Preecha revelations are eroding public faith in his brother
Critics of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha seem to have found a weakness - his younger brother, Defence Ministry permanent secretary General Preecha Chan-o-cha. Preecha and his family are being accused of nepotism, conflicts of interest and “unusually hi
They began when Preecha, ordered to reveal his assets as part of a post-coup drive for transparency, was found to have more than Bt80 million in the bank. His explanation was that he was holding the money on behalf of the military. Then, earlier this year he signed an order that landed his son with a well-paid position as a military officer. The son did not graduate from a military college.
More recently, Preecha’s wife Pongphan came into the picture when a dyke in Chiang Mai built with public money was named after her. Critics attacked her for claiming credit for a taxpayer-funded project, but the Defence Ministry explained she had nothing to do with the naming of the dyke, which had been local residents’ idea.
Thai politicians routinely attach their names and images to public projects, thereby using state funds to entrench their popularity and power. The post-coup government has vowed to crack down on such corruption, which perhaps helps explain the public disgust over the Chiang Mai dyke project
The Defence Ministry explained that the dyke cost just Bt7,800 to build. However, it was also found that Pongphan and her entourage travelled to the opening ceremony on an Air Force C-130 transport plane, which costs Bt500,000 per hour to fly. The Air Force said use of the aircraft was requested by the Defence Ministry’s permanent secretary.
Although the Pongphan controversy was damaging, Preecha’s reputation suffered an even deeper wound with revelations that a company run by his son Pathompong had won construction contracts worth over Bt120 million from the 3rd Army.
Preecha served as commander of the 3rd Army Region from 2013 to 2014.
The company in question is registered at a family address inside the Third Army Area base in Phitsanulok. Preecha has thus found it difficult to deny he enjoys close connections with the 3rd Army, instead explaining he had been unaware the company was registered at an address on the base. Pathompong’s firm was found to be small – operating with equipment worth less than Bt47,000 plus a pickup truck valued at Bt300,000 – yet it had won military contracts worth over Bt100 million.
Those facts led to allegations of a conflict of interest, adding to the controversy centring on Preecha and his family.
The reverberations are being felt by his elder brother, Prayut, who has promoted himself as a clean and corruption-free leader. So far, the prime minister and head of the National Council for Peace and Order has deliberately distanced himself from the controversies.
“I am sorry but I don’t know everything that my siblings do,” the PM said this week. “I love my brother but I can’t do anything about this. People have to be responsible for their own deeds.”
Those words did little to address concerns that Prayut’s reputation, which rests on a post-coup pledge to battle corruption, is being undermined.
To shore up that reputation, the prime minister must do more to ensure the same standard is applied to everyone, including members of his own family. Thais rightly have high expectations of the prime minister; he cannot afford to disappoint them.
attayuth@nationgroup.com
