Locals renew demand for payout delay

Villagers who live close to the Klong Dan wastewater treatment project in Samut Prakan yesterday have again asked the government to delay paying compensation to the NVPSKG consortium until the court reaches a final verdict in the dispute.

Dawan Chantarahassadi, a representative of the residents, yesterday said more than 1,000 villagers submitted signatures to oppose the cabinet resolution in November that approved the 9.8-billion-baht payout to the consortium involved in the Klong Dan plant’s construction.

She said if the government started paying before the final ruling was out, graft suspects who caused the state losses will not be held responsible for the damage.

Ms Dawan said villagers had also asked the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand to help urge the government to suspend the payment.

They have also asked the government to replace the wastewater plant with an aquatic animal research and breeding centre, Ms Dawan added.

Former National Anti-Corruption Commission member Vicha Mahakun yesterday also voiced support for the residents’ stance.

He agreed the government should suspend the payment until all cases had been dealt with.

Mr Vicha said authorities must investigate carefully before any compensation is made.

The court of first instance is investigating state officials involved in the graft-plagued project while the Supreme Court is still looking into irregularities in the purchase of land where the project was located.

Both cases come under the jurisdiction of the Criminal Court, he said.

Mr Vicha also urged the government to reconsider its decision to pay compensation because prior irregularities in the contract signing that resulted in state losses could be cited to negotiate with the consortium to delay or reduce the compensation payment.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said the payment to the consortium ordered by the Supreme Administrative Court had nothing to do with the cases which remained subject to court proceedings as cited by Mr Vicha.

He said suspending the payout was possible but negotiations between the government and the consortium had to be held first.

In 2003, t he Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment ordered the project suspended and set up a committee to investigate alleged corruption, when the work was about 98% complete.

The probe confirmed rampant corruption in the scheme.