By Thai Newsroom Reporters
MOVE FORWARD MP JIRAT Thongsuwan today (Jan.29) dared the army to give a press conference on how tens of billions of baht in revenue collected yearly from the army-run businesses may have gone unannounced.
Jirat was responding to allegations that he had forged an official document, called Sor Dor 43, pertaining to 2011’s army conscript drafting which he had been legally obliged to go through but managed to dodge.
In today’s press conference, Reserve Officers Training Corps commander Lt.Gen. Thavipul Rimsakhon said the army will shortly file a lawsuit against the Move Forward MP of Chachoengsao for involvement in the alleged doctoring of the Sor Dor 43 paper.
Jirat contended that the ROTC chief’s allegations were merely a “groundless” accusation and that he did not have to do as alleged since the case had already gone beyond its 10-year litigation period and suggested that the army question the colonels who had evidently endorsed his paper to find out whether it was genuine or fake.
In the meantime, the Move Forward MP cast doubt over apparent failure on the part of army generals to make any announcement to the public about how billions of baht in revenue collected yearly from the army-run businesses for the sake of transparency in doing business.
Among them are some 150 gas stations, golf courses and boxing stadiums that may have been at anyone’s disposal since, he said, not a single baht had been remitted to the state coffers.
“Members of the public cannot help wondering whose pockets tens of billions of baht in revenue from the army-run golf courses, boxing stadiums and gas stations may have slipped into? Why has the army never given a press conference to clear it?” the opposition lawmaker said.
Jirat said he had repeatedly made inquiries about the army’s contentious handling of its income with the use of state property but without remittance to the state coffers but no response has ever been made by any relevant generals.
He charged that the Sor Dor 43 forging scandal launched against him might probably be designed to cover up the army’s hush-hush handling of rich revenue from those businesses.
CAPTIONS:
Top: Move Forward MP Jirat Thongsuwan, left, and Lt.Gen. Thavipul Rimsakhon, right. Photo: Thai Rath
Front Page: Lt.Gen. Thavipul Rimsakhon with an image of Move Forward MP Jirat Thongsuwan inset. Photo: Matichon
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