From: yongyuth@ipied.tu.ac.TH (Yongyuth Pahirah)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai
Subject: PDP's minister to declare assets to public
Date: 1 Oct 1992 12:57:45 +1000
Organization: Mail/News gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: munnari.oz.au


 
PDP's minister to announce assets to the public.
 
The Nation, Oct 1 edition
 
THE Palang Dharma Party executive committee yesterday decided its 11 Cabinet
members would have to declare their assets which will be publicized through
the mass media to prove their reputability, according to party founder
Chamlong Srimuang.
 
  Maj Gen Chamlong, speaking to reporters after a meeting between the
  executive committee and Palang Dharma Cabinet members at party headquarters,
  said the 11 were asked to declare their assets and those of their spouses
  and submit them to the party chief adviser, Boonchu Rojanastien, by Oct 15.
 
  Chamlong said Boonchu, the deputy prime minister in the coalition government
  led by the Democrat Party, would be in charge of publicizing the asset
  statements.
 
  The move is consistent with the widely-publicized ``Mr Clean'' image
  projected by Chamlong and Palang Dharma Party members since the party was
  set up in 1988.
 
  Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, asked to comment on the Palang Dharma's plan,
  said the Cabinet, which will hold its first meeting tomorrow, has yet to
  come up with a joint position on the matter.
 
  A senior executive of the New Aspiration Party said the five-party coalition
  government had earlier agreed all Cabinet members must declare their assets.
 
  The Office of the Counter Corruption Commission already has a standing
  regulation requiring Cabinet members to declare their assets when they
  assume and leave office although the declarations are treated as
  confidential.
 
  Chamlong said he would take it upon himself to monitor the behaviour of
  individual Palang Dharma Cabinet ministers to ensure none is involved in any
  form of corruption while in public office.
 
  ``The Palang Dharma Party has a clear-cut policy that its members shall not
  cheat, steal or accept bribes, explicitly or otherwise, be it in the form of
  windfalls or kickbacks,'' Chamlong said.
 
  He said it would not be difficult to find out if any Cabinet members were
  corrupt and urged those with complaints about alleged corruption involving
  Palang Dharma Cabinet members to send their complaints and evidence directly
  to him.
 
  ``I was assigned by the party executive committee to monitor the behaviour
  of Palang Dharma Cabinet ministers and I will see to it that no one becomes
  corrupt,'' the party founder said.
 
  Chamlong said he would ask Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai to remove any Palang
  Dharma Cabinet member found to be corrupt even if they were involved in
  ``minor cases'' of corruption.
 
  ``But if it was a major corruption case, we would not only seek the
  dismissal of the wrongdoer from the Cabinet post but also expel that person
  from the party and strip him of his House membership,'' the de facto party
  leader said.
 
  Chamlong said the executive committee also appointed Boonchu as head of
  Palang Dharma Cabinet ministers to coordinate their government work with
  other Cabinet members.
 
  He said the executive committee also assigned University Affairs Minister
  Suthep Attakor, PM's Office Minister Chinnawut Sunthornsima and Foreign
  Minister Prasong Soonsiri to take part in the formulation of the coalition
  government's policy.
 
  New Aspiration Party Secretary General and Science Minister Phisarn
  Moonlasartsathorn yesterday said the coalition government had agreed to
  require all Cabinet members to declare their assets but had yet to decide
  how to do it.
 
  ``The New Aspiration Party is prepared to follow the Cabinet resolution on
  the matter,'' Phisarn said.
 
  The NAP secretary general said the party executive committee yesterday asked
  its members in the Cabinet to prepare statements of their assets. The
  executive committee also appointed Sudin Phuyutthanon, Sermsak Karun,
  Paichit Srivorakhan and Montree Daanpaiboon as party whips, he said.
 
  Phisarn said the executive committee also discussed proposed legislation to
  be presented to the House of Representatives, including measures to
  establish Tambon councils as part of the attempt to decentralize government
  power.
 
  Boonchu, speaking at the same press conference as Chamlong, said the Palang
  Dharma Party, which controls the Communications Ministry, intended to bring
  about changes in the way the government handles major infrastructure
  projects. He did not elaborate.
 
  On foreign affairs, Boonchu said the Palang Dharma Party would push for
  expansion of trade between Thailand and the rest of the world, while the
  University Affairs Ministry would promote joint research and development
  between the private sector and state and private universities, he said.