AYUTTHAYA - Villagers pooled money to help build a temporary police office after silence from authorities indicated a new station would be a long time coming.
Residents of Aranyik village in Nakhon Luang district, best known for its knife-makers, donated 100,000 baht on Wednesday to help to construct an investigation room, toilets and a radio control room for the police of Tha Chang station.
Tha Chang police in Nakhon Luang district, Ayutthaya, live with a temporary office as the construction of the new station delays. (Photo by Sunthong Pongpao)
They decided to lend a hand after the previous building was torn down, and then abandoned by a building contractor last year. A temporary office was so cramped it did not allow all officers to work there..
Pol Lt Col Naradej Thechakulapong, chief of the local police detachment, said the building contractor did not even drive piles into the soil at the construction site, and 30 officers had to turn police housing into work offices.
He thanked the community leaders and villagers for their donations.
The Tha Chang police station is one of many involved in growing scandal involving delayed construction projects awarded by the Royal Thai Police Office to PCC Construction and Development Co.
The Chiang Mai-based firm was responsible for building 396 new police offices across the country. Police and the Department of Special Investigation have launched investigations of the firm and actions by ex-deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban into delays and other possible problems.