'Fair and transparent' probe into park to be finished by year-end

THE DEFENCE Ministry’s fact-finding team investigating alleged irregularities in the Army’s Rajabhakti Park project will complete its work before year-end, according to its head.

General Chaicharn Changmong-kol, deputy permanent secretary for Defence, who heads the team, said yesterday that his panel had received good cooperation from those involved and he expects the investigation to be completed before the end of this month.

“The fact-finding committee is gathering evidence and questioning witnesses. We will deal with this matter transparently and ensure fairness to all,” Chaicharn said.

Deputy Defence Minister General Udomdej Sitabutr, who was in charge of the project when serving as the Army commander-in-chief, met with the probe panel on Monday, according to a source familiar with the investigation. And the Army’s finance department director, Maj-General Chuchart Suksai, met with the panel on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) said yesterday it would take action against anyone suspected of irregularities in the Rajabhakti Park scandal, even if they were senior military officers.

NACC secretary-general Sansern Poljieak said the anti-graft agency had looked into this scandal since it first made headlines. He said the NACC was waiting for results of investigations by the Office of the Auditor-General, the Crime Suppression Division and the Defence Ministry.

If the investigation finds any trace of irregularity, the NACC will take over, Sansern said. He denied that the NACC did not dare deal with the matter because of the involvement of senior military figures. 

“We have regulations to follow. And we deal with cases under our jurisdiction. This is what we always do, regardless of who is in power,” he said.

Army spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvaree maintained yesterday that the project was carried out transparently, adding that the Army would support any process that could clear up suspicions regarding this matter.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday said Udomdej would decide for himself whether he should resign as deputy defence minister, though he said he does not think the government would be affected if Udomdej quit.

Udomdej has come under pressure from critics to step down in order to take responsibility for the scandal.

Yesterday he told reporters he did not feel any pressure regarding the issue, but declined to say if he would quit the Cabinet.

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsu-wan said Udomdej would make his own decision about the matter. When asked if he had offered him moral support, Prawit said Udomdej did not need any extra support.

Prawit, who is also a deputy PM, reiterated that Udomdej and his successor, Army chief General Theerachai Nakwanich, had maintained good ties, denying speculation they were at odds over the Rajabhakti scandal. He added, however, that disagreement between colleagues was normal.

Another deputy PM, Wissanu Krea-ngam, yesterday said he believed there would be answers to the questions regarding this scandal. “It’s not important [whether] some people are guilty or not. There must be answers to people who have questions,” he said.

In a related development, Pheu Thai Party politician and red-shirt leader Nuttawut Saikuar yesterday said he had been “harassed” by the military over the past three months. He claimed that his house had been under around-the-clock surveillance by military officers who came to take photos every day and even followed his wife’s car to his child’s school.

Nuttawut was recently detained by military officers while joining Jatuporn Prompan, a fellow Pheu Thai politician and red-shirt leader, on their way to the Rajabhakti Park. They were accused of attempting to provoke disturbance.