BKK POST: Money for nothing

[suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

February 19, 1998


                                     



                             Inside Politics 


              Money for nothing

              Most politicians welcome cash
              donations for the country but when it
              arrived in a cardboard box even PM
              Chuan Leekpai had to ask questions.
              The leader of New Pulo is under arrest
              and police have been hoping he will tell
              all about 34 arson attacks in 1993.
              However, he has been providing
              another explanation altogether. Burma
              and Thailand apparently want to work
              together to hit back at the cross-border
              drug trade but they are hampered by a
              lack of cash. Maybe Washington will
              help. Army Chief Gen Chetha
              Thanajaro is the golden boy of the
              moment thanks to his initiation of the
              gold donation scheme to help Thailand.
              There's talk that it might help any
              future political career. 

              Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai was upset when close aides told
              him last week to accept a five-million-baht donation for the
              Thai-help-Thai Fund.

              It was the premier's curiosity about the source that led him to
              turn down the cash, which later turned out to be a bribe from a
              logging businessman intended for a senior official at the Forestry
              Department.

              An insider says the premier rebuked his aides for their error of
              judgment which could have damaged his reputation had he
              agreed to take the money as suggested. 

              Forestry Department deputy director general Prawat Thanadka
              reportedly agreed to the idea to donate the money to the fund
              after he raised the issue with his military colleague, Maj-Gen Pinij
              Chomprom. He in turn informed former military classmate
              Maj-Gen Kittisak Rathataprasert, a close aide to the premier.

              Maj-Gen Kittisak was a former Democrat candidate in
              Bangkok.

              An insider said it was Maj-Gen Kittisak's idea to donate the
              money to the fund while Mr Prawat hoped it would reflect well
              on him. 

              Mr Prawat was accompanied by Maj-Gen Kittisak and
              Noppadon Prueksawan, a close aide to the premier, and a
              forestry department official from Chiang Rai, when he went to
              Government House.

              At Government House reporters were told by Maj-Gen Kittisak
              that he had good news for them, showing them bundles of money
              stashed in a cardboard box intended to be handed over to the
              premier.

              Mr Chuan eventually decided to turn it down after Mr
              Noppadon failed to clarify the source of the money.

              A cabinet member took both Maj-Gen Kittisak and Mr
              Noppadon to task for making the unusual approach.

              "They are so politically naive. How could they expect the
              premier to accept a thief's money?" asked the insider.




              Confession - no surprise

              Last month's apprehension of leading separatist members with
              the New Pattani United Liberation Organisation (Pulo) may help
              to solve the mystery as to who was behind the arson attacks on
              34 schools in the Muslim-dominated far South in August 1993.

              Then Fourth Army Region commander Gen Kitti Rattanachaya
              blamed then New Pulo leader Ar-rong Mooreng for the blitz
              saying that the splinter Pulo group had crossed swords with
              mainstream Pulo, led by Tunku Bilor Kortor Nilor, who at the
              time was holding truce talks with the government to end the
              decades-old struggle.

              Ar-rong's faction reportedly disapproved and tried to disrupt the
              peace process, said a 4th army intelligence officer at the time.

              New Pulo's military leader Haji Da-oh Thanam was a key
              suspect, along with several leading New Pulo members, including
              Ar-rong Mooreng's close aide Hardy Muno and then military
              chief Buraheng Ya-oh.

              Since Haji Da-oh Thanam's apprehension, the military leader has
              been interrogated daily by police over his alleged involvement in
              the arson attacks and other acts of sabotage. 

              "He (Haji Da-oh) has totally denied the allegation saying that his
              group has nothing to do with the incident," one police source
              said.

              The insider said Haji Da-oh strongly believed the arson attacks
              to be the work of a group of local influential people who wanted
              to stir up tension in the Muslim-dominated area with the aim of
              destabilising the first Chuan Leekpai administration.

              "New Pulo's military leader also hinted that local army-trained
              rangers were involved in the attack," noted the insider.

              Haji Da-oh's confession caused no surprise among veteran
              observers who dispute Gen Kitti's theory and who do not
              believe that local separatist movements had anything to do with
              the arson attacks.

              They believed at the time that the attacks were manipulated by
              an old clique, which had strong links with the now-defunct
              National Peace Keeping Council led by former army chief and
              premier Gen Suchinda Kraprayoon. The purpose, they said, was
              to topple the government.




              Drugbusters lack funds

              Thai anti-narcotics officials have worked hard to secure the
              cooperation of their Burmese counterparts to bust heroin
              refineries and mushrooming amphetamine factories located just
              inside their territory.

              The Burmese did not allow armed Thai police and soldiers to
              conduct operations against the criminals on their soil even though
              they did not have the funds, the manpower, nor the will to do it
              themselves.

              Therefore, since 1996 Thai authorities have helplessly watched
              millions of amphetamine tablets flow into the country from
              factories located just metres away in Burma.

              However, late last year the Burmese government quietly agreed
              not only to share intelligence and follow up leads obtained from
              informants and arrested suspects, but to assist the Thai
              authorities in cross-border operations.

              An administrative centre with representatives from both countries
              is being set up. A decision is pending whether it will be housed
              by the Naresuan Task Force or by the 33rd Infantry Regiment at
              Kavira Camp in Chiang Mai.

              Analysts said the key reasons for Rangoon's change of mind was
              that it wanted to demonstrate it seriousness in fighting drugs and
              to strengthen relations with Thailand. However, even more
              importantly the Burmese military government wants to counter
              the lucrative drug trade run by the ethnic minorities, and
              especially the Wa, which is helping to strengthen their struggle for
              greater autonomy from Rangoon.

              Unfortunately for both Thai anti-narcotics officials and
              cash-strapped Rangoon these joint operations may never take
              place. There is simply no money.

              "We were planning an operation in which Burmese soldiers
              would surround the factories and we move in, but there's no
              money," said a senior narcotics police officer. "We're not sure
              whether the Americans would fund it," he said.

              Washington is said to be interested in dealing with the drug
              problem in Burma, which is the biggest supplier of heroin in the
              world, and not with Thailand's amphetamine problem. However,
              some American assistance was given at around New Year when
              30 US Special Forces men were in the country to train
              Thailand's Border Patrol Police in the North.




              Chief with a heart of gold

              The army project to accept public donations in gold to help the
              country address its economic problems has met with some
              measure of success.

              The duration of the project, from January 25 to February 6, saw
              ordinary people, military officers and well known public figures
              donate 90 kilogrammes of gold and 22.5 million baht in cash to
              the scheme.

              The army will mould the gold into 95 percent pure gold bars
              before sending it to the Perth Gold Co-operation Company in
              Australia to be remoulded into 99.99% gold. It will then be sold
              overseas and the foreign exchange brought back to the Bank of
              Thailand.

              Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Chetha Thanajaro, who
              initiated the idea, pointed out that the purpose of the project was
              not how much money could be raised since this would be
              insubstantial when compared with the national debt. The purpose
              was to build a social conscience among Thais and stir up feelings
              of patriotism to get them to unite to tackle economic problems.

              This is a good initiative and one of many that the army chief has
              started, winning himself some measure of public recognition,
              which he will need should he decide to go into politics after his
              retirement this year.

              But his critics in the military are far from impressed. One former
              classmate from the Chulachomklao Military Academy Class 9,
              who is still very close to him, said: "It's not the duty of soldiers.
              Why doesn't he go and look at the problems in the South which
              is the military's direct responsibility? What is he doing messing
              around with gold donations?"




                                     




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