Thai Officials Caught Cheating In Name Of Disaster

[webfact]

Northeast officials caught cheating in name of disaster

By The Nation

Piyanuch Thamnukasetchai

BANGKOK: --Disaster reports from six Northeast provinces have been found to be false and submitted by corrupt officials who wanted to get their hands on the Bt475 million earmarked for emergency relief, the Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) said yesterday.

The findings would soon be forwarded to the National Anti-Corruption Commission for a final decision on the indictment of a number of officials from district offices or local administrative bodies in Roi Et, Udon Thani, Kalasin, Surin, Nakhon Phanom and Sakon Nakhon, PACC secretary-general Phinyo Thonchai said.

The PACC also proposed that the word "disaster" be clearly defined in the regulation, so officials and contractors can be stopped from exploiting ambiguous interpretations.

Random inspections at the 168 sites given the "disaster-zone" tag uncovered several irregularities. For instance, officials had used the same photos over and over again in several different reports on flooding.

Also, several projects in a given district were awarded to the same contractor at sites that were inspected and approved by the same group of officials. In one district, one manager was found to be in charge of all projects as well as their inspection.

In addition, no blueprints or work plans were available for most of the projects, while several were awarded to unqualified contractors. In many cases government inspectors could not even locate projects or repair works that they had approved.

-- The Nation 2010-02-16

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[bangon04]

Yes, it must be difficult to separate the "real" disasters from the others, if the word "disaster" is so ambiguous these days.....

In the good old days, the word "disaster" was not so easily misunderstood.

Maybe we need a stronger word to define a "real" disaster.... Any suggestions?

[apetley]

Disalamitrophe

[TAWP]

Golden bullet. Head.

I think their ability to understand the Thai word for 'disaster' would improve.

[eljeque]

Lifetime prison sentences are good teachers

[CHINWA]

Lifetime prison sentences are good teachers

and for they don't feel bored some hard labor in other real projects. This would probably discourage other officials planing to get rich the wrong way.

[ScubaBuddha]

This is how everything is done in Thailand. The only news is someone bothered to do something about it this time. Thailand needs to give back their "Government Transparency" anti-corruption joke of an award.

[bangon04]

Golden bullet. Head.

I think their ability to understand the Thai word for 'disaster' would improve.

Please can the Thai language expert TV members explain to us lesser being why the Thai word(s) for "disaster" are so difficult to define?

[BSJ]

Seems there is a lot of confusion over what Emergency relief money is for. It would be a "disaster" if the rules regarding it's disbursement were changed!

[ratcatcher]

Perhaps the easy going Thais should take a look at how their Chinese cousins deal with this sort of corruption.I won't go into details but I am sure most of you know it isn't a demotion or an inactive post.

Every time this sort of thing takes place in this country, the poor people in the areas affected become poorer while the greedy officials buy new cars.

Corrupt official at an inactive post.

[BIGTOE3]

This is a good example that this Government is trying to STOP corruption where ever it happens - So lets give them a chance and hope they succeed, it will benefit all.

BT

[overhaul38]

Obviously it is all a misunderstanding. No Thai official would ever mislead or misrepresent a situation for personal gain.

Lets study the issue for a couple of years and then file it.

[salty]

Especially the hard working manager in charge of projects as well as their inspection.

[sunsamourai]

^ exactly, this is a clear cut case of discrimination against hard working officials !

[Kf6vci]

Immediate seizure of their assets, like homes and bank accounts.

[BIGTOE3]

Immediate seizure of their assets, like homes and bank accounts.

What a good idea, your really motoring on all your cc's.

BT

[Chang_paarp]

A simple administrative change to the rules, disaster funding is only available to areas designated as disaster area by the provincial governor or the designated minister, with the appropriate designation for paperwork and release of funding. Yes the governor could be declaring lots of disaster areas "on advise" but it would provide an audit trail. Woops that smells of accountability.

[SomTumTiger]

They were caught. Improvement.

[TAWP]

They were caught. Improvement.

Yes, my hard stance on the corrupt officials aside, them being caught is a good sign.

[john b good]

So!, what's new.

If there is money to be made Thai officials will be at the forefront of the any queue if there is money to be made.

If not why is Thailand close to being the most corrupt in SE Asia