OPINION

Prawit's time bomb

Re: Prawit's case 'a personal matter' (BP, Jan 24).

Defending DPM Prawit Wongsuwon from the barrage of questions on how a career military man, with a current monthly income of 250,000 baht or so, could afford to wear at least 25 ultra-luxury watches totalling 39.5 million baht, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha says, "This is a personal matter".

But, as the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand secretary-general Mana Nimitmongkol correctly notes, the matter is not personal -- given that the DPM has immense power over taxpayer funds. He is the defence minister, and has been the Royal Thai Army commander-in-chief, with key input in military purchasing, perhaps including the GT200 bomb detector, which was less effective than flipping a coin, yet costing 1 million baht each; or the observation balloon which has proven unable to sustainably fly at combat heights.

Like Caesar's wife, Gen Prawit must be above suspicion; we, the public, have a right to know that his use of the watches was transparent and honest, and didn't involve past, present, or future usage of taxpayer funds or services.

If, as claimed, the watches were all on loan, their return would not end the matter. Who lent each watch, and what was their relationship with Gen Prawit? Was anybody directly or indirectly involved in a past, present, or potential business relationships using public funds? If the NACC claims that such investigations are beyond its jurisdiction, then other bodies must take up the search for the truth.

For the findings to be credible, the person being investigated must not be able to influence the proceedings. Thus, DPM Prawit should step aside immediately, until the findings by an independent commission, composed of members not nominated by the Ministry of Defence, are announced.

Re: "Bangkok Shutdown' leaders arraigned for insurrection", (Online, Jan 24).

The Office of the Attorney-General finally did its job, formally charging Suthep Thaugsuban and his buddies with capital offences after waiting for nearly four years.

But you can write the following statement on a piece of paper and tape it on your refrigerator door. "Somsak Pola, in January 2018, said those men will end up being acquitted after the case dragged on for at least 20 years. They will (ab)use the right to protest peacefully and without weapons as their defence." It's deja vu all over again.

Re: "Suthep to fight terror charges", (BP, Jan 25).

The Bangkok Post highlighted the charges related to protests by the PDRC against former PM Yingluck Shinawatra. One of the charges read: "Making announcements through several media channels that after removing the government from power, the group would take control of the country, appoint a prime minister and cabinet ministers." Doesn't that sound a bit familiar?

Re: "Alert sounded over pesticides in hydroponic veggies", (BP, Jan 23).

Either the Bangkok Post or the Thailand Pesticide Alert Network (Thai-PAN) needs to do a bit of a better job serving us consumers. The article tells us that Thai-PAN tested 30 hydroponic vegetable samples and found 63% of them contained pesticide levels above the maximum residue limit. But nowhere does the article tell us which brands and which vegetables.

Consequently, we as consumers have no way of knowing which are dangerous and which are not when we are choosing vegetables at a market. We are left feeling like we are playing Russian roulette.

What is the point of reporting this without giving us the information we need to make a wise choice and protect ourselves from eating contaminated vegetables?

If the answer has something to do with Thailand's defamation laws, the article should say so. I would like to see the Post do more reporting on how Thailand's defamation laws are actually being used in ways that harm people and society.

Re: "Raw deal for foreigners", (PostBag, Jan 25). Thank you, Kuldeep Nagi, for your comments on immigration reform. There is an old proverb, "From your mouth to God's ears". I hope someone is listening.

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