Bestlin Group seeks redress from ombudsman’s office over NGV bus controversy

[webfact]

Bestlin Group seeks redress from ombudsman’s office over bus controversy

 

 

BANGKOK: -- Bestlin Group on Wednesday petitioned the ombudsman’s office to investigate the conduct of Bangkok Mass Transit Authority after the latter decided to terminate the company’s contract to supply 489 NGV buses worth 3.3 billion baht for the city bus operator.

 

Bestlin Group’s representative Mr Kanit Sriwatcharaprapa told the media on Wednesday that the company was in trouble after BMTA’s bus inspection committee indefinitely postponed acceptance of the buses from the company.

 

He said BMTA had not paid the company for the 278 NGV buses already delivered to the bus agency.

 

Bestlin Group has wanted the ombudsman’s office to order the BMTA’s bus acceptance panel to quickly take delivery of the remaining buses from the company and to withhold the termination of the procurement contract until the case is settled between the company and BMTA.

 

Regarding the Customs Department’s claim that all the NGV buses were fully assembled in China and diverted to Malaysia to give an impression that the buses were assembled in Malaysia with local contents, Mr Kanit claimed that the Customs Department did not have hard evidence to support its claim.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/bestlin-group-seeks-redress-ombudsmans-office-bus-controversy/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-02-09

[Bluespunk]

6 minutes ago, webfact said:

Regarding the Customs Department’s claim that all the NGV buses were fully assembled in China and diverted to Malaysia to give an impression that the buses were assembled in Malaysia with local contents, Mr Kanit claimed that the Customs Department did not have hard evidence to support its claim.

Hmm...

 

 

[leeneeds]

Buses bought by the government, to be used by the government,

very strange chain of events

[trogers]

2 hours ago, leeneeds said:

Buses bought by the government, to be used by the government,

very strange chain of events

Bought from a private company who would also supply service parts for many years into the future.

 

In the words of Warren Buffett, "If you can't trust them now, why trust them at all?".

[rkidlad]

What a clusterf***

 

Nice to see 'greed' was an integral part to the collapse of all of this. 

[edwinchester]

There is a Thai word for integrity right?

[worgeordie]

Typical Thai response,it always someone elses fault,when in

reality Bestlin Group,brought this all on themselves,by trying

to defraud the Thai Govt (Thai people),by evading paying

import taxes,on a massive scale,they must have thought

they were very well connected to think they could get away

with it,

regards worgeordie

[djayz]

22 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Typical Thai response,it always someone elses fault,when in

reality Bestlin Group,brought this all on themselves,by trying

to defraud the Thai Govt (Thai people),by evading paying

import taxes,on a massive scale,they must have thought

they were very well connected to think they could get away

with it,

regards worgeordie

Spot on! I couldn't agree more with your statement. 

They have nobody else to blame but themselves. 

[tompelli]

25 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Typical Thai response,it always someone elses fault,when in

reality Bestlin Group,brought this all on themselves,by trying

to defraud the Thai Govt (Thai people),by evading paying

import taxes,on a massive scale,they must have thought

they were very well connected to think they could get away

with it,

regards worgeordie

They would have gotten away with it until some bright spark at BMTA found out that electric buses pollute less than NGV (after the contract was granted). Just crooks conning crooks conning crooks.

[tompelli]

26 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Typical Thai response,it always someone elses fault,when in

reality Bestlin Group,brought this all on themselves,by trying

to defraud the Thai Govt (Thai people),by evading paying

import taxes,on a massive scale,they must have thought

they were very well connected to think they could get away

with it,

regards worgeordie

They would have gotten away with it until some bright spark at BMTA found out that electric buses pollute less than NYC (after the contract was granted). Just crooks conning crooks conning crooks.

[Orac]

Typical Thai response,it always someone elses fault,when in
reality Bestlin Group,brought this all on themselves,by trying
to defraud the Thai Govt (Thai people),by evading paying
import taxes,on a massive scale,they must have thought
they were very well connected to think they could get away
with it,
regards worgeordie

A crucial part of this story is that there was a new import broker being used for the first time which was a wholy owned subsiduary of Bestlin themselves.

It is not a massive leap to assume that, in taking the import operation in house, Bestlin upsetting whoever had previously been importing all those Sunlong buses you see all over Thailand who no doubt had a cozy arrangement with the Customs Dept hence why authorities are being so aggressive over this - Bestlin have commited the ultimate sin in Thailand of breaking some phuyai's ricebowl.

[asiaexpat]

Back to the future in Thailand, only this time it is a Thai company being manipulated rather than an outsider. Contract for a major project with a company without due diligence (purposely?) then find a reason to disavow the contract once the project is near completion. Renegotiate at a much reduced price later. Granted the company may very well have attempted to evade customs duties and should pay for that. In the meantime Thais forgo clean and efficient transport.

[Srikcir]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

BMTA’s bus inspection committee indefinitely postponed acceptance of the buses from the company.

On what grounds?

 

Five of the buses which were already registered were put on test run as part of the TOR on five bus routes during Janurary 19-21 under the close supervision of the bus acceptance committee, mechanical experts from King Mongkut Technological Institute, Lat Krabang campus and representatives of Bestlin Group. The buses have passed the test.

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/test-run-controversial-ngv-buses-satisfactory/

 

Bestlin posted a gurantee with Customs to cover taxes (questionable for a government acquisition) should they have ultimately have to pay so delivery should not be delayed by Customs. 

 

But the postponement by BMTA might be due to more indirect reasons.

 

According to the Transport Minister (aka the Government), the Cabinet should review BMTA's entire plan to purchase 3,183 NGV buses (that would include the 483 buses from Bestlin). Why?

 

BMTA has accumulated a massive debt totaling over 100 billion baht plus annual operating loss of between 4-5 billion baht. He suggested that the first thing to deal with this debt problem was to “stop the bleeding” and to find out the cause or causes of loss, where they come from and who should be held accountable.

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/cabinet-asked-review-bmtas-plan-purchase-3183-ngv-buses/

 

So it appears that the Transport Minister might change his mind about buying the 483 buses from Bestlin to "stop the [financial] bleeding" of the Ministry's budget and BMTA has responded in kind. But such decision would be a breach of contract. Thus, Bestlin's appeal to Prayut is their effort to have the government honor its purchase of Bestlin's buses.

 

The alternative will be a lawsuit by Bestlin to enforce the purchase contract. Should the Ministry/BMTA succeed in cancelling the contract, such action will chill any further foreign sales to the Thai government. And remember, Bestlin is a Chinese company. So Prayut may be hearing soon from the Chinese Trade Representative.

 

[NoBrainer]

I read that the TOR for the contract was to supply busses manufactured in Malaysia.

 

Seems that they may be in their rights to cancel the contract if the busses are indeed manufactured in China, as the Customs Department has asserted.

[peterrabbit]

How many times have contractors supplying goods to Thai government bodies had the rug pulled from under them at the last moment? If I were dealing with a Thai governmental body it would be on a 'cash with order' basis only.

[Retiredandhappyhere]

Does anything go smoothly in this country?  Incompetence seems to invade everything. Nearly every Government announcement results in misunderstandings, which require subsequent clarification and it is never their fault.

[halloween]

7 hours ago, Srikcir said:

On what grounds?

 

Five of the buses which were already registered were put on test run as part of the TOR on five bus routes during Janurary 19-21 under the close supervision of the bus acceptance committee, mechanical experts from King Mongkut Technological Institute, Lat Krabang campus and representatives of Bestlin Group. The buses have passed the test.

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/test-run-controversial-ngv-buses-satisfactory/

 

Bestlin posted a gurantee with Customs to cover taxes (questionable for a government acquisition) should they have ultimately have to pay so delivery should not be delayed by Customs. 

 

But the postponement by BMTA might be due to more indirect reasons.

 

According to the Transport Minister (aka the Government), the Cabinet should review BMTA's entire plan to purchase 3,183 NGV buses (that would include the 483 buses from Bestlin). Why?

 

BMTA has accumulated a massive debt totaling over 100 billion baht plus annual operating loss of between 4-5 billion baht. He suggested that the first thing to deal with this debt problem was to “stop the bleeding” and to find out the cause or causes of loss, where they come from and who should be held accountable.

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/cabinet-asked-review-bmtas-plan-purchase-3183-ngv-buses/

 

So it appears that the Transport Minister might change his mind about buying the 483 buses from Bestlin to "stop the [financial] bleeding" of the Ministry's budget and BMTA has responded in kind. But such decision would be a breach of contract. Thus, Bestlin's appeal to Prayut is their effort to have the government honor its purchase of Bestlin's buses.

 

The alternative will be a lawsuit by Bestlin to enforce the purchase contract. Should the Ministry/BMTA succeed in cancelling the contract, such action will chill any further foreign sales to the Thai government. And remember, Bestlin is a Chinese company. So Prayut may be hearing soon from the Chinese Trade Representative.

 

On what grounds? That the submitted tender was a pack of lies isn't sufficient for you?

[Get Real]

Good Luck. Really have a strong believe in that they are going to have a chance to win. LMAO