Friday, August 24, 2007

Airport Graft

This is just the beginning. Thaksin sold the idea of the new Bangkok Airport as something that would make Bangkok a certail transportation hub. Instead, by using the power of graft they created the world's largest third world airport.

Airports of Thailand board has orderd King Power Duty Free out of Suvarnabhumi airport

The Airports of Thailand (AoT) board has ordered King Power Duty Free out of Suvarnabhumi airport after a fresh investigation found that its contract was signed without approval from the government.

The board, led by Gen Saprang Kalayanamitr, also gave the green light to take action against present and past AoT officials who colluded with the firm.

The evidence was in the findings of an outside committee headed by Pol Gen Pratin Santiprabhob set up to investigate King Power's right to operate commercial space in the passenger terminal of the new airport.

AoT decided in March that the contracts were void because they were designed to avoid the Public-Private Joint Venture Act that requires a lengthy selection process for any investment worth one billion baht or more by the private sector in a state project.

But the airport agency has not made any legal move.

King Power and its sister firm, King Power Suvarnabhumi Co, filed lawsuits with the Civil Court demanding 20.8 billion baht and 48 billion baht, respectively, from AoT in compensation for nullifying their contracts in March.

On August 23's meeting was told for the first time that the Pratin investigation had found the deals had bypassed both the cabinet and the Suvarnabhumi airport development committee chaired by the prime minister.


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