BMA 'must pay' for graft-vehicles

Published: 2/02/2009 at 08:57 PM
Online news: Breakingnews

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has been told that it could neither revoke the scandal-marred fire trucks and boats procurement contract nor could it suspend the payment of instalments to the contractor, said a BMA source.

The BMA had earlier asked the Office of Attorney-General (OAG) for advice on whether there was a way to revoke the contract or if it could cancel the endorsed letter of credit (L/C) and stop making the payments.

The source said the OAG recently responded by saying that the City Hall could do neither of them.

Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra will hold a press conference tomorrow (Tuesday) to explain what he plans to do next with the case.

The payment of the fifth instalment is due on Feb 11.

MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra had earlier said that the BMA would ask the Krung Thai Bank to suspend the payments without waiting for the Office of Attorney-General's response.

The City Hall had asked the OAG if it should keep on paying after the National Anti-Corruption Commission concluded that the contract needed to be revoked.

It has so far made four of the nine payments, amounting to 3.91 billion baht, for the 6.69-billion-baht contract signed with Austria's Steyr Co in 2004. Its next instalment is worth 790 million baht.

MR Sukhumbhand said on Monday that his deputy, Malinee Sukkhavejcharakij, who supervises the Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, has already submitted a report suggesting the suspension of the fifth instalment.

However, he said he needs a few days to go over the legal issues before deciding whether the suggestion should be followed.

The city governor said he is ready to face a civil lawsuit by the Austrian company for canceling the procurement contract.

He said he was aware of the BMA's problems before entering the governor election race and would do what he considered was best for the BMA and the public.

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Kevin Page

Discussion 9 : 03/02/2009 at 06:13 PM9
Hey guys, that's the point of an L/C. That you can't just cancel it. Especially one that has been endorsed or confirmed (no-one in their right mind is going to accept one issued by a Thai Bank that hasn't been).
Good to see that Thailand continues to churn out incompetent clowns to run its administrative affairs.
I despair.
michael

Discussion 8 : 03/02/2009 at 09:44 AM8
Kaweeka has no brain. I bet he has a poster of thaksin in is room and he kiss it everynight. Dummy!
obs

Discussion 7 : 03/02/2009 at 04:03 AM7
What's your point Kaweeka? You trying to protect master dog again?

Your lame attempt on discrediting the Democrats only makes you look retarded...as with the rest of your friends.

Democrats been controlling the BMA for the past term...so what?

What you forget, is to inform fellow readers here that the purchase, everything from budget request, writing of the TOR, bidding process, collusion between all parties to signing of the contract was the brilliant doing of good old Samak and the gang. Errm...not to mention the people in the Ministry of Interior which "oversaw" this...and oops, who was ruling back then? Was it by coincidence a party called TRT and lead by the master dog himself?

Was it just coincidence that Samak just had to sign the contract the very LAST day in office, thus forcing his successor no choice but to follow through? I recall a certain Interior minister at that time sent several official request from the MOI that this had to go through at all cost...of course even if that meant taking some "short cuts".

The only credible person in this mess has been Apirak of the Democrat party who took responsibility and resigned once he got indicted. Note that he has not been found guilty by the court yet. Unlike the TRT/PPP puppets who just cling to the power to suck whatever is left...

Kaweeka, I've made my point, what's yours? Or are you just bored and wanted to fire off some retarded comment just for the sake of it? C'mon, show us more intelligence than that.
Kaweeka

Discussion 6 : 02/02/2009 at 11:56 PM6
So, more of the same. The BMA and its corrupt ways. Michale, Obs, why don't you just give it up. Yellows and Reds, both corrupted to the tilt, the only difference is whose pockets the money goes to.

Do not forget boys and girls, the BMA has been under the control of the Democratic Party for some time. Yes, the same party that has two cabinet members and its Depute Prime Minister in hot water just one month after taking over the government.

Good stuff, good stuff indeed. Just keep on paying BMA, we don't want to upset any of the bankers that guaranteed that letter of credit, do we!? You know, the banks belong to the elites after all! Better the tax payer to pay than the elites!!
todd

Discussion 5 : 02/02/2009 at 11:39 PM5
As a firemen in the U.S. with a Thai wife and frequent visitor of Thailand I just thought you shold know some things. This is corruption at its finest. How else could a government AND its court system allow these payments to continue. Not only did the BMA over pay for these vehicles by some $450,000 (dollars) a piece, but these vehicles are NOT fire engines. They are merely truck chasis with fire truck accesories added and they are made in China. There is a reason you do not see these "fire engines" in an other country... They are garbage. You need 3 things to put out a fire: People, water and hose. These "fire engines" are poorly designed: only carry 2 firemen not the 4-5 they should carry (this requires the BMA to have to buy 60% more vehicles--10 people in 2 engines or 10 people in 5 engines--, which in turn means more kick backs), they carry little amounts of fire hose (usually 250 meters)as compared to the U.S, Europe, and other parts of Asia which carry 1,500-2,000 meters of hose PER VEHICLE and a very small amount of water (110 liters / 500 gal)compared to 750-1,000 gal per vehicle for everyone else. When you add this all up, paying $612,000 PER "ENGINE" and having to buy 60% more vehicle means alot of kick backs. My opinion... All parties involved in this scandal should she killed and made an example of for WASTING the hard earned tax payers money in such a way. (works in China!!) As for Styer, they should be given the option, either cancel the rest of the order or be banned from ever doing business in Thailand again. FYI- just look in back of ANY fire station in or around Bankok and you will see all of the broken Styer "fire engines" most of which are less than 5 years old.
Somboon

Discussion 4 : 02/02/2009 at 11:19 PM4
What the heck is going on? Even its own attorneys say there is nothing BMA could do-neither cancel nor not paying. Did BMA get the trucks and boats it partially paid? How the heck did Samak and his cronies and the subsequent governor and his cronies wrote the contract? Now what is the new governor going to dao? Everyone involved should be fired and then put on trial. If convicted, put them in jail for a long period of time.

Mr. Prime Minister, you should look into this mess. It is certainly a corruption all the way!
Michael

Discussion 3 : 02/02/2009 at 09:43 PM3
OBS, the people who chose Samak as PM has short time memory (or maybe no brain at all). Simply, the red shirt people...
obs

Discussion 2 : 02/02/2009 at 09:27 PM2
Still people support these kind of people...in fact, they elected him as Prime Minister!!! Go figure...
The way it is

Discussion 1 : 02/02/2009 at 09:13 PM1
Can someone investigate the OAG as well? Stop the payment! Thailand already doesn't have enough money in its bank! no wonder the country has not enough money...all of it is squandered in this manner and the OAG has the cheek to ask BMA to keep paying this corrupted deal??? Samak must be laughing his cancer cells off!

BMA 'must pay' for graft-vehicles