Probe suggests graft in digital clock project

[Lite Beer]

Probe suggests graft in digital clock project
Khanittha Thepphajorn
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- AN INVESTIGATION report suggests that a former secretary-general of the House of Representatives may have engaged in corruption when preparing a Bt15-million project to replace analog clocks at Parliament with digital ones.

"There are grounds to believe that he violated criminal laws. We have informed the Office of the Permanent Secretary for the PM's Office," a member of a fact-finding committee said yesterday. The source identified the alleged wrongdoer as Watcharachai "Suvijak" Nakwatcharachai, who was recently transferred to the Prime Minister's Office at the behest of the military's ruling National Council for Peace and Order.

According to the source, PM's Office adviser Tongthong Chandransu had launched a disciplinary probe against Suvijak.

"There are nine other government officials found guilty in this case, and they have been punished by a 2-to-4-per-cent cut in salary," the source said, adding that one of these officials held a very senior C-10 rank.

This fact-finding committee member also disclosed that the Secretariat of the House of Representatives had lodged a complaint against these 10 officials with the Dusit Police Station.

"The police station has now forwarded the case to the National Anti-Corruption Commission [NACC] for further action," the source said.

The source added that nine other government officials and one civil servant were also found involved in corruption in relation to a Bt13.9-million project to improve the area around the King Rama VII statue.

"This case is also with the NACC," the source disclosed.

In this case, seven state officials ranked between C-5 and C-11 were found to have committed grave disciplinary offences, while the remaining two committed minor offences.

In addition, the source said the fact-finding committee was now looking into seven other government projects worth more than Bt50 million on the suspicion that they too might have been mired in corruption.

"We have also received requests to investigate three more projects worth more than Bt60 million," the source added.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Probe-suggests-graft-in-digital-clock-project-30267177.html

-- The Nation 2015-08-22

[BigBadGeordie]

About time!

[shirtless]

4% cut in pay for corruption what a joke and Thais claim to be coming down on graft. never happen

[Seastallion]

Commit a crime, while holding a government position, even a minor one, let alone corruption, and you should be out of a job, and in gaol.

2% pay cut??? That is a joke. It reflects the entire government attitude towards corruption, nepotism, and face-saving.

[englishoak]

Who says corruption crime dosnt pay ?

Edited August 21, 2015 by englishoak

[NongKhaiKid]

4% cut in pay for corruption what a joke and Thais claim to be coming down on graft. never happen

How about a rate of 100% as in ' Your Fired ' plus the proceeds illegally obtained recovered plus a punitive levy and a trip to court ?

Whatever happened for the much vaunted list of the Top 100 corrupt officials as called for by the PM personally, compiled and delivered and then ... ?

Oh i do believe there were some sideways shuffles, a major deterrent.

[z42]

3rd world. Did I miss anything else out?

[jaywalker]

And some people think paying taxes is a good thing.

I just don't get it.

[TheAppletons]

About time!

Yes, it is about time. Clocks and such.

[jerojero]

Caught in corruption and penalties of 2% pay cut. THAT ought to teach them! What a joke.

[aussieinthailand]

What the 2%-4% salary cut, someone's taking the p*ss aren't they, aren't they???

Fingers in the cookie jar equals GAOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RED, YELLOW, MILITARY, CONECTED, RICH, PWERFUL, what ever, pathetic...

[noosard]

The new museum won't be short of pieces to display

[jamesbrock]

The new museum won't be short of pieces to display

As someone else suggested on another thread, the should just open the doors to Parliament, the Police complex, and all public institutions. People could walk in and see it in practice - or at the very lease check out their shiny new 75,000 baht clocks (which look alarmingly like PC monitors).

[Bluespunk]

Quick someone call the museum.

[impulse]

Probe suggests the sun rises in the east every morning...and more often than not, sets in the west.

[robblok]

What the 2%-4% salary cut, someone's taking the p*ss aren't they, aren't they???

Fingers in the cookie jar equals GAOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RED, YELLOW, MILITARY, CONECTED, RICH, PWERFUL, what ever, pathetic...

I agree 100% however I believe the case is not over and this is just internal action, maybe the NACC will make sure their ill gotten gains are confiscated and maybe get some fired.

If this is all.. then its just stupid as positions like this are not about salary but about the graft they can get.

[tomacht8]

Apparently, there are laws here which, allowing the stealing of state funds and tax payers money.
If government officials or civil servants found guilty and convicted of the crime,
why these criminals sit not in jail?
Why the state retains these criminals in their offices?
The cheating, stealing and lying is downright rewarded here.
And the stolen money they are allowed to keep still.

A state which is led and managed by hundreds/ thousands of criminals, is a failed state.

Edited August 22, 2015 by tomacht8

[chrisinth]

You would think that if found guilty, the money gained by the graft would cover a 2 - 4% reduction in pay.

Be good or be good at it.....................

[jaidam]

What the 2%-4% salary cut, someone's taking the p*ss aren't they, aren't they???

Fingers in the cookie jar equals GAOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RED, YELLOW, MILITARY, CONECTED, RICH, PWERFUL, what ever, pathetic...

This must be an editorial mistake, and a howler at that. It appears the 2-4% salary deduction comes after they had their testicles singed off with a rusty soldering iron and spent the weekend grasping an oiled rope above Korea Kim's eager pack of starving hounds. I mean, if the punishment for large scale corruption and stealing from the taxpayers is a tiny adjustment in salary, it would mean the government is not at all serious about correcting corruption, which brings the whole justification for the coup and the governments very existence into question.

[Bakseeda]

The pay cut is an internal thing... if found guilty of corruption these guys can now face the death sentence... under new laws..

and most certainly will lose many of their assets .. The clock is ticking .....

[phoenixdoglover]

These digital master time systems are quite expensive. I developed a cost estimate for a 100 clock system. All prices are US Dollars.

1) Master Clock with wireless and network interfaces - $1,000

2) 100 Slave clocks, digital, 4 inch letters, $300 per unit - $30,000

3) 10 2.4 ghz plug-in repeaters for reliable wireless coverage, $150 per unit - $1,500

4) Miscellaneous cables and fittings - $500

Subtotal, Equipment - $33,000

5) Installation, 10 days, 2 man crew at $1,000 per day - $10,000

Subtotal, Labor - $10,000

6) Thai language system documentation (see note 1) - $385,000

Total Cost - $428,000 (THB 15,000,000)

*Note 1: The manufacturer has arranged for translation of the system documentation from English to Thai language. Upon recommendation of a qualified Translator by customer's Procurement Officer, the services of a Translator have been secured. It is estimated the translation service will take one week.

[Seligne2]

These digital master time systems are quite expensive. I developed a cost estimate for a 100 clock system. All prices are US Dollars.

1) Master Clock with wireless and network interfaces - $1,000

2) 100 Slave clocks, digital, 4 inch letters, $300 per unit - $30,000

3) 10 2.4 ghz plug-in repeaters for reliable wireless coverage, $150 per unit - $1,500

4) Miscellaneous cables and fittings - $500

Subtotal, Equipment - $33,000

5) Installation, 10 days, 2 man crew at $1,000 per day - $10,000

Subtotal, Labor - $10,000

6) Thai language system documentation (see note 1) - $385,000

Total Cost - $428,000 (THB 15,000,000)

*Note 1: The manufacturer has arranged for translation of the system documentation from English to Thai language. Upon recommendation of a qualified Translator by customer's Procurement Officer, the services of a Translator have been secured. It is estimated the translation service will take one week.

USD385K for Thai documentation? Are you serious?

[Lupatria]

Even the purchase of napkins would be prone to corruption here

[sfokevin]

Given everyone was slated for a 7% pay increase this year a 2-4% reduction will cut the thier pay raise to only 5-3%...

[phoenixdoglover]

These digital master time systems are quite expensive. I developed a cost estimate for a 100 clock system. All prices are US Dollars.

1) Master Clock with wireless and network interfaces - $1,000

2) 100 Slave clocks, digital, 4 inch letters, $300 per unit - $30,000

3) 10 2.4 ghz plug-in repeaters for reliable wireless coverage, $150 per unit - $1,500

4) Miscellaneous cables and fittings - $500

Subtotal, Equipment - $33,000

5) Installation, 10 days, 2 man crew at $1,000 per day - $10,000

Subtotal, Labor - $10,000

6) Thai language system documentation (see note 1) - $385,000

Total Cost - $428,000 (THB 15,000,000)

*Note 1: The manufacturer has arranged for translation of the system documentation from English to Thai language. Upon recommendation of a qualified Translator by customer's Procurement Officer, the services of a Translator have been secured. It is estimated the translation service will take one week.

USD385K for Thai documentation? Are you serious?

Unfortunately, the Thai news reports on corruption rarely describe the specific corrupt acts. That means, one is never sure what law was broken.

So I have posted a "tongue in cheek" example. In my ridiculous example, the corruption is a thinly disguised contract kickback, in which an item that is invoiced on the contract contains a payment, typically to a subcontractor (the "translator" !!) , who then splits the payment with the corrupt official.

There are many types of corruption related to contracting:

1) Payment of bribes to secure a favorable position or an actual award of contract

2) Contract kickbacks, in which contract revenue is channeled back to a corrupt official

3) Conflict of interest, the most egregious being an official having a financial interest in a contractor that does business with the official's agency

I would guess that all of these schemes are endemic in Thailand.

Edited August 22, 2015 by phoenixdoglover

[oztaurus]

I bought 5 digital clocks last week in Fortune IT. They have big, bright, red LED displays. They also show the date, temperature and have an alarm to wake you up when it is time to go home.

At the price I paid, I am prepared to do a deal for the Thai Parliament job for ..... hmmm 10 million baht seems fair to me, and saves them 5 million.

[elgordo38]

4% cut in pay for corruption what a joke and Thais claim to be coming down on graft. never happen

How about a rate of 100% as in ' Your Fired ' plus the proceeds illegally obtained recovered plus a punitive levy and a trip to court ?

Whatever happened for the much vaunted list of the Top 100 corrupt officials as called for by the PM personally, compiled and delivered and then ... ?

Oh i do believe there were some sideways shuffles, a major deterrent.

Looks like the old shell game to me only on a grander scale. Yes there was a lot of noise and a 2nd list was on the drawing board. After the 15 minutes of fame on the subject was over it was no doubt shelved. Can always be dusted off in the future for a little more morality mileage.

[glasswort]

So what is new? Practically all Government procurement is corrupt.

[Sakeopete]

As if any corrupt officials care about their pay, they are buy those government positons for the graft which is many times their pay. If the government threatened them with a 4% reduction in ill gotten gains then they might take notice.

[Basil B]

4% cut in pay for corruption what a joke and Thais claim to be coming down on graft. never happen

How about a rate of 100% as in ' Your Fired ' plus the proceeds illegally obtained recovered plus a punitive levy and a trip to court ?

Whatever happened for the much vaunted list of the Top 100 corrupt officials as called for by the PM personally, compiled and delivered and then ... ?

Oh i do believe there were some sideways shuffles, a major deterrent.

It would be interesting...

If ever they actually enforced those penalties to a point that government officials would not accept a bribe I know which countries would be hurt the most...

Maybe even better any company caught offering a bribe should be barred from trading in Thailand.