ABOUT Politics
Undercurrents of animosity are persisting within the government over Rajabhakti Activist Veera, his Cambodian prison ordeal behind him, is taking on the military A former senior police officer, favoured by Pheu Thai, wants to become an MP
All is not well in the corridors
T heRajabhakti Park scandal is dragging on and in the process exposing cracks in the personal relationships at the top of the administrative chain not normally seen by ordinary folk.
With the Defence Ministry’s inquiry into the controversy due to be wrapped up soon, the matter sits in the shadow of hotter issues of the day.
Apart from the ministry’s inquiry, individuals such as Pheu Thai Party adviser Ruengkrai Leekitwatthana and activist Veera Somkwamkid have pressed for a full investigation into the park project.
News reports, however, are being dominated by personal feuds, with the suggestion that they are being fanned by the troubled project to erect landmark giant statues of the country’s great kings in Prachuap Khiri Khan.
As alleged irregularities in spending by the foundation which runs the project are being looked into by relevant parties, a possible fallout between Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya and Deputy Defence Minister Udomdej Sitabutr has been the subject of intense media interest.
Gen Paiboon has been keeping quiet of late after it was reported he had declared the Rajabhakti project was tainted with graft, which is something he has flatly denied ever having said.
He said it was the media which jumped the gun and misreported him.
The issue obviously touched a raw nerve with the man at the centre of the Rajabhakti storm, Gen Udomdej.
Gen Udomdej has denied any link to alleged graft in the project. However, media reports about what Gen Paiboon said regarding opaqueness in the project may have irritated him. Gen Udomdej vented his frustration and made some remarks in a reproving tone that were thought to be directed at Gen Paiboon.
Gen Udomdej maintained it goes against common sense to believe without question what is written on two pieces of paper presented by a couple of people who submitted them as evidence to underpin the graft allegation in the park project.
The deputy defence minister was referring to a recent meeting between Gen Paiboon and red-shirt leaders Nattawut Saikuar and Jatuporn Prompan. The two co-leaders handed the minister what they claimed were details of the alleged graft in the park.
Critics attacked the details as nothing more than a summary of newspaper clippings on the park saga.
Military sources said if Gen Udomdej was indeed unable to see eye-to-eye with Gen Paiboon, it would not be the first time he has found himself at odds with a key figure in the military.
Before Gen Udomdej retired as army chief in October, he reportedly preferred Gen Preecha Chan-o-cha, who is Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s younger brother, to be
his successor over Gen Theerachai Nakvanich, who is Gen Udomdej’s own classmate.
In the end, Gen Theerachai landed the post, presumably with the blessing of Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, and Gen Preecha was named the new defence permanent secretary.
Gen Udomdej’s preference for Gen Preecha did not make Gen Theerachai happy, according to military sources. Gen Theerachai did make changes to some reshuffle appointments endorsed by Gen Udomdej after he had been sworn-in as the new army commander.
The reported crack in the relationship is not exactly good news for the National Council for Peace and Order, and if Gen Paiboon is embroiled in a conflict with Gen Udomdej, then NCPO unity could be severely tested, the source said.
This may explain why Gen Paiboon has decided to hold his tongue when asked to comment on the Rajabhakti scandal. He said the matter should be left to the inquiry which is close to being concluded and not speculate on or expand on it. Firmly back in the fray
A fterabout a year-and-a-half of keeping a low profile, political activist and graft-fighter Veera Somkwamkid is back in action and apparently aims to hit where it hurts — the military junta’s key man Gen Prawit Wongsuwon.
Mr Veera, former secretary-general of the People’s Network Against Corruption, marked his “comeback” early this month by handing a petition to the National AntiCorruption Commission (NACC) calling for a probe into alleged irregularities surrounding the Rajabhakti Park construction.
In the complaint he accuses former army chief Gen Udomdej Sitabutr and former defence permanent secretary Sirichai Distakul of malfeasance in office in connection with the park’s construction.
His accusation is largely based on press reports about the spending of state funds on the project and the 10% commission fees allegedly demanded by an amulet trader. Among Mr Veera’s concerns is the absence of a proper bid auction to hire contractors to build the park’s fence and to lay the foundations for the giant statues of the seven former kings.
In a recent Facebook entry, Mr Veera touched on the selection of Pol Gen Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit as the new head of the NACC, succeeding Panthep Klanarongran, who has retired.
Mr Veera alleges that Gen Prawit, the deputy prime minister and defence minister whom he calls “Pom”, the minister’s nickname, interfered with the selection of the commission chairman to ensure that Pol Gen Watcharapol, his former aide, got the job. In the NACC selection meeting, Pol Gen Watcharapol received seven votes out of nine.
“There’s one army that Pom can never seize. That’s the people’s army. Don’t think the people don’t know what you’re up to. And don’t even think they will let you do anything to the country...” Mr Veera wrote.
Mr Veera is not alone in suspecting that Pol Gen Watcharapol’s win may have something to do with his connection to Gen Prawit.
Some critics find it unusual that Pol Gen Watcharapol quit as a member of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) in October to apply for the NACC job, although there is no law that requires him to resign prior to running as a candidate for the commissioner’s job.
He could have resigned later if he was picked for the post. This shows the police general was almost certain he would be selected for the NACC seat, according to the critics. However, the ex-policeman was quoted as saying he wanted to do it the right way.
Mr Veera is no quitter, but some critics doubt whether he can go the distance with his activism.
A Thai Patriots Network coordinator, Mr Veera was arrested by Cambodian authorities along with six other Thais on Dec 29, 2010 while inspecting a disputed border area near Sa Kaeo’s Ban Nongchan village.
He was sentenced to eight years in jail for illegal entry, spying and entering a restricted military zone without permission.
He was behind bars for half his sentence before receiving a royal pardon from Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni.
Mr Veera’s release from Prey Sar prison in Phnom Penh, where he had been jailed for three years, six months and three days, came shortly after the coup.
The civil sector that Mr Veera has worked with is deemed to have lost its strength, in part due to the military junta’s ban on political gatherings. Mr Veera himself was once detained by the military, shortly after his release from the Cambodian prison, when he joined an energy reform march in Bangkok.
Moreover, several of these campaigners have been recruited to work on juntaappointed bodies such as the NLA and the National Reform Steering Assembly.
Observers note that without the backing of the people’s sector, Mr Veera has a long fight ahead.
Waiting in the wings
F ormerdeputy national police chief Jongrak Jutanont seems set to enter politics when the next general election, tentatively set for mid-2017 by the military government, takes place.
Even though he is not a graduate of the Royal Police Cadet Academy, he made significant advancements during his career in the police force, something which has not gone unnoticed.
After retiring from the force in 2010, he was appointed a senator. He was also in the running for the post of Senate speaker in 2014, but lost out to Surachai Liangboonlertchai, now first vice-president of the National Legislative Assembly.
After keeping a low profile for more than a year since the coup, Pol Gen Jongrak is confident he will be in the running for a House seat once the election is called, a source said.
A law graduate with second-class honours from Thammasat University, he went on to complete further law studies at the Thai Bar Association at the age of 21.
Too young to apply for the post of assistant judge, he decided instead to become a police officer, which proved to be successful career choice.
He possessed the legal knowledge needed to climb the career ladder.
Wissanu Krea-ngam, the legal expert who is now deputy prime minister, spoke highly of Pol Gen Jongrak’s legal expertise during an address to a police gathering when he served as the cabinet’s secretary-general in the Thaksin Shinawatra government.
Pol Gen Jongrak also took part in solving several high-profile crime cases when he served as deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau.
They included the murder in 1998 of wellknown entertainment tycoon Boonliang Adulrithikul, and the case of Passaporn Bunkasemsanti, head of the gynaecology department at Burachat Chaiyakorn Hospital.
Wisut Boonkasemsanti, Passaporn’s former husband who was charged with murdering her and then dismembering her body in 2001, was released on parole last year after serving 10 years and seven months in jail.
Pol Gen Jongrak was on course to become the MPB chief when the military coup led by Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin took place on Sept 19, 2006, ousting the Thaksin administration.
This resulted in the prepared police reshuffle list being cancelled. He was then made assistant police chief before being promoted to deputy national police chief.
In a 2009 Suan Dusit Poll survey, most respondents threw their support behind Pol Gen Jongrak becoming national police chief, although he did not make the cut.
Critics felt he leaned too far towards the Pheu Thai Party as his rise through the police hierarchy was particularly prominent during the party’s time in government.
After he retired as deputy police chief and appointed a senator, he had the support of senators affiliated to Pheu Thai and Chartthaipattana Party to compete for the post of Senate speaker.
As it now stands, Pol Gen Jongrak is waiting to enter national politics, most probably under the ticket of the “favourite party of police nationwide”, the source said.
The party is understood to be none other than Pheu Thai, the source added.
The source said Pol Gen Jongrak is confident that the party will emerge from the ashes, win the next general election and return to government, although there are still some major hurdles which could block it from attaining power again.