Nation: Army income sed for jaunts

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Local & Politics 
Army income sed for jaunts 
MILITARY brass spent income generated from hiring out military-controlled
radio
stations on their own personal comforts instead of maintaining equipment to
keep it ready for service, a military source said yesterday. 
For example, said the source, a group of 10 officers led by First King's Guard
Division commander Maj-Gen Nopadol Intapanya had flown last weekend to Kunming
in China to play golf. Nopadol was not immediately available for comment
yesterday. 
At the end of last month, an army colonel -- a member of a group led by Army
Quartermaster General Maj-Gen Amporn na Bangchang on a tour of Australia --
had
got himself arrested by Australian authorities for stealing from a local
department store and causing a stir over the matter. Had it not been for this
incident, the pleasure tour would have gone unnoticed, the same source said.
Amporn was also not immediately available for comment yesterday. 
The Army's anti-aircraft division, and the territorial defence directorate,
were among those which had sought the good life abroad on several occasions,
according to the source, who also said that Army Chief Gen Surayuth Julanonda
was keeping watch on a number of army units bent on undertaking pleasure trips
abroad. 
The source pointed out that a number of commercial operations controlled by
the
military had proved a constant source of income to foot the bill for such
jaunts. 
The Nation