Price of Thai Cabinet audio slashed after public outcry

[webfact]

AUDIO CONTROVERSY
Price of Cabinet audio slashed after public outcry
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- FOLLOWING a public and media outcry, the price of 89 microphones intended for communication in the Cabinet meeting room at Government House has been reduced by 35 per cent.

Monthon Sudprasert, director of the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning, who has been in charge of the renovation of Government House, said the department negotiated with the audio system supplier - Asavasopon Co - to lower the price of the microphones.

Bosch Thailand, the importer, had quoted their cost at Bt145,000 to Bt94,250 each. The Bosch system DCNM-NMD comes with LED screens at Bt300,000 each.

Monthon said after price negotiations, the whole system would now cost Bt53 million. Monthon said the department would help the state save some Bt14 million from the original price.

Monthon said renovation of Government House had to be carried out rapidly to be ready for the Prayuth Cabinet's first meeting.

The National Council for Peace and Order approved a proposal from the Secretariat of the PM to suspend all directives involved in procuring equipment and electronic materials during renovation of the building.

National Legislative Assembly member Maj-General Kolchai Suvanboon had said the NLA would look into the controversy after criticism went viral that there might be corruption in the acquisition of the microphones to be used at Cabinet meetings.

PM's Office Minister Panadda Diskul last week landed in hot water after showing reporters the audio system that had been installed in the meeting room.

The minister denied having any role in the procurement, saying that Monthon was in charge of the project.

Monthon earlier said the contract had yet to be signed. He also refuted media speculation that a 15-per-cent advance payment had been paid to the supplier. Bidding documents for the audio system were circulated to the media on Tuesday.

When asked by reporters if it was possible the procurement of the audio system could be dropped because of its high cost, Monthon said the reduced price was now suitable and acceptable for high-tech equipment of its kind, saying this system was used at the Nuclear Summit meeting in the Netherlands.

He stopped short of saying he would review the final price and would be ready to have the public check the planned procurement details.

The official also denied his department had procured LED light bulbs at over Bt100,000 each.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Price-of-Cabinet-audio-slashed-after-public-outcry-30243007.html


-- The Nation 2014-09-11

[IamNoone88]

........there might be corruption in the acquisition of the microphones to be used at Cabinet meetings.

or a useless purchasing department or perhaps both......

Fire them and prosecute for misuse of public funds.

[NongKhaiKid]

If no public outcry nothing would have been done.

Will there also be an adjustment in the contents of the brown envelopes that changed hands. Can you get a refund on a bribe ?

[thesetat2013]

If they are so quick to reduce cost 35% then surely their was corruption. Either with the distributor or the purchaser. No company would dare reduce the price so much unless they knew in advance that they were overcharging. And since no agreement had been signed it is possible the purchaser was attempting to get a few million in kickbacks.

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[NeilSA1]

How very, very disappointing. The first real test seems to be inconsistent with peoples expectations.

"Monthon said after price negotiations, the whole system would now cost Bt53 million." - was there no effective price negotiations originally?

The only small saving grace is the fact that supposedly corrective action has now been taken, albeit this was after the public outcry. Shame.

Hopefully further investigations will be taken and any person unlawfully profiting from this will be firmly punished.

[jaidam]

This does not bode well for the junta's mega infrastructure projects. Will the procurement dept charge an extra 300% on these projects too?

Prayuth's tardy response to the thieves at govt house that are still trying to spin the microphone purchase is unacceptable. It was vital that he showed graft would not be tolerated, and chose not too.

[siampolee]

35% reduction , still an obscene profit margin for those in the know and on the take,

Still a little step in the right direction, no doubt monies already distributed had an influence on the down scaling of the costs.

Certainly seems as those in power are starting to realise (we hope) that the public voice is indeed stentorian and very effective when it shouts out aloud.

[Mango Bob]

Nothing seems to change it Thailand. Just more of the same. They can't get it out of their system.

[halloween]

This could never have happened under a PTP government.

[jaidam]

If the junta can't round up all those involved with these microphones, and have a jolly public and televised mass execution at democracy monument by 6pm tonight, they may as well call up Thaksin, apologise, and hand back the country to him and his clan.

[Suriya4]

No corruption here. Price after discount is proven to be millions below 199,000 baht sold over Thai internet. Nothing to see here, please move on.

Panadda is a saint. Yingluck is a witch. Please investigate her 70K clock purchase instead. It is against thailand sufficiency policy.

[tomacht8]

It's a pity.

The rules for the award of public contracts must be reformed urgently.
The loss of confidence is high now.

[BigBadGeordie]

This could never have happened under a PTP government.

I love a good dose of sarcasm in the morning!

[rubl]

It's a pity.

The rules for the award of public contracts must be reformed urgently.

The loss of confidence is high now.

Yep, so much to do and so little time.

[ramrod711]

BANGKOK: -- FOLLOWING a public and media outcry, the price of 89 microphones intended for communication in the Cabinet meeting room at Government House has been reduced by 35 per cent.

Reminds me of a novel I read, guy talking to a CIA agent asks how they can fund such a large operation without public oversight. The agent replies, "you don't really think hammers cost $500 each do you?"

[halloween]

This could never have happened under a PTP government.

I love a good dose of sarcasm in the morning!

You've got me wrong, I was deadly serious, though intentionally ambiguous. There's no way PTP would cave in and hand back their graft; they would have stonewalled for months. If things got to hot, "da boyz" would have been let loose, handing out phone numbers, burning a coffin or two, splashing a bit of blood around, an occasional petrol bomb or grenade into someone's house.

Meanwhile those concerned would pass the buck, obfuscate, tell lies, and as a last resort we'd have a cabinet re-shuffle.

[worgeordie]

Looks like a swift bit of creative accounting has taken place,move along nothing to see here.

regards Worgeordie

[shirtless]

They just cant help themselves, the public must see through these rorts.

[StefanBBK]

This is all a bit confusing. Some reports mentioned just microphones. I believe they actually talk about these below.

Never the less any government procurement should undergo a bidding process. Checks and balances need to be in place, to avoid being accused of any wrongdoing.

[dBrown]

So even before they start the ant-corruption saints are ridden with corruption already, but for sure they gone weed it out in future projects, or is it that they just will forbid the media to talk about.

Edited September 11, 2014 by dBrown

[timewilltell]

Well at least it is corroboration that corruption is embedded in the Thai psyche. There really needs to be a no tolerance policy to change this basic integral fault of Thai society together with harsh punishments to drive it home. It will certainly never change with weak livered pathetic apathy that let's people get away with it without effective punishment of any sort.

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

[airconsult]

This does not bode well for the junta's mega infrastructure projects. Will the procurement dept charge an extra 300% on these projects too?

Prayuth's tardy response to the thieves at govt house that are still trying to spin the microphone purchase is unacceptable. It was vital that he showed graft would not be tolerated, and chose not too.

Agree, surprisingly little comment was made that after review the transport projects went from 2 trillion to 3 trillion - yet the most expensive project in there (high-speed rail) had the most expensive lines removed (it no longer goes to bangkok) and is now 160Km/h max - which is considerably cheaper in both engines and rail infrastructure.

I admit that I felt the budget for the original HSR (which I was against) was thoroughly unrealistic and could never be done at that price - but I was surprised that the whole budget went up by 33%.

[cougar52]

I am really confused: Bosch Thailand, the importer, had quoted their cost at Bt145,000 to Bt94,250 each. The cost stated as 53,000,000 for 89 microphones comes to. 595,505 Baht.

Am I missing something????

[Roadman]

Took a media and public outcry to do but even that is a small step in the right direction that the issue was transparent, the outcry was listened to and a corrective action occurred. That is more in line with democratic principles of the public being involved than anything in the past. In the past this would not have been in the media and public domain or if it did get there as per the few that have, it would have disappeared with inaction or lack of responsibility and accountability. Look at the outcry all the way through the rice scam as a major example but still it just carried on with no accountability.

[AleG]

May I just point out to the "It's just like North Korea now" crowd that noone has been arrested or sent to a gulag for (rightly) criticizing this particular issue?

[pookiki]

Transparency has to be 'before the fact' not 'after the fact'. All government bids should be published in the major Thai newspapers with the bids open to inspection by the public. When the bid is finally awarded, the award should be noted to the public as well -- along with the reason why the bid was accepted. Transparency is not a complicated process.

Edited September 11, 2014 by pookiki

[aussieinthailand]

This is all a bit confusing. Some reports mentioned just microphones. I believe they actually talk about these below.

Never the less any government procurement should undergo a bidding process. Checks and balances need to be in place, to avoid being accused of any wrongdoing.

The purchasing protocol is in place, they have already stated that they didn't follow the protocol. BIG MISTAKE...

If you think about it as I mentioned in one of my previous posts there is a link with a doctor that gave a very public anti Y/L anti PTP anti corruption speech given on Sutheps protest stage and his wife linked with the suppler if the audio equipment, could this contract have bypassed the purchasing protocols and given to the good DR's wife for service's rendered? Just a little to convenient no?

Just a thought weren't these "good people" in government selected for their honesty, integrity, and all the "corrupt people thrown out?

someone's standing in a big puddle of sh*t and they don't have the shoes for it. get an (independent investigation) going, possibly the Auditor general?

and not the one that's being investigated at the moment.

In my opinion, the public outcry needs to continue until this issue has been resolved according to the peoples satisfaction and not just some minister, and so let this be a lesson for all in government.

[inzman]

I believe the importer is a Thai company. They jack up the price 50% to fund the brown envelopes. Now that it got out to the public, they are reluctantly lowering their graft, I mean profit margin. Now the problem of the overpriced obsolete plasma TV's, it seems they are buying these obsolete TV's for about 300,000 and any large electronic shop sells them for around 75000. Graft in this country is endemic down to the smallest thing. It will not change in our lifetime.

[chainarong]

They talk about corruption , transparency , reforms and yet this sort of S!!t happens right under their noses , nothing changes just the date, Thailand is in a chronic state of permanent moral decay.

[airconsult]

Will someone dare to propose strong FOI legislation be put in place?

FOI appeals to be handled by the ombudsman office (as it is independant).

Amuses me the idea has never been tabled here by ANY government either elected or appointed.