Shinawatra-initiated funds under scrutiny

[webfact]

Shinawatra-initiated funds under scrutiny
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- UNDER ITS latest plan, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) will scrutinise the Village Fund initiated during the Thaksin Shinawatra administration and the Thai Women Empowerment Fund started by the Yingluck Shinawatra government. If the funds are proven to be useful, they will be continued.

The NCPO has made combating corruption, bridging disparities, keeping a cap on debt and observing financial discipline its priorities. It is putting special emphasis on five key issues.

These are: paying farmers for rice pledged under the populist scheme; eradicating red tape so factories can swiftly obtain operation licences to boost investment; expediting the 2014 fiscal budget disbursement (Bt7 billion has yet to be paid); starting dual rail systems and mass transit systems in Bangkok and its suburbs; completing the 2015 fiscal budget by September.

In the document obtained by The Nation, the council has also tasked government agencies to bridge wealth disparities by reviewing the income tax structure to increase the burden on the rich and get more people to pay tax.

It also wants to boost border trade by establishing special economic zones and promote the development of products for export. A sustainable support system to help farmers will also be set up.

On the legal front, an interim charter will be legislated, an interim government will be set up under martial law, a legislative assembly will be established and an election will be called.

Meanwhile, the NCPO's economic focus will be on encouraging free-market systems and allowing the private sector to drive the economy. Efforts will be made to facilitate free capital movement and promote free trade policies.

Meanwhile, the role of state enterprises will be reduced with the private sector being encouraged to take on a more dominant role.

A committee will be set up to prepare the country for the integration of the Asean community and support foreign investment.

The council will support investment in the country's basic infrastructure and transport systems and will observe financial discipline by keeping spending within the debt ceiling.

It has vowed to eradicate practices that put farmers at a disadvantage with traders and plans to use an integrated approach to solve labour problems.


-- The Nation 2014-06-12

[Stradavarius37]

In theory they are probably good ideas. In practice they are steaming Thaksin sh#t piles that are used to steal state money. Reform them or scrap them.

[Robby nz]

Don't know about the womans fund but if what has been reported is correct it would seem the village funds have been very effective as a tool in vote gathering.

The reported threat is said to have been that if the village vote goes against a particular party then the fund will be withheld from that village.

Or a rumor is spread that if an opposition party gets in they will scrap the village fund.

Either is a powerful incentive for village heads to ensure the collective village vote goes the correct way.

No need to waste money on vote buying.

[Stradavarius37]

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Don't know about the womans fund but if what has been reported is correct it would seem the village funds have been very effective as a tool in vote gathering.

The reported threat is said to have been that if the village vote goes against a particular party then the fund will be withheld from that village.

Or a rumor is spread that if an opposition party gets in they will scrap the village fund.

Either is a powerful incentive for village heads to ensure the collective village vote goes the correct way.

No need to waste money on vote buying.

And yet they always do...lol

[noitom]

There is no political agenda here or bias. The Thai army is "scrutinizing" these funds.

[dahinni]

if they continue these Path, than don't need pull up my wife ," german politicians should move in to clean up the mess"

[jaidam]

There is no political agenda here or bias. The Thai army is "scrutinizing" these funds.

For your own sake, please, just let it go. Thaksin lost, it's over, move on.

[trainman34014]

Won't take much scrutinizing before they realise it was another vote buying scam. Scrap all you find like this dear General and keep up the good work.

[UbonRatch]

if they continue these Path, than don't need pull up my wife ," german politicians should move in to clean up the mess"

???

Good night, was it?

[scorecard]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

There is no political agenda here or bias. The Thai army is "scrutinizing" these funds.

For your own sake, please, just let it go. Thaksin lost, it's over, move on.

Suggest you read the piece again and reread what Noitum posted.

[shirtless]

It may have been a good idea , all funds in this country need auditing, as they are usually directed to the chosen few.

[Paulzed]

if they continue these Path, than don't need pull up my wife ," german politicians should move in to clean up the mess"

???

Good night, was it?

Must have been!!

[ramrod711]

In the document obtained by The Nation, the council has also tasked government agencies to bridge wealth disparities by reviewing the income tax structure to increase the burden on the rich and get more people to pay tax.

No problems with wealthy people paying more income tax. What would really make a huge difference in Thailand is property taxes. Wealthy people and government MPs buy land in places where they know growth is likely, they may know for sure if they are in government. They hold the land, pay no taxes and prohibit expansion until they are ready. Tax land that is not in use.

[Paulzed]

"The NCPO has made combating corruption, bridging disparities, keeping a cap on debt and observing financial discipline its priorities".

How good would that be for Thailand if they were able to achieve this goal ?

[ezzra]

The bottom line is that what ever the Shin clan has initiated was to better the Shins and their

stogies, lackeys and cronies and no one else....

[prakhonchai nick]

The original intention of the Village Fund was to allow villagers to borrow small amounts of money (generally up to 10,000baht) to start a small local business such as selling food from a hand cart etc.

However village committees handed it oput to anyone without any checks, and whilst it has to be repaid after 1 year, it is immediately re-0applied for and is back in the hanmds of the villagers after a couple of weeks. Invariably they have to borrow the money to repay (at around 10% interest for the 2 weeks)

If the scheme is stopped (which in my opinion it should be as it serves no useful purpose), villagers will have a very hard time paying back what they owe.

[bristolgeoff]

all his little secret bolt holes are being shut down.he will be pissed

[siampolee]

ezzra post # 15

The bottom line is that what ever the Shin clan has initiated was to better the Shins and their

stogies, lackeys and cronies and no one else....

Indeed the creative abilities of the Shinwatra clan and their stooges is worthy of the award for the best scams ever. Ponzi was just a novice as was Madhoff.

Such as shame those dubious Shinwatra talents were not directed to actually help Thailand and its peoples as opposed to the new self promoting elite that assumed absolute political and business power was the monopoly of the Shinwatra clan. .

As an aside one notes a hiatus among the more ardent Shinwatra supporters posts.

Would this indicate perchance a lack of ''boot money?''.

Edited June 12, 2014 by siampolee

[Eric Loh]

The Village Fund was continued and adopted by Ahbisit government. He see value in that fund too.

[robblok]

The Village Fund was continued and adopted by Ahbisit government. He see value in that fund too.

Or he just did not have the power to stop it, knowing people would rise up.

Now we got someone who is not afraid of red threats and the fund can be really examined. If it is good please keep it.

I bet me and other people on the side of light love reading everyday how all the crap that Taksin did is slowly being destroyed how his power-base gets destroyed so he can never ever come back. The guy overreached.. gambled and blew it all getting his whole clan into trouble (actually the whole country) just for his amnesty.

[Lupatria]

if they continue these Path, than don't need pull up my wife ," german politicians should move in to clean up the mess"

???

Good night, was it?

On the other hand- as bad as Hitler was as a despot, a native Austrian who only became a German citizen after his party came to power, there is no doubt about that he was not a corrupt person at all.

[Mrjlh]

I say keep the military in power. They have done more to help the country than any past government has.

[chainarong]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

It may have been a good idea , all funds in this country need auditing, as they are usually directed to the chosen few.

I agree, whether to a chosen few is a little circumspect, but all funds regardless of what party they where introduced by.

[wayned]

For once since I moved here in 1997 it seems that somebody has got his head and a** wired together and is trying to point the future of this country in the right direction. It will never happen in the general's lifetime but if he gets it going on a path to recovery maybe his predecessors will follow!

I've already seen positive things happening on a lower level where police/Army have refused to accept "tea money" from local employers to look the other way as they did in the past because they employ illegal workers from Myanmar and they have been given one month to get the paperwork in order or the workers will be arrested and deported and the employers will be arrested, closed down and fined if not jailed. I really never thought that I would see it happen, but it is!

[JesseFrank]

The village fund was Thaksin's election promise when he got first time elected. He gave 1 million to 77.000 villages, and everyone thought it came out of his own pocket.

[SheungWan]

if they continue these Path, than don't need pull up my wife ," german politicians should move in to clean up the mess"

???

Good night, was it?

On the other hand- as bad as Hitler was as a despot, a native Austrian who only became a German citizen after his party came to power, there is no doubt about that he was not a corrupt person at all.

Give me a break.

[Eric Loh]

The Village Fund was continued and adopted by Ahbisit government. He see value in that fund too.

Or he just did not have the power to stop it, knowing people would rise up.

Now we got someone who is not afraid of red threats and the fund can be really examined. If it is good please keep it.

I bet me and other people on the side of light love reading everyday how all the crap that Taksin did is slowly being destroyed how his power-base gets destroyed so he can never ever come back. The guy overreached.. gambled and blew it all getting his whole clan into trouble (actually the whole country) just for his amnesty.

Don't think that was the reason as the loans only reaches about 30% of all households. I think he allowed the scheme to continue because the fund have been steady and don't need any infusion of government funds. The scheme has been running well as a microcredit financing and is socially correct so why stop as it cost nothing to his government. I have strong believe that the NCPO will continue this scheme which really has won lots of praise from local and international peers.

[rebelplatoon]

Scrutiny is good. And about time too. All the little schemes of the Sae Khu clan, oooops not allowed to use their Chinese name, the Shin clan are coming up. I actually DO believe this would have been impossible for any normal government. Keep up the good work K. Prayuth!

[hawker9000]

Don't know about the womans fund but if what has been reported is correct it would seem the village funds have been very effective as a tool in vote gathering.

The reported threat is said to have been that if the village vote goes against a particular party then the fund will be withheld from that village.

Or a rumor is spread that if an opposition party gets in they will scrap the village fund.

Either is a powerful incentive for village heads to ensure the collective village vote goes the correct way.

No need to waste money on vote buying.

In the U.S., the federal government has been playing this game with the states for decades. If a state is on the wrong side of a national election, it says good-bye to certain revenue sharing "opportunities". To some degree true of state revenue flows to counties & localities as well. Only natural that the thais picked up on this well-known abuse in the west. Soon I'm sure they'll be learning the tricks to be played by national tax revenue and land management agencies...

[MILT]

The whole design of this program is corrupt! Just look at the lack of oversight just to begin with.

Keep it me says and alter it so that everyone including the borrower's are held accountable under contract.

It is a no brain (er) really! Shin a what's are good chess players perhaps, but they certainly are not the best!