same conditions. In certain cases, seasonal high tides that resemble flooding were reported as 'stagnant inundation'," Pinyo said.

He said local residents should be allowed to take part in assessing disaster reports and certifying disaster status jointly with relief officials. They should also monitor work on disaster and relief infrastructure projects.

"The present process involves only a few officials," Pinyo added.

-- The Nation 2010-02-06

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[needforspeed]

No breaking news for me.

[indothai]

Now I know where my tax money is going.

[Ricardo]

Disastrous use of public-funds !

[Artisi]

So what's new - if they are not ripping it off government contracts they might as well dream up some other projects that need skimming.

[Chang_paarp]

Creative writing in grant applications appears to be frowned on.

I am surprised that the investigators published rather than asked for shares in the projects.

[TAWP]

Not surprised.

Head-shot.

[Ricardo]

They got found out ... Disaster !

Kudos to the PACC for their efforts ... keep shining the cleansing daylight on !

[Gary A]

Ah yes, the farang political experts are shocked. What these farang experts don't understand is that all the politicians are corrupt. The Thai people have no choice. They can have a choice of several different corrupt political parties. It's just a way of life here in Thailand. I am always amazed that we have a number of yellow shirt supporters and Thaksin haters.

[Gearoil]

Is there at least one honest politician in this country?

[Hawk]

Fake disasters, fake bomb scanners, fake jobs, fake CDs, fake investments, fake gems, fake woman, the list is endless, so what's new?

[Garry9999]

No breaking news for me.

Should come as no great surprise to anybody.

[mca]

Ah yes, the farang political experts are shocked.

No they're not judging by the people who posted on this thread previously.

[Donnyboy]

ho hum

[thaiedward]

Ah yes, the farang political experts are shocked. What these farang experts don't understand is that all the politicians are corrupt. The Thai people have no choice. They can have a choice of several different corrupt political parties. It's just a way of life here in Thailand. I am always amazed that we have a number of yellow shirt supporters and Thaksin haters.

Some farang are only too aware of political corruption. And, I must confess of personal involvement with a USA/EPA "SUPERFUND" (tax-payers' money) project which I later realized to be an eight-figure scam.

[Valentine]

Ah yes, the farang political experts are shocked. What these farang experts don't understand is that all the politicians are corrupt. The Thai people have no choice. They can have a choice of several different corrupt political parties. It's just a way of life here in Thailand. I am always amazed that we have a number of yellow shirt supporters and Thaksin haters.

They are not all corrupt as there are some rare instances of honest ones. Take the case of the Sor Sor guy who refused a 10 million Baht bribe some 20 years ago who now lives in a tin shack & shunned by his relatives for being honest.

What never seases to amaze me here in Thailand are the creative ways of setting up corrupt practices. At least now corruption seems to be getting more attention.

Edited February 7, 2010 by Valentine

[yesdavy]

How do you think they (provincial guys) learned to do this? The BKK gov guys holding the purse strings taught them, no doubt, for a % of the take. The investigation is focused on the provincial guys and the disaster definitions are to blame, while the people that authorized the payments will walk.

[smith491]

Ah yes, the farang political experts are shocked. What these farang experts don't understand is that all the politicians are corrupt. The Thai people have no choice. They can have a choice of several different corrupt political parties. It's just a way of life here in Thailand. I am always amazed that we have a number of yellow shirt supporters and Thaksin haters.

Yes, I am amazed at why Farrang are so interested in Thai politics when they cant vote. The Thais that I meet have no interest in politics either as they no its all same same corruption etc and they know where the power base lies. Maybe these Farrang's who are 'experts' in Thai politics should get out a bit more and not waste their time on websites such as this discussing it, that goes for me too I am logging off now and going to sleep in the shade outside (copying the natives.)

[sangfroid]

Nothing new to see here folks ...Move along.

[toptuan]

No breaking news for me.

Should come as no great surprise to anybody.

The only breaking news in Thailand, in this category, would be: "Politician (government officer, school administrator--insert name of any position of public 'service') cleans up his act." Now THAT would get my attention....

Edited February 7, 2010 by toptuan

[bkkath]

Why should we care if Thai politicians are corrupt?

Makes little or no difference to us .

Better we concentrate on the corrupt politicians we have in our own home countries

[toptuan]

Why should we care if Thai politicians are corrupt?

Makes little or no difference to us .

If you were a taxpayer here, and your public services were affected by the official corruption about you (road conditions, water service, police protection, etc.) you'd wake up and feel a little differently.

[bkkath]

Why should we care if Thai politicians are corrupt?

Makes little or no difference to us .

If you were a taxpayer here, and your public services were affected by the official corruption about you (road conditions, water service, police protection, etc.) you'd wake up and feel a little differently.

I am a tax payer in Thailand in fact I am a BOI approved investor here.

What is different in our views is I am only interested in earning money in Thailand.

I have no interest in anything to do with their culture or their political situation.

I have no desire to be accepted as Thai or to live like a Thai

I have no feelings on how it should be run from a western opinion

I take it for what it is a better than average 3rd world country

As for waking up I think you maybe need to remove the rose colour glasses and see the place for what it is and was before you decided to come live here.

Try as you will you will never be accepted by the Thia's as anything but a foreigner.

Much the same as Thai's in Europe will always be foreigners to the Europeans.

All the Expat community in the world with their western views will never have any effect on Thailand .

Thailand is an old culture much older in fact than most of the western cultures that are telling them ho it should be

[bangon04]

Fake disasters, fake bomb scanners, fake jobs, fake CDs, fake investments, fake gems, fake woman, the list is endless, so what's new?

Any Face to be gained by bvecoming the HUB of Fakes??

[TAWP]

Why should we care if Thai politicians are corrupt?

Makes little or no difference to us .

If you were a taxpayer here, and your public services were affected by the official corruption about you (road conditions, water service, police protection, etc.) you'd wake up and feel a little differently.

I am a tax payer in Thailand in fact I am a BOI approved investor here.

What is different in our views is I am only interested in earning money in Thailand.

I have no interest in anything to do with their culture or their political situation.

I have no desire to be accepted as Thai or to live like a Thai

I have no feelings on how it should be run from a western opinion

I take it for what it is a better than average 3rd world country

As for waking up I think you maybe need to remove the rose colour glasses and see the place for what it is and was before you decided to come live here.

Try as you will you will never be accepted by the Thia's as anything but a foreigner.

Much the same as Thai's in Europe will always be foreigners to the Europeans.

All the Expat community in the world with their western views will never have any effect on Thailand .

Thailand is an old culture much older in fact than most of the western cultures that are telling them ho it should be

Some of us have kids here so we care. So nice of you that you don't.

[bangon04]

Fake disasters, fake bomb scanners, fake jobs, fake CDs, fake investments, fake gems, fake woman, the list is endless, so what's new?

The HUB of fakes