Paper chase stalls anti-graft panel's probe of clock scandal: Thai Parliament

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Paper chase stalls anti-graft panel's probe of clock scandal
The Nation



Officials slow with documentation on expensive purchase, may face legal action

BANGKOK: -- The investigation into the scandal related to Parliament's procurement of digital clocks has not gone anywhere after two months as the House secretariat has yet to submit relevant documents to the committee tasked with probing the issue.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives' anti-graft committee has appointed a panel to study amending a law related to parliamentary administration that allows parliamentary officials to amend regulations on procurements.

Parliament bought 238 high-tech Bodet digital clocks for Bt14.9 million, which include satellite linkage and a maintenance system. On average, the price for each set would be Bt62,500.

The clock issue came out in public after Democrat MP Vilas Chanpitaksa, adviser to the anti-corruption committee, received complaints from parliamentary officials who suspected transparency was lacking in many of Parliament's procurements and projects.

Purchase of digital wall clocks for Parliament House was the first project that the House committee investigated. But it has been held back by the missing documents from Parliament officers.

At its meeting on Thursday, the committee made another attempt to get the documents.

Strange expenditures

Pol Lt-General Viroj Pao-In, chairman of the committee, said that if the documents were not submitted by Tuesday before the panel meets on Thursday, it would exercise its legal power against those who refused to submit them.

Legal action will also be launched against Suwichag Nakwatcharachai, the secretary-general of the House, for failing to produce the relevant documents, he said.

Teerachard Pangviroonrugs, deputy chairman of the anti-corruption committee, said it had questions about the House's budgets and spending because there were irregularities in several procurement schemes, not just high-tech digital clocks but also air-conditioners for the House's garbage room. He added that after the committee had investigated the clock case it would investigate other matters.

"We have investigated other government offices so we should investigate the House too. I think we should clean our house when we see it is dirty," he said.

Teerachard added his observation that it was more likely that senior officials in Parliament had told junior officers to propose the procurement, rather than junior officials doing it themselves.

Even if politicians were behind the procurement, it would be difficult to link anything to them, he said.

"Some parliamentary officials told me that their names had been mentioned by committee members but they didn't know anything about the project," Teerachard said.

Owing to biased specifications, only one brand was eligible for the clock procurement, he said.

According to the committee's findings, there is only one importer of that brand. The importer had two distributing companies bid for the project, one of which has undertaken several other projects for Parliament.

Some parliamentary officials had amended procurement regulations in a way that allowed the alleged wrongdoing, he said.

A source who asked not to be named said Parliament had already set up a committee to revert those regulations back to the original.

Talk of the town

Pisit Leelavachiropas, a state audit adviser and House anti-graft committee adviser, said he thought the Parliament's projects contained irregularities and the digital-clock scandal had become the talk of the town.

He also raised questions as to why the cost of the clocks and their support system had to be paid separately.

The system includes a satellite linkage and connection with the high-precision timepieces. Despite this, he observed that two clocks in the same room showed different temperatures. Although the time on clocks was accurate, other components were of low quality.

The committee has said it believes Parliament should return the clocks and scrap the procurement.

"I think 'quality' does not have to mean 'expensive'," he said.


-- The Nation 2013-10-05

[osiboy]

OMG !, this has to be a joke right ?......... could'nt organise a piss up in a brewery ! , this guy sounds like teacher who wants to know who put the chewing gum on his chair , this is a countries parlaiment <deleted> ! PATHETIC BUNCH OF KIDS . A seat on the UN ???????????? OH PLEASE !

Edited October 4, 2013 by osiboy

[Pimay1]

This is a Louis coffee table. Price 60k Baht. The most expensive one I could find was 70k Baht. They bought twenty at one million Baht each.

[jaltsc]

"Parliament bought 238 high-tech Bodet digital clocks for Bt14.9 million, which include satellite linkage and a maintenance system. On average, the price for each set would be Bt62,500."

This for a nation where no one is ever on time? What's the purpose? So you can tell how late someone is within a nano second?

[jaidam]

It's high time we just accepted the Shin clan's corruption, it will get much worse and there can not be any end or cap to it. A good way to think of their thievery is to appreciate it in the same way as we appreciate Pele for his footballing grace and skills, and Picasso for his mastery over the paintbrush. At the end of the day, stealing a whole country is pretty much a work of art, a play with many chapters, moods and a fair sprinkle of humor provided by the red elites Thida, Jatuporn ,Chalerm and co. Villains and no heroes. A tragedy of sorts.

[worgeordie]

Same as Governments all over the World,the Politicians get

a little bit of power and it goes to their head,spending on perks

at inflated prices,why bother its not their money.

regards Worgeordie

[bigbamboo]

13.8 million for the Victory Lawn?

That's a heavy price for grass, man.

[Pomthai]

Since when are iPads nearly 70,000 each.

All this is, is selfish greed - the fundamental problem throughout society here.

[Thaddeus]

Same as Governments all over the World,the Politicians get

a little bit of power and it goes to their head,spending on perks

Like duck ponds?

Sorry, but this place turns maxing your perks in to a fine art.

[NongKhaiKid]

What a surprise, a so called official probe being help up by other officials who are unlikely to answer as no one wants the truth to come out.

Just ask the Ombudsman.

[soi41]

So they have lost the papertrail? What a surprise!

What a pathetic bunch of bloodsucking leeches!

Half of the country is flooded and they are busy filling their pockets.

Hope karma is going to catch up with them one day!

[jackr]

What are you all whining at? It's all good, they are doubtless good Thai 'Buddhists' that will simply make merit if they deem they have excess'd and desired.

[MMarlow]

Someone's getting the decimal points in the wrong place surely, ipads don't cost in excess of 68,000B each do they? And water coolers at 70,000B?

[I knew this would happen]

So they have lost the papertrail? What a surprise!

What a pathetic bunch of bloodsucking leeches!

Half of the country is flooded and they are busy filling their pockets.

Hope karma is going to catch up with them one day!

I´d also "loose" the papers asap. Would you want that someone finds a bill signed by you, where you ordered 20 hammers for the caretaker worth 15K each?

[Bagwan]

11 years ago I bought a nice looking clock off a stallholder on Pattaya Klang. It still sits on my bedside table and the only attention it gets is new batteries from time to time. It cost me all of 99 baht. Nearly 15 million for a few locks? Don't their Rolexes work then? I sport an expensive looking ALBA on my wrist that keeps perfect time and has done so for 8 years.

Freeloaders/ all of them.

[MMarlow]

According to Bodet's website they don't sell satellite-linked clocks.

Take a look at the last line of their website, "Our clients trust us, why shouldn't you?" I'd run a mile from any company that said that.

[expat888]

I suppose this is what the alcohol tax was about. The government needs more money to steal.

[Valentine]

According to Bodet's website they don't sell satellite-linked clocks.

Take a look at the last line of their website, "Our clients trust us, why shouldn't you?" I'd run a mile from any company that said that.

The only reference I can see to satellite linked clocks are atomic ones so that is likely another smokescreen to justify the ridiculously high price.

[TPI]

It's high time we just accepted the Shin clan's corruption, it will get much worse and there can not be any end or cap to it. A good way to think of their thievery is to appreciate it in the same way as we appreciate Pele for his footballing grace and skills, and Picasso for his mastery over the paintbrush. At the end of the day, stealing a whole country is pretty much a work of art, a play with many chapters, moods and a fair sprinkle of humor provided by the red elites Thida, Jatuporn ,Chalerm and co. Villains and no heroes. A tragedy of sorts.

Ah Jaidam! At last someone has put it into perspective. You're right, the ability to steal an entire country, and get away with it, is pure genius! I'm interested to see which country is next...perhaps Monte Negro?

[kimamey]

Same as Governments all over the World,the Politicians get

a little bit of power and it goes to their head,spending on perks

Like duck ponds?

Sorry, but this place turns maxing your perks in to a fine art.

If you're referring to Peter Viggers' duck island I have a feeling the expense claim was refused.

In the expenses scandal in the UK 4 people from the 2 houses of parliament were sent to court and they were convicted and sent to prison. A lot of the others just resigned due to the bad publicity even though their claims had been approved by the committee overseeing claims so they hadn't done anything wrong in many cases. It would appear that the claims panel were more lenient due to MPs not always taking the pay rises that were advised for them so it was seen as some compensation. Many other countries are also very strict on this sort of thing. In particular the Scandinavian countries.

Things are more lax in Thailand although they aren't alone in SE Asia. It needs a system which is able to fully pursue these claims and take action against parliamentarians.

Teerachard added his observation that it was more likely that senior officials in Parliament had told junior officers to propose the procurement, rather than junior officials doing it themselves.

Even if politicians were behind the procurement, it would be difficult to link anything to them, he said.

I think the way round this is if a senior official wants something like this done then it's put in writing so the link can't be denied and if it isn't then there's no proof it was requested so the junior official can't be accused of not carrying it out.

Edited October 5, 2013 by kimamey

[fareastguy]

This is a Louis coffee table. Price 60k Baht. The most expensive one I could find was 70k Baht. They bought twenty at one million Baht each.

70k Baht it for the table itself.. the rest is for what goes underneath!!

[belg]

mmhh the price of every item is a little inflated

not 30% graft , but 300%

[tonneke breda]

This is a Louis coffee table. Price 60k Baht. The most expensive one I could find was 70k Baht. They bought twenty at one million Baht each.

And bet they all standing at their homes, who needs coffee tables like that in the office???

[stockholm1995]

"The system includes a satellite linkage and connection with the high-precision timepieces. Despite this, he observed that two clocks in the same room showed different temperatures. Although the time on clocks was accurate, other components were of low quality."

[stockholm1995]

This is a Louis coffee table. Price 60k Baht. The most expensive one I could find was 70k Baht. They bought twenty at one million Baht each.

And bet they all standing at their homes, who needs coffee tables like that in the office???

It depends on whose office.

A office which belongs to a mafia boss

Edited October 5, 2013 by stockholm1995

[boomerangutang]

The same government which can easily buy a Bt.1,500 clock for Bt.68,000 is trying hard to borrow 2.2 trillion baht to spend on a speedo train that will only service elites, if it services anyone. What's next, mobile phones with little gems glued on to the number pads? Or sorry, almost forgot, that's already been done, by 'Oak', T's son. Daddy made sure every big shot in government, at that time, bought at least one of those gem-studded phones.

Re; the gross wasteful spending in the OP: Take a close look at who is raking in the money from those ridiculous sales, and you'll see they're tight with the Shinawatres and/or their buddies.

Bend over taxpayer, pull down your shorts, and take a few more thrusts from Uncle PT.