Purchases of fancy street lamps being investigated for possible corruption

The purchases of fancy street lamps in several provinces are now being investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Commission. The investigations were called for after the exorbitant 642 million baht purchase in Samut Prakan for thousands of fancy solar-powered street lamps, topped with Buddhist mythical figures, caught the attention of residents in the province just southeast of Bangkok.

The commission’s secretary-general Worawit Sukboon says the
budget disbursement for procurement of decorative lamp posts including Songkhla’s Hat Yai district.

“It has come to light that several other provinces have spent their budget on decorative light posts in a similar manner, so the commission will look into the issue thoroughly for possible corruption by local administrators.”

In Samut Prakan, the 6,773 solar-powered lamps, adorned with the kinnari which is a part human and part bird celestial musician in Buddhist mythology, were purchased for around 94,884 baht each, all paid to Bangkok Road Lighting.

Due to the unusually pricey purchase made to a single company, investigators are looking into the budget disbursement by the Rachathewa Subdistrict Administrative Organisation in the province’s Bang Phli district.

In Hat Yai, the local government paid 33.4 million baht for lamp posts topped with the figures from the Thai traditional dance Manorah. Residents in the area have complained that the street lamps seem substandard and overpriced, some reporting that the Manorah figures were damaged while the lights were dim on other lamp posts.

SOURCES: Nation Thailand | Bangkok Post