Pridiyathorn is the richest in Prayut cabinet

[klauskunkel]

The poorest minister is Admiral Narong Pipatanasai, the minter of education. He has 6.9 million baht in assets.

that will change, education has a real big budget

[ratcatcher]

A government of the rich people, by the rich people, for the rich people, to paraphrase John Wycliffe.

[ezzra]

Where are the days when very ordinary, modest and down to earth people like major

general Chamlog Sirimouang, Chuan Leekpi, genral Prem Tinsulanonda, Panya

ananrachun and Abhisit Vajajiva were at the hels of this country?

now says it's all about the money, and the chase to get more of at everyone's

and the country expense, damn be honor and duty, hello money....

[MediaWatcher]

siampolee, on 31 Oct 2014 - 14:52, said:

This matter is not the sole prerogative of Thai political figures you know . Check the links below before you all become so self righteous.

With power comes money or is it a case of with money comes power?

Political figures the world over are all the same.

.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_richest_American_politicians

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/09/12/richest-politicians-brita_n_3900819.html

The OP is about Thailand, why is there a need to bring up the rest of the world. Besides there is a right way and a wrong way to make money, what we see here are people making far more than their "profession" should allow them to.

[ldiablo]

Wasn't it not that long ago that the PM informed foreign media that his salary was something along the lines of $13.00 per day. So even if that was the case, lets do some easy math. 390B×30days×12months×lets just for the sake of it say 60years=8,424,000B so how does that somehow manage to equate to 128 million baht.

[Fat Haggis]

With great power comes greater wealth!!

[Sadana]

It amazes me how well people can judge others while totally shouting accusations without any grounds.

Any educated person could understand that income and assets are not the same.

People may have a salary and spend it right out or do investments. If you do this well you could earn more than your salary easily. Investing in property is the same. Does not mean that someone has a so said high government salary as said in earlier post. It's not just dividing one''s salary by the years worked/employed.

Also there are many people with money whom do have Morgan or loans. This is in most countries the way to reduce tax payment.

Do not say or suggest people are corrupt just because they are wealthy.

[namdocmai]

I don't understand why they still work with that much money on the bank. I would buy an island and make it my own paradise.

[fobuff]

Obviously the best career in Thailand is the military. 128 million over about 40 years works out to about 266,666 per month, not bad.

and that is assuming the great leader did not spend a satang..... must be bonuses for coup planning alll his carrer...

[rubl]

It will be interesting if they publish this list one year from now.

Me thinks they are all about to get a lot richer!

Assuming the reforms will take place and a constitution will be adopted, new elections will be called and all NLA members and cabinet members will declare their assets again. With the overwhelming support the NRC and CDC are getting that might be even sooner than late next year )

As for 'a lot richer', wait and see.

[rubl]

No list of what their wives, cats, parrots, drivers, shoe-cleaners, chihuahuas, shirt pressers, brothers (oops), sisters and geckos own then?

Wifes would be included as well as dependent children (e.g. below 16/18(?) years old). By law the assets of the others do not need to be declared. Lying is prohibited, but we have a precedent that 'honest mistakes' are acceptable.

[Fatty123]

So Thailand's anti corruption commission is full of multi millionaires. Hey, c'mon. Ever heard of the lottery?

[ThaiSmarterThanYou]

And this is only the official assets, right ?

[HUAHIN62]

According to Bloomberg our dear great leader declared that he transfered B 268 m to his parents and B 198 m to his children, but these amounts was listed as expenses. I thought you must first own the money before you can give it away. So his assets before these hand outs was over a half a billion. These facts was as normal not reported in the Thai news.

[Emster23]

This disclosure shows that they have common people's touch. They come from all rides of life.

Regarding having 128 mill and 600k debt, nothing unusual about that. There can be certain financial benefits for carrying some debt. I could have paid off house in US, but deduction for interest in income tax made it worthwhile to carry the debt.

[See the bears]

" Bank of Thailand Governor, MR Pridiyathorn Devakula (ม.ร.ว.ปรีดิยาธร เทวกุล) also defended the sale, stating that the FIDF had not set a minimum price, as all of the previous bidders for the plots had complained about the high price asked, and stated that Pojaman won the bid, because she put in the highest bid."

"The AEC allowed only Pridiyathorn to deliver additional testimony. For this the AEC issued a summons, and added that should the Former BOT Governor fail to attend the hearing without a valid reason then he could face a jail sentence. The AEC also stated, "By law, the lawyer for Thaksin Shinawatra will not be allowed to be present during the testimony of the witness. The lawyer can however submit questions for Pridiyathorn to the AEC providing that they are received within a day prior to the hearing".

http://slimdogsworld.blogspot.com/

[SABloke]

Chosen people run their company named Thailand.

I think Thailand Inc was coined during the good Mr Thaksin's tenure?

The King once said in an unusually serious birthday speech said Thailand was being run as a ' wholly owned subsidiary ', no prizes for guessing who the PM was at the time.

I need google for Prime Ministers, but not for Head of State...at any time

[sfokevin]

Thailand has an unusually large number of rich Generals...

[mindo]

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

Thailand has an unusually large number of rich Generals...

You are right and i understand after i read this

www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-31/thailand-s-junta-leader-has-millions-in-cash-cars-luxury-goods.html

Edited October 31, 2014 by mindo

[Dogmatix]

The police chief and his wife are doing well too, even though they are not in the cabinet and not required to declare assets. According to publicly available information on the SET's Settrade English language website http://www.settrade.com/simsImg/news/2014/14067082.pdf they recently invested B360 million in a small cap stock, called Watana Capital (WAT), via a private placement at B0.036. The stock went up 14% today and 16% the day before and is now at B0.08. So their position is now worth B800 million, if they didn't sell too early. Nice work, if you can get it.

Anyway hats off to the police general and his wife for being such astute investors and investing openly in their own names rather than through nominees as many others do.

Edited October 31, 2014 by Dogmatix

[Robespiere]

The police chief and his wife are doing well too, even though they are not in the cabinet and not required to declare assets. According to publicly available information on the SET's Settrade English language website http://www.settrade.com/simsImg/news/2014/14067082.pdf they recently invested B360 million in a small cap stock, called Watana Capital (WAT), via a private placement at B0.036. The stock went up 14% today and 16% the day before and is now at B0.08. So their position is now worth B800 million, if they didn't sell too early. Nice work, if you can get it.

Anyway hats off to the police general and his wife for being such astute investors and investing openly in their own names rather than through nominees as many others do.

What about the General's wealth?

Any comments, or do you wish to continue avoiding the subject with your misdirection?

[tullynagardy]

Inequality is the root of all the problems in Thailand. 0.1% of the population own half the countries wealth and we now have a cabinet made up entirely of people in that 0.1% who were placed there illegally.

Momentum is queitly growing in the background against the junta and as the economy falters more and more even their core support base is deserting them. I really hope the next coup, be it literal or not, will see a government populated with regular Thais, not cronies of the Thai elite or Thaksins lackeys.

[Lite Beer]

NACC unveils Cabinet members' assets
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) yesterday announced the assets and liabilities of 33 Cabinet members who were endorsed on September 4.

As per the declaration, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has net assets worth Bt128 million, including 12 watches and nine guns, while his family's combined assets, including those of his father, brother and children, is Bt466 million.

The junta leader's liabilities stand at Bt654,745 in the form of loans from banks and financial institutions. Prayut told reporters that the money owed was related to investment bonds, adding that he could not remember the details. "But all my assets are accounted for, I have no concerns about this," he said.

Among the Cabinet members, the richest is Deputy PM Pridiyathorn Devakula, whose net assets amount to Bt1.37 billion, followed by PM's Office Minister Panadda Diskul, who is worth Bt1.31 billion. The third richest is Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Peetipong Phuengbun na Ayutthaya, who has Bt830 million in assets.

Education Minister Narong Pipatanasai and his spouse appear to have the least, with their net assets amounting to Bt6 million.

This Cabinet is dominated by former military generals, many of whom have well over Bt50 million in assets.

For instance, Deputy PM and Foreign Minister General Tanasak Patimapragorn and his spouse are worth Bt186 million, while Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan has Bt87 million and Justice Minister General Paiboon Kumchaya and spouse are worth Bt52 million. Natural Resources and Environment Minister General Dapong Ratanasuwan and his spouse have Bt94 million.

The net worth of ex-Army chief and now Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda is more modest at Bt37 million.

Deputy PM Yongyut Yuttawong and his spouse are worth Bt88 million, while Deputy PM Wissanu KreaNgam and his spouse have Bt116 million.

Social Development and Human Security Minister Adul Saengsingkaew, who was national police chief, and his spouse have Bt79 million, while Energy Minister Narongchai Akrasanee and spouse have a net worth of Bt284 million.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/NACC-unveils-Cabinet-members-assets-30246748.html

-- The Nation 2014-11-01

[Si Thea01]

M.R. Pridiyathorn Devakula being the richest with 1.3 billion baht

M.L. Panadda Diskul has 1.315 billion baht,

OK then. I disagree.

Why don't you read the post correctly?

Pridiyathom has B1.378 billion. Pannadda comes in 2nd with B1.317 billion. Only disagree when the poster has made the error.

[djjamie]

No doubt all those outstanding members of society have earned their money through hard labour and honesty!!

My oh my. The PTP phenomenal argument syndrome is back.

When the most popular PM in the last decade, Preyut and his team did not declare assets it was a lack of transparency by some and an insightful articulate snide comment by you as I have highlighted and linked below.

New bottles, same old wine!!

Of course when assets are highlighted there is no mention of transparency and a snide comment by you albeit with a laughing emoticon instead of a coffee drinking one.

Kinda like;

Before the Junta arrest one of their own the comments are "The Junta are corrupted and would never arrest within their own ranks" When the Junta arrest one of their own. It is a PR stunt.

If the police chief was not reinstated it would be a conspiracy by the DEM's and the courts. When he is, it is nepotism.

When the Junta found a small amount of weapons it was "An insignificant weapons find" When they found 10% of all weapons finds in 14 years it is "A fake news story".

Before the Junta paid the rice farmers it was "They don't care about the farmers" When they paid the farmers it was "They are a populist Junta"

​BUT when corruption is discovered in the rice scheme……………………...

PTP right there folks.

[djjamie]

The police chief and his wife are doing well too, even though they are not in the cabinet and not required to declare assets. According to publicly available information on the SET's Settrade English language website http://www.settrade.com/simsImg/news/2014/14067082.pdf they recently invested B360 million in a small cap stock, called Watana Capital (WAT), via a private placement at B0.036. The stock went up 14% today and 16% the day before and is now at B0.08. So their position is now worth B800 million, if they didn't sell too early. Nice work, if you can get it.

Anyway hats off to the police general and his wife for being such astute investors and investing openly in their own names rather than through nominees as many others do.

What about the General's wealth?

Any comments, or do you wish to continue avoiding the subject with your misdirection?

Maybe dogmatic has stated the most easily verifiable!

[djjamie]

Great to see the cabinet setting the sample with there open and transparent drive of asset declaration.

The most popular PM in the last 10 years certainly has a nice nest egg of 128 million baht (which is 4 times the increase, not the net, but the increase of yingluck's wealth when she was in office)

Of course the most popular PM in the last decade has a bit of catching up to do to reach Chalerms dizzying figure of 171 million baht.

And just as Chalerm was not investigated and arrested for unusual wealth the good PM Prayut won't be either. Well done to both of them for securing a comfortable future for there families.

Of course those with an agenda will stay silent on Chalerm and denounce Prayut.

That is called PTP logic you know.

[BirdsandBooze]

There are a couple of reasons why senior generals have wealth not commensurate with their army salaries. Firstly, they hail from families that are already wealthy. Secondly, they hold multiple lucrative directorships alongside their military careers. Their army salary is pocket money.

[englishoak]

Jobs for the elect, same scumbags yellow, red dosnt matter what shirt they wear... all cut from the same cloth... putrid

[whatawonderfulday]

There are a couple of reasons why senior generals have wealth not commensurate with their army salaries. Firstly, they hail from families that are already wealthy. Secondly, they hold multiple lucrative directorships alongside their military careers. Their army salary is pocket money.

Not forgetting of course significant involvement in one of the three lottery distribution companies. I think the world outside Thailand is fully aware of how many of the senior armed forces and RTP have accumulated such wealth. A good dose of Chinese medicine may not go amiss.