Statues of limitations
Former army chief and Deputy Defence Minister Gen Udomdej Sitabutr has found himself in stormy seas following allegations of irregularities in the Rajabhakti Park affair, even though there is no “official” probe at this point.
As chairman of the Rajabhakti Park Foundation, Gen Udomdej is at risk of having allegations of massive graft aimed at him. To make matters worse for him, two senior army officers widely reported to be close aides are accused of skimming money from the project which is mainly funded by public donations.
One of them, Col Khachachart Boondee, attached to the 3rd Army Region, has also been linked to a high-profile lese majeste case in which two key suspects have died in the last two weeks while in military custody.
Located on army land in Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Hua Hin district, Rajabhakti Park is home to gigantic statues of seven great Thai kings, erected as a tribute. A hallmark project of the army, it was begun under the leadership of Gen Udomdej while he was army chief and is now open to the public, although the museum part is not yet finished.
According to military sources, Gen Udomdej assigned a high-ranking army officer to take charge of the Rajabhakti Park project. The officer purportedly brought on board a well-known amulet trader and trusted him so much that he allowed him to attend every park project meeting.
This amulet trader is believed to be the one cited by Gen Udomdej last week when he spoke about the scandal publicly. According to the former army chief, the amulet trader cited “people with the authority” to demand commission fees from owners of foundries contracted to build the statues. A negotiator was later sent to ask for the money to be returned to the foundry owners.
Despite assurances that he could clarify any doubts, Gen Udomdej’s explanation leads to more questions than answers.
Political observers believe Gen Udomdej cannot avoid public scrutiny over the affair, regardless of whether he has something to do with the alleged irregularities.
According to the sources, Gen Udomdej is not well liked by those close to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) chief. Some are eyeing his cabinet seat while some want to get to the bottom of the scandal out of concerns the issue, if unresolved, will cast a shadow over the NCPO.
The army under the leadership of Gen Theerachai Nakvanich seems to be distancing itself from the park’s construction. Gen Theerachai has reportedly agreed to take the park over from the Rajabhakti Park Foundation, but refused to assume chairmanship of the group, which technically still has charge of the 222-rai park.
It is no secret that there is no love lost between Gen Udomdej and Gen Theerachai who instructed army-run TV Channel 5 to suspend advertisements calling for donations for the park’s construction as soon as he took the helm.
The fundraising adverts began during Gen Udomdej’s time as army chief.
According to political observers, with the high-profile project being hit by a corruption scandal while under the care of the military, the NCPO has more to lose than Gen Udomdej. After all, reining in corruption is one of the junta’s reform agendas.
Moreover, the scandal is giving anti-coup groups new ammunition. Some social media sites run by these groups are said to be comparing the park controversy with irregularities found in the rice-pledging scheme run by the Yingluck Shinawatra administration.
It is also reported that Defence Minister Prawit “Big Brother” Wongsuwon has started talking about “making a sacrifice”, a remark thought to have been directed at Gen Udomdej.