A political activist asked the Thai authorities to probe a sister in law of the Thai junta leader over the construction a dike named after her in northern Thailand. Meanwhile, a company with her son's share reportedly won two construction projects for the Thai army.
On 19 September 2016, Srisuwan Janya, Secretary-General of a political group called the Association to Protect the Thai Constitution (APTC), submitted a letter to the Office of the Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), urging it to investigate Pongphan Chan-o-cha, chairwoman of the Army Housewives Association, Isara news reported.
Pongphan is a wife of Gen Preecha Chan-o-cha, the Permanent Secretary of the Defence Ministry who is the brother of Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader and Prime Minister.
Srisuwan urged the NACC to probe her and her husband over her role in presiding over an opening ceremony of a dike named ‘Mae Pongphan Development’ on 12 September in Doi Pha Wiang National Park in Fang District of Chiang Mai.
It was reported that water containers bearing her name were also presented to army bases in the area at the same event.
The APTC leader wanted the NACC to conclude whether Pongphan’s action accounts to corruption or not because she used the staff and budget of the Defence Ministry for the irrigation project despite the fact that she is not a civil servant.
Srisuwan also said that Pongphan and her followers also travelled from Bangkok to Chiang Mai with an aircraft which belongs to the Royal Thai Air Force.
Isara news also reported that Contemporary Construction Pub. Co. Ltd., a construction company, which has shares of Pathompol Chan-o-cha, Preecha’s son, was also granted contracts of two construction projects in March 2015 and April 2016 from the Thai army.
The first project was the construction of a building for the 3rd Army Division in Phetchabun Province with the base budget of about 13.68 million baht while the second project was the construction of a residential compound in a hospital of Wachira Prakan Military Base with the base budget of about 13.28 million baht.
Pathompol owns 33.33 per cent of shares in the company.
Pongphan Chan-o-cha presiding over an opening ceremony of a dike named ‘Mae Pongphan Development’ on 12 September 2016 in Fang District of Chiang Mai (Photo from the Army Housewives Association)
