MP urges probe into power-purchasing contract with Tachileik

People’s Party MP Rangsiman Rome on Thursday urged the Interior Ministry to investigate an intermediary company involved in the power purchasing agreement between Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) and Myanmar's Tachileik City.

During a Parliament ordinary session on Tuesday, the opposition MP said that he suspected the company could be linked to a drug syndicate backed by the United Wa State Army, and was using a Thai nominee as a front.

Rangsiman presented his own findings that the company was registered in Thailand, with a capital of 2.5 million baht and has a 27-year-old Thai woman as a major shareholder.

“Investigation revealed that the company has no record in power purchasing, but the woman is a lawyer in a money laundering case,” said Rangsiman.

“Moreover, the address of her law firm is the same as the firm that handles cases of Myanmar businessman Tun Min Latt, who was charged with drug trafficking and money laundering,” he said.

The issue of PEA’s power-purchasing contract came into the spotlight this week after several parties expressed concerns over the irregularities in overseas electricity distribution.

PEA deputy governor Pradit Fuangfoo clarified on Wednesday that electricity supply to Myanmar's Tachileik is part of a government-to-government agreement. The power is sold to a local electricity board, which then distributes it to households, businesses, and public institutions.

PEA signed a power-purchasing agreement with Allure Group (P&E) Ltd, an intermediary company, which has been thoroughly vetted by Thai authorities. However, Tachileik announced earlier this year that it would use a new company to handle power purchasing with Thailand, raising concerns among the Thai public.

Rangsiman called on the ministry to thoroughly vet the company, adding that the PEA has the right to terminate the contract without facing penalty if there were national security issues.

He added that he was happy to forward all his findings to related agencies in a bid to prevent Thailand from supplying power to drug syndicates.

Responding to Rangsiman, deputy Interior Minister Theerarat Samrejvanich said that the company has been reviewed by various security-related agencies regarding its efficiency and transparency. She added that the power-purchasing contract must continue in order to maintain bilateral relations with Myanmar.

She also explained that due to the Covid-19 outbreak, Tachileik had to change the payment method from cheque to money transfer to PEA’s bank accounts during 2020-2022. She assured that these were not “mule accounts” used in illegal operations as speculated by some parties.

Theerarat vowed that the ministry would take decisive action if any officials were found to be involved in illegal activities, adding that the government prioritised crackdown on drug influx from neighbouring countries.