Malfunctioning body scanners at Thai Parliament seen as corrupt procurement

[webfact]

Malfunctioning body scanners at Parliament seen as corrupt procurement

BANGKOK, 20 August 2015 (NNT) - The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) has been urged to inspect its body scanning systems, as the unusually high occurrence of breakdowns and repairs may be due to corrupt activities.

Watchara Petthong, a former Democrat Party MP, yesterday delivered his petition to NLA President Pornpetch Wichidcholchai, alleging that the 64 million Baht body scanners installed at the two main buildings of parliament have been plagued with malfunctions till this day.

Mr Watchara suspected that the malfunctioning could be due to the procurement of substandard equipment at exorbitant prices, and said a probe should be conducted. He also called on the NLA to notify the public of the investigation’s findings and disclose the procurement contract for transparency.


-- NNT 2015-08-20

[PatOngo]

So....................the crackdown has failed!

[chrisinth]

I hope they have also followed the line of the operators of said machines.

What sort of training have they done, how well do they know the procedures for faults on this articular model?

It is all to easy to blame faulty equipment, especially when dealing with people who can do no wrong.................

[hanuman2543]

Anything new about the Bosch microphones?

[ezzra]

I think that there is a competition in this country to see who can cheat the government and the Thai

people the most, who has the bigger balls and the audacity to play with people's lives, it seems,

that there is no shortage in players for this game.... otherwise, how do you explain the relentless

scandals we read about on a daily bases....

[jamesbrock]

Maybe they should go over the body scanners with a GT200...

[slapout]

At least/ last the public is being made aware of how corrupi and widespread it has been and still is. Although the conviction and exposure being made public has only started recently.

The crooks are not smart enough yo even cover their actions so as bto not get caught.

The latest ''government cheap rice for the people fo 70 baht a bag'' was found that the +6 companies selected to handle distribution were all connected and a single individual paid for all 6 contracts with 6 cashier checks from 6 different companies Then to further thumb their nose at government and the public they sold the rice to others to sell to the public at more than the 70 baht set price.

A first year law student could find at leasat half a dozens laws broken which should incurr fines blacklisting, jail time and asset siezure. Don't worry about minor charges for these politicians, they can be jailed and never allowed to run or be appointed to any public office loose all assets as well as being publically shown to be nothing but thieves and not even clever ones.

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

Anything new about the Bosch microphones?

555 you must be new around here. Nothing has happened and nothing will ever happen. If a person can get away with B 680 mil fortune without proving how he got it and that the taxes has been paid on this fortune why will they do something about a few million worth of mics. You could have asked the same question about the junta employing family members and friends, remember that one ?

[hanuman2543]

Anything new about the Bosch microphones?

555 you must be new around here. Nothing has happened and nothing will ever happen. If a person can get away with B 680 mil fortune without proving how he got it and that the taxes has been paid on this fortune why will they do something about a few million worth of mics. You could have asked the same question about the junta employing family members and friends, remember that one ?

Do you know what irony is?

[ratcatcher]

Anything new about the Bosch microphones?

555 you must be new around here. Nothing has happened and nothing will ever happen. If a person can get away with B 680 mil fortune without proving how he got it and that the taxes has been paid on this fortune why will they do something about a few million worth of mics. You could have asked the same question about the junta employing family members and friends, remember that one ?

Do you know what irony is?

Yes, he probably does, it's what his wife does to his shirts.

[webfact]

Calls for Probe Into Pricy, Broken Bomb Detectors
By Khaosod English


Smiths Detection's Eqo airport bomb detector. Photo: Smiths Detection

BANGKOK — A former lawmaker petitioned the parliament today to investigate why only one of its four bomb detectors works, despite spending 64 million baht on them.

Three of the four machines, which had been in storage since their purchase two years ago, failed to work when called into action the morning after Monday’s bomb attack, Former MP Watchara Petchthong of the Democrat Party said.


“Only one scanner worked, out of the four that were bought,” Watchara said as he filed his letter of complaint to the parliament today. “The purchases of those machines were really expensive. They aren’t worth the price.”

Officials rushed the machine, made by UK-based Smiths Detection, into service Tuesday morning, placing them around entrances to the parliament building to increase security in response to the deadly downtown bombing which killed at least 20 people.

A technician in charge of the three malfunctioning bomb detectors told reporters at the time there was an “electrical failure” and no backup power source for the devices.

Calls to a media contact for Smiths Detection were not immediately returned.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1440060586


-- Khaosod English 2015-08-20

[clockman]

No change, T.I.T.

[fred Kubasa]

With the exception of ATMs the lifeblood of Thai ladies, EVERYTHING/EVERYBODY in Thailand is malfunctioning

[jpinx]

Bought for 2.5 times the list price, never installed by the maker ---

[jamesbrock]

Wait, they bought four machines which Bloomberg Business News listed the per unit price as $170,000 (or 5.44 million baht at the rate of exchange at the time) for 64 million baht?

4 x 5,440,000 = 64,000,000

[nikmar]

why buy something and put it into storage for 2 years.

[Thai at Heart]

If I was Smith's I would be calling my lawyer for a defamation suit right about now.....

[canopus1969]

With the exception of ATMs the lifeblood of Thai ladies, EVERYTHING/EVERYBODY in Thailand is malfunctioning

Including my water pump today

[Baerboxer]

No change, T.I.T.

It says they were purchased 2 years ago. That would be 2013.

Don't suppose the government of that time kept any receipts or records of the procurement process, bidding, supplier selection, price analysis, negotiations and contract order placement?

[simon43]

A technician in charge of the three malfunctioning bomb detectors told reporters at the time there was an electrical failure and no backup power source for the devices.

This might help...

[Baerboxer]

why buy something and put it into storage for 2 years.

Maybe someone wanted to buy them quickly, for some reason

Look at all those unused fire engines. The unused aircraft carrier etc etc

[elgordo38]

I think that there is a competition in this country to see who can cheat the government and the Thai

people the most, who has the bigger balls and the audacity to play with people's lives, it seems,

that there is no shortage in players for this game.... otherwise, how do you explain the relentless

scandals we read about on a daily bases....

Obviously not put out for tender? An inside job? Just follow the paper trail and the signatures and prices involved.

[peteregion]

Yep. They should investigate those involved in the purchase 2 years ago.

[slapout]

The first solution to the corruption problem is to require everyone on the qualification tender, bid of equipment, price with spare parts and service for guarntee peroid,, approval and commissioning committees to sign their name to the documents.

In this case a pure cash ripoff of public as they were not needed as 2 years in storage not only indicates but should be enough evidence to prove a intitial intent of nothing but self enrichment nby those involved, Then throw in cost factor vs list price advertised.

Check the number of middle men these items were shipped to and forwarded to another rat who got another piece of the hunk of cheese.while sharing with those signing documents..

A new economic team is not what Thailand needs. A prison for the corrupt in civil service and asset siezure, jail terms and blacklist private companies involved and apply same penality as those asking for and receiving bribes. Thailand would have more cash reerves , physical assets for sale that she could become a loan shark for several cash /credit poor countries and have money left to help the poor, disable, elderly. etc.

[Thai at Heart]

The first solution to the corruption problem is to require everyone on the qualification tender, bid of equipment, price with spare parts and service for guarntee peroid,, approval and commissioning committees to sign their name to the documents.

In this case a pure cash ripoff of public as they were not needed as 2 years in storage not only indicates but should be enough evidence to prove a intitial intent of nothing but self enrichment nby those involved, Then throw in cost factor vs list price advertised.

Check the number of middle men these items were shipped to and forwarded to another rat who got another piece of the hunk of cheese.while sharing with those signing documents..

A new economic team is not what Thailand needs. A prison for the corrupt in civil service and asset siezure, jail terms and blacklist private companies involved and apply same penality as those asking for and receiving bribes. Thailand would have more cash reerves , physical assets for sale that she could become a loan shark for several cash /credit poor countries and have money left to help the poor, disable, elderly. etc.

The way to stop it is to get the middle man out of the way and let organisations buy and import direct. The agent has loaded the price not the manufacturer. Everything in Thailand has an agent.

[Chang_paarp]

So these bomb detectors were needed 2 years ago, bought delivered but not installed. No commissioning.

Suddenly following a bomb explosion in the city, it is remembered that they are sitting in the basement and decided to wheel them out, brush off the cobwebs and put them into service using the fully trained operators that received their training at purchase and all subsequent refresher courses. Now some of them don't work the way the operator remembers. That is more incompetence that corruption. OK they paid over the odds to buy them, but not using the detectors for over 2 years is a flagrant waste.

[smedly]

that was the money that was spent, I am sure Smiths have a copy of their invoice and the procurement company used for the purchase, perhaps a company owned by a relative of a high ranking minister

[mikemac]

OK, so who was in power when these duds were purchased ?

And regarding the picture in post #25 - who is the ugly little toad to the right of Yingluck ?

[Loles]

Classic ...

[slapout]

That makes 3 different corruption investigation groups who have pointed out huge duscrapatancies in need, cost of product, excessive monies paid above advertised price by seller/manafactor including Thai government rice etc in just 1 day and 3 newspapers

Jail the guilty parties private and government paid and it will take several years for the corruption level % to reach the point where we know it was 1 1/2 years ago.. The entire extended Taksin family, bussiness associates, appointees, cronies, supporters etc.need tl to be held up as an example of pure unadultrated greed and how it can ruin a countries cash flow and its reputation