CORRUPTION

NACC urged to probe village fund, rice-pledging schemes

Pimnara Pradubwit

Atthapoom Ongkulana

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Democrat Party yesterday requested the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate the government's rice-pledging and village-fund schemes.

We have received complaints of alleged irregularities in the Small, Medium and Large (SML) Loan project from villagers," party-list MP Ong-arj Klampaibul said yesterday.

He and the Phitsanulok MP Warong Dechgitvigrom submitted the party's petition to the NACC.

The SML project allocates about Bt300,000-Bt500,000 to each of 70,000 villages nationwide for promoting local businesses and start-ups.

Ong-arj said villagers claimed that local politicians and local red-shirt leaders conspired to sell goods from affiliated businesses at 100-per-cent inflated prices and shared the gains among themselves.

Warong said he had investigated the rice-mortgaging scheme and handed over evidence to the NACC showing that there were abuses.

The government had claimed that rice in its stocks had been sold to three foreign countries under government-to-government contracts, but the government actually sold the rice to a firm close to it, Siam Indica, at below the pledging price, he said.

The rice was later resold to rice mills to sell back to farmers to pawn again with the government under the pledging scheme, he said.

The government rice was released to GSSG Co and certain individuals, but Siam Indica was the one that paid for letters of credit to be opened to buy the rice from the government, he said.

The Democrats asked the NACC to probe the prime minister, commerce minister, senior government officials and some private firms, he added.

PM's Office Minister Warathep Ratanakorn said the alleged siphoning off of SML funds happened a long time ago in Maha Sarakham's Na Dun district and the government was investigating the case.

The government stopped providing funds to the villages under suspicion in August, he said.

-- The Nation 2012-12-04

OMG so the same rice is being bought and resold several times going round in circles lol

"The Democrats asked the NACC to probe the prime minister"

I think that's for her doctor to decide.

They should add the women's fund to the list of scams. Anybody who thinks these government hand-outs are going to be disbursed without favouritism hasn't been here long enough, or looked at Thaksin's m.o.

They should add the women's fund to the list of scams. Anybody who thinks these government hand-outs are going to be disbursed without favouritism hasn't been here long enough, or looked at Thaksin's m.o.

The "One Tablet per Child" programme should also be under the microscope. It's a G2G scheme and the PTP track record with those is not that good

Ha

Allow any government money to be administered by any other Thai in this country and corruption will be the result. In a country where corruption is accepted if not applauded and a justice system so corrupted that justice is rarely administered where money is involved, what does anyone expect.

Not surprising less than 0.5% of the budget actually gets to the farmers. This is a ludicrous scheme set up purely to soak up the tax receipts into the treasury by a corrupt group of people - it is truly astounding the Thais just put up with this - or maybe it is just plain stupidity or yet again maybe the censorship of the truth in the media and cover up after cover up. It makes me sick!

Anti-graft agency NACC to probe rice pledging corruption allegations as Pheu Thai will ask Constitution Court to rule on NACC’s jurisdiction /MCOT

Peau Thai have a problem with the National Anti-Corruption Commission investigating possible corruption.

Anti-graft agency NACC to probe rice pledging corruption allegations as Pheu Thai will ask Constitution Court to rule on NACC’s jurisdiction /MCOT

Peau Thai have a problem with the National Anti-Corruption Commission investigating possible corruption.

Who needs the NACC when you have a bastion of integrity named Chalerm to do it?

PM's Office Minister Warathep Ratanakorn said the alleged siphoning off of SML funds happened a long time ago in Maha Sarakham's Na Dun district and the government was investigating the case.

The government stopped providing funds to the villages under suspicion in August, he said

I guess it would be too much to ask when the age-old case in MahaSarakham' NaDun district happened, when first reported and how the government investigation is proceeding?

BTW just to ensure transparency, is there a list of villages allegedly under suspicion and cut off of funds ?

A probe of the flood provention scheme is warranted as well...........

It's more it would not matter who was in political office, as corruption in Thailand is so entrenched, it's more "normal" than being honest.

They believe, and honestly so do I, the government will probably kick off a few projects and a couple will be finished. Others won't be started, as there will be too much bickering by the two main parties, Yingluck's Pheu Thai Party and the opposition Democrats, for anyone to actually come to a decision.

Finally, other projects will be planned and officials notified and funded. The money will miraculously disappear into the pockets of some unknown 'administrators' and that, my friends, will be that. http://www.examiner.com/article/thai-government-says-no-2012-flood-with-flood-prevention-plan-are-they-correct