ThaiHealth board and 44 TAO mayors purged by the NCPO

[webfact]

ThaiHealth board and 44 TAO mayors purged by the NCPO



BANGKOK: -- The entire board of Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth or Sor Sor Sor) was sacked today (Tuesday) by General Prayut Chan-ocha in his capacity as head of the National Council for Peace and Order.

Fifty-two educators, civil servants, local administrators and local officials were also suspended from their duties or transferred under suspicion of irregularities.

The sacked ThaiHealth board members include Dr Wichai Chokewiwat, Mr Songkran Parkchokedee, Mr Ennoo Suesuwan, Mr Yongyuth Wongpiromsarn, Mr Somporn Chaibangyang, Associate Professor Prapat Nayamee and Mr Wichien Pongsathorn.

No details were given about the reason for the board’s dismissal in the NCPO order invoked by virtue of Section 44 of the interim constitution. But earlier, ThaiHealth came under heavy fire for alleged misuse of funds as some funds were given to non-health organizations.

The two educators who were temporarily suspended from active duties are Mr Sumate Yamnoon, acting rector of Walailak University and Mr Aram Siriphan, head of public administration section of the Political Science Faculty of Chulalongkorn University.

Two civil servants facing temporary suspension are Mr Apichart Thanomsap, director of Litigation of Anti-Money Laundering Office and Mr Somkid Mathipano, a specialist attached to Kaeng Nachan Pittayakhom school in Kalasin.

Thirty-two mayors of tambon administration organisastions of Maha Sarakham province were temporarily suspended from active duties. 12 other TAO mayors in Nonthaburi, Phitsanuloke, Sakhon Nakhon, Pathum Thani, Chiang Mai, Rayong,

Samut Prakan, Narathiwat, Nakhon Pathom and Nakhon Ratchasima were also suspended from active duties.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/thaihealth-board-and-44-tao-mayors-purged-by-the-ncpo


-- Thai PBS 2016-01-06

[never me]

Having a spring clean.

[z42]

Good move. But I would feel aggrieved knowing full well how rampant graft is. It would be very difficult to know who exactly is squeaky clean here.

Low single digits percentage is my guesd

[craigt3365]

Hard to deal with corruption until the police and judiciary are reformed.

[aussieinthailand]

IF guilty of corruption then great, and need more of it to demonstrate to others that their time is coming, BUT if some are simply being targeted as scape goats and not corrupt which is a common practice here then let justice be done.

As far as the "irregularities" it would be more comforting to know the details of these "irregularities" rather than just leaving it open to speculation.

[Aj Mick]

Hard to deal with corruption until the police and judiciary are reformed.

Military too!

[oneday]

"...No details were given about the reason for the board’s dismissal..."

Without details or transparency what is anyone to make of this. Maybe it's a good thing or maybe it was just more purging of red shirts. Who knows?

[tbthailand]

Hard to deal with corruption until the police and judiciary are reformed.

this is very likely retribution and not about "corruption".

First of all, the junta has proven that they really don't care about corruption, but it is a convenient excuse for attacking and purging.

Secondly, the ThaiHealth spread their money broadly across Thai society. That included local organizations which in turn helped to fund local activists... And yes, if you are catching on, that means activists working to keep their communities healthy by protecting people from industrial pollution.

As it turns out, one local group that has been helping local communities like this and which received funding indirectly from ThaiHealth is a group of activists known as Dao Din ... ring a bell?

The isaan record did an interview with some of Dao Din last summer and they talk about their group - active for 12 years.... and how they operated, how they funded themselves, and in there is the mention of ThaiHealth ...

Can't imagine which the General would use Article 44 to sack a bunch of ThaiHealth management...

No details were given about the reason for the board’s dismissal in the NCPO order invoked by virtue of Section 44 of the interim constitution. But earlier, ThaiHealth came under heavy fire for alleged misuse of funds as some funds were given to non-health organizations.

[MobileContent]

Sakon Nakhon sounds to me politically motivated.

[Srikcir]

"suspended from their duties or transferred under suspicion of irregularities."

Yet we just heard from Deputy Defence Minister General Udomdej Sitabutr who "has urged senior figures not to jump to quick conclusions that the [Rajabhakti Park] project is mired in corruption as they had yet to get full information"

Apparently his sense of fair play doesn't apply to everyone, especially those "connected" and "made" guys in the military.

[Seastallion]

Hard to deal with corruption until the police and judiciary are reformed.

Yes, and the ones assigned to find graft:

"civil servants facing temporary suspension are Mr Apichart Thanomsap, director of Litigation of Anti-Money Laundering Office"