Disaster relief plan mired in graft: DSI

The Nation

Some corruption blatant, senior investigator says; meatball seller given contract to build local road

BANGKOK: -- More than 7,000 projects designed to alleviate disasters throughout the Kingdom handled by local administrative bodies were found to be plagued by corruption, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has said.

Thanin Prempree, a deputy commander for special investigations Unit 2 at the DSI, said it was not difficult to uncover the irregularities as some cases were obvious and blatant. In one example, a meatball seller was awarded a contract to build a local road.

In some cases, competing auctioneers were kept out of the loop when landlines to the auction were cut and they could not lodge a bid in time.

In another case, relief bags were allegedly requested for areas not affected by natural disaster. And in yet another, a paper producing company was handed a contract to produce non-paper relief bags.

Thanin said one reason people could engage in such graft was because the auctioning or ordering process was not supervised by the Prime Minister's Office, which has a system of regulations. A change has now been initiated by the Central Budget Bureau.

Thanin said projects with less than a Bt20-million budget were most problematic, as they could be easily manipulated.

He suggested that the Bt50-million emergency budget allocated to each province be closely monitored as it could lead to more corruption and repetitive use of the budget by the province, as well as local administrative organisations.

Three groups cited as being heavily involved in the corruption include politicians, government officials and businessmen.

Meanwhile, the National Anti-Corruption Commission has expressed concern about the Bt350-billion worth of water management projects that are coming up. Vicha Mahakhun, an NACC commissioner, urged the public to be vigilant and asked anyone who notices any irregularity to report it to the commission.

The NACC has made recommendations to Cabinet, but it has the right to take them up or ignore them. Some suggestions include setting a median price for goods and services to be ordered and making it publicly available, as well as allowing the public to scrutinise it.

The commission also said it has the power to temporarily halt any suspicious activities and examine all related information.

-- The Nation 2012-08-07

Now here is a big surprise headline. NOT.

I also doubt the the biggest projects, with the largest price tags are going to be less effected by scandal. Its just going to take more time to unravel the graft as the big players are a bit more smart at covering their tracks.

Big , big news for me would be if a big project somewhere was carried out without corruption. This report will soon be forgotten about, like all the others.

Wait for the follow-up - DPM Chalerm to be in charge of Investigation

Three groups cited as being heavily involved in the corruption include politicians, government officials and businessmen.

These are the groups that are still smiling in LOS, the rest of the population just want to get a piece of the pie. It seems clear that they won't get anything through hard work.

As a deterrent against future graft nobody was charged or any attempt to recover any of the funds will be made. That'll show em.

is there any compassion in thailand ? ,......if its not the police stealing from the tsunami relief fund on phuket it's local govt officials stealing from the needy after failing in their duty to protect them ,..........how anyone even thinks of investing in this septic tank of corruption is beyond me ..........but i think most of them reap what they sow........the circle goes on !

Where can I find this road made of meatballs? It sounds delicious!

"...meatball seller given contract to build local road."

However, he did make a decent meatball and sold it at a fair price. He sounds a lot more honest than most of the others given government contracts.

Where can I find this road made of meatballs? It sounds delicious!

Its called Lady Gaga Avenue

Disaster relief plan mired in graft: DSI

Some corruption blatant, senior investigator says

Since she so enthusiastically launched her campaign last May, she's been chomping at the bit to bring the full force of her efforts to tackle the issue with a specific situation she could target, which would demonstrate her effectiveness as a leader out to Stop Corruption!.

http://www.thaivisa....ption-campaign/

Yingluck launches anti-corruption campaign

"Thailand would have a much better future if corruption, its biggest threat, is rooted out," she said.

Here's you chance to shine, Yingluck !

Go for it!

.

Edited August 7, 201213 yr by Buchholz

Here's you chance to shine, Yingluck !

Go for it!

She will, just as soon as she gets to the office...

Three groups cited as being heavily involved in the corruption include politicians, government officials and businessmen.

These are the groups that are still smiling in LOS, the rest of the population just want to get a piece of the pie. It seems clear that they won't get anything through hard work.

smiling, and also as exemplified with the above photo, laughing

.

All 5 in the picture have accumulated great wealth trough corruption.

Hypocrites.

All 5 in the picture have accumulated great wealth trough corruption.

Hypocrites.

This reminds me of when I was in school and carved in my wooden desk were the words; "Stop Vandalism".

The sad thing is the NACC can make recomendations to the government, but has no control over whether the recomendations will be implimented or not, may as well shout at a brick wall, at least the wall will give you an echo, I fear that most, if not all of the NACC's recomendations will be lost in the black hole of political corruption.

Edited August 7, 201213 yr by TomTao

did anyone expect anything else ???

Disaster relief plan mired in graft: DSI

Some corruption blatant, senior investigator says

Since she so enthusiastically launched her campaign last May, she's been chomping at the bit to bring the full force of her efforts to tackle the issue with a specific situation she could target, which would demonstrate her effectiveness as a leader out to Stop Corruption!.

http://www.thaivisa....ption-campaign/

Yingluck launches anti-corruption campaign

"Thailand would have a much better future if corruption, its biggest threat, is rooted out," she said.

Here's you chance to shine, Yingluck !

Go for it!

.

Or choose to IGNORE it.

Disaster relief plan mired in graft: DSI

Some corruption blatant, senior investigator says

Since she so enthusiastically launched her campaign last May, she's been chomping at the bit to bring the full force of her efforts to tackle the issue with a specific situation she could target, which would demonstrate her effectiveness as a leader out to Stop Corruption!.

http://www.thaivisa....ption-campaign/

Yingluck launches anti-corruption campaign

"Thailand would have a much better future if corruption, its biggest threat, is rooted out," she said.

Here's you chance to shine, Yingluck !

Go for it!

.

Or choose to IGNORE it.

Caption time...my contribution

"and this was the face my brother pulled when I told him about the anti-corruption campaign"

Graft in Thailand... wow.. now there's a surprise.

Where can I find this road made of meatballs? It sounds delicious!

Not sure if they are going to put sauce on it or not. If they do it will be a new contract under the supervision of a master chief.

Disaster relief plan mired in graft: DSI

Some corruption blatant, senior investigator says

Since she so enthusiastically launched her campaign last May, she's been chomping at the bit to bring the full force of her efforts to tackle the issue with a specific situation she could target, which would demonstrate her effectiveness as a leader out to Stop Corruption!.

http://www.thaivisa....ption-campaign/

Yingluck launches anti-corruption campaign

"Thailand would have a much better future if corruption, its biggest threat, is rooted out," she said.

Here's you chance to shine, Yingluck !

Go for it!

.

The guy on the right sure isn't happy about it. Maybe it is because Yingluck is not smiling on him.

What a suprise a party owned and run by a convicted criminal and fugitive from justice and led by a bimbo PM is associated with graft and corrupt practices.

BANGKOK: -- Corruption in Thailand worsened in the first half of the year, with the private sector saying it must spend 30-35 per cent of a project's budget as graft to win a government job, a survey by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) and the Anti-Corruption Network found. http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/570607-corruption-in-thailand-worsens-over-first-six-months-survey/

For a foreign correspondent writing about corruption is Thailand a ‘No. No’. That’s not because we do not wish to blot our accreditations – its simply because when you mention Thailand and corruption to Foreign Desks back home they tend to react with a paused bored silence and ask:’Next?’ http://andrew-drummond.com/2012/07/27/scandal-of-thailands-nature-defying-island/

Nothing new about that!!!!!