Rice farmers in Ayutthaya’s Bang Sai district show documents listing those still waiting for money owed to them under the government’s rice-pledging scheme PATTANAPONG HIRUNARD
By Terry Fredrickson
The NACC is launching an investigation into PM Yingluck Shinawatra's role in irregularities in the government's rice pledging scheme and other top officials face corruption charges.
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NACC targets PM in rice probe
Boonsong, 14 others to be hit with graft charges
Kingoua Lao-Hong
Anucha Charoenpo
NACC commissioner Vicha Mahakhun announces the decision to probe PM Yingluck Shinawatra's role in the rice-pledging scheme APICHIT JINAKUL
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) will launch a full inquiry into caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's role in the rice-pledging scheme commissioner Vicha Mahakhun announced yesterday.
The premier faces criminal charges if the investigation finds she was negligent in her duties as chairwoman of the National Rice Policy Committee, which oversees the scheme She would also be required to step down from all official roles
The premier declined to comment yesterday when asked about the probe
An NACC inquiry panel yesterday also decided to bring formal corruption charges against 15 people involved in government-to-government (G-to-G) rice deals
The suspects include former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and former deputy commerce minister Poom Sarapol.
Rejecting suggestions the NACC had sped up the case against Ms Yingluck in a bid to break the current political deadlock Mr Vicha insisted the decision was based on the recommendation of a panel investigating claims of rampant corruption in the rice scheme
Mr Vicha said the NACC agreed the case against Ms Yingluck, which concerns a government policy issue will be separated from the G-to-G graft case.
He said the inquiry panel has grounds to believe Ms Yingluck may have learned about problems besetting the rice scheme but failed to act to stop them.
The NACC has assigned the same panel to launch the full investigation
If the panel finds there is enough evidence Ms Yingluck would face charges of violating Section 157 of the Criminal Code for dereliction of duty Mr Vicha said.
An NACC source said it will take the inquiry panel about a week to conclude its findings and decide whether to bring charges against Ms Yingluck.
If she is charged, the premier will be given an opportunity to defend herself before the panel forwards the case to the main NACC panel which would then decide whether to indict her.
The whole process is likely to take about a month.
The 15 suspects to be charged in connection with the G-to-G deals include former director-general of the External Trade Department Manas Sroypol, who was involved in negotiations to sell rice to two Chinese state enterprises
The NACC has found no evidence that the two firms – Guangdong Stationery & Sporting Goods Import & Export Corp and Hainan Grain & Oil Industrial Trading Co – were authorised by the Chinese government to purchase the rice.
It also found no evidence that the rice had been exported to China.
Mr Boonsong said the NACC's ruling against him was unfair because it had not given him the chance to defend himself against the allegation.
The rice-pledging scheme is a key policy of the Pheu Thai Party, but has drawn sharp criticism for swelling public debt
The scheme is facing further trouble amid lengthy delays in payments to farmers following the recent House dissolution Election rules bar the caretaker government from any borrowing that could add to the next government's financial burden
Rice farmers in Bang Sai work in their fields on the next crop despite not being paid for the previous one. PATTANAPONG HIRUNARD
Meanwhile, central agricultural committee chairman Ubolsak Bualuangngam, who also leads the Lop Buri Farmers Assembly, yesterday threatened to take legal action against the caretaker government if it is unable to continue paying farmers for their pledged rice.
"If it can't pay, we will gather signatures of farmers from across the country so we can sue it for cheating us," Mr Ubolsak said.
He also demanded the caretaker government pay the interest on any farming loans that farmers have accrued over the past few months.
Suphan Buri agricultural committee chairman Prom Boonmachuay backed Mr Ubolsak's demands and will today lead farmers from his province to seek legal help from the Lawyers Council of Thailand.
"Many farmers ask me every day when they will receive the money from the government, as they need it to pay for their daily costs of living," Mr Prom said.
He said in Suphan Buri alone the caretaker government owes about 2.1 billion baht to farmers.
Mr Prom set Jan 25 as the deadline for the caretaker government to pay the money owed to farmers, or he will lead farmers from the Central Plains and the West to block sections of the Asian Highway and the Nonthaburi-Suphan Buri road.
Vocabulary
accrue: to gradually increase in amount - ทำให้เพิ่มขึ้น
assembly: a group of people who have been elected or chosen in order to discuss issues and make decisions - สภา, สมัชชา
assign: to give someone a job to do - มอบหมาย, สั่งงาน
authorised: given official permission to do something or for something to happen - ได้รับอนุญาต
back: to support - สนับสนุน
bar: to officially not allow someone to do something or go somewhere - ห้าม
beset: to cause someone difficulty or danger over a period of time - รุมเร้าด้วยปัญหา
bid: an attempt to do something - ความพยายาม
block: to stop someone/ something from moving through or along something else - ปิดกั้น, กีดขวาง
burden: a serious or difficult responsibility that you have to deal with - ภาระ
caretaker: in charge for a short time, until a new leader or government is chosen - รักษาการ
chairwoman: a woman in charge of a meeting, a committee or an organisation - ประธานที่เป็นผู้หญิง
charge : an official statement accusing someone of committing a crime - ข้อกล่าวหา
claim: saying that something is true although it has not been proved and other people may not believe it - ข้ออ้าง ข้อกล่าวหา
commerce minister: the minister in charge of the Commerce Ministry - รัฐมนตรีว่าการกระทรวงพาณิชย์
commissioner: a member of a commission; a group of people who have been formally chosen to discover information about a problem or examine the reasons why the problem exists - กรรมาธิการ ผู้ได้รับมอบหมายอำนาจหน้าที่
conclude: to finish; to complete an official agreement or task, or arrange a business deal - จบ
criminal: illegal; against the law - ผิดกฎหมาย, นอกกฎหมาย
Criminal Code: the systems of laws dealing with crimes and their punishment - ประมวลกฎหมายอาญา
criticism: comments that show that you think something is wrong or bad - การวิจารณ์
deadline: a time or day by which something must be done - เส้นตาย
deadlock: a situation in which neither person or group involved in a disagreement is willing to change their opinions or positions - หมดหนทาง ไม่มีทางแก้
deal: a formal agreement, especially in business or politics - การตกลงซื้อขาย, ข้อตกลง, การซื้อขาย
debt: an amount of money that you owe - หนี้
decline: to say politely that you will not accept something or do something - ปฏิเสธ
defend: to say things to support someone or something - ปกป้อง
delay: when you have to wait longer than expected for something to happen, or the time that you have to wait - การเลื่อน, การเสียเวลา
demand: a very firm request for something - ข้อเรียกร้อง, การเรียกร้อง
deputy: a person whose rank is immediately below that of the leader of an organisation - รอง
dereliction of duty: a serious failure to do the things that you are responsible for in your job - การละทิ้งหน้าที่
document: a paper or set of papers with written or printed information, especially of an official type - เอกสาร
draw: to attract or interest somebody - ดึงดูดความสนใจ
evidence: facts, signs or objects that make you believe that something is true - หลักฐาน,ข้อแสดง
export: to sell and send goods to another country - ส่งออก
financial: involving money - เกี่ยวกับเงิน, ทางการเงิน
firm: a business or company - บริษัท
forward: to send onwards - ส่งต่อ
gather: to bring things together that have been spread around - รวบรวม
graft: corruption - การฉ้อโกง
grounds: reasons for saying or doing something - เหตุผล
House dissolution: the ending of the current term of the House of Representations, followed by a new election - การยุบสภา
indict: to officially accuse someone of a serious crime - ฟ้องร้อง
inquiry: an official examination of a problem, crime, accident, etc. in order to get information or the truth - การไต่สวนหาข้อเท็จจริง การไต่สวน
insist: to keep saying very firmly that something is true - ยืนกราน ยืนยัน
interest: the money that a bank or other financial company charges you when you borrow money, or the money it pays you when you keep money in an account - ดอกเบี้ย
investigation: the process of trying to find out all the details or facts about something in order to discover who or what caused it or how it happened - การสอบสวน, การตรวจสอบหาข้อเท็จจริง
involved: taking part or having a role in something - เกี่ยวข้อง
issue: matter; a subject that people discuss or argue about - ประเด็น
key: very important - ที่สำคัญ
launch: to start something - เปิดโครงการ, เริ่มต้น, เริ่มทำ
lawyer: an attorney - ทนาย
legal: relating to the law - เกี่ยวกับกฎหมาย
loan: an amount of money that a person, business, or country borrows, especially from a bank - เงินกู้
National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC): An independent government organisation to investigate corruption carried out by government officials - ปปช. (สำนักคณะกรรมการป้องกันและปราบปรามการทุจริตแห่งชาติ)
negligent: not being careful or giving enough attention to people or things that are your responsibility - ละเลย,ไม่สนใจ
negotiations: formal discussion in which people or groups try to reach an agreement - การเจรจาต่อรอง
opportunity: a chance to do something, or a situation in which it is easy for you to do something - โอกาส
oversee: to watch or organise a job or an activity to make certain that it is being done correctly - คุมงาน,ควบคุม
owe: to be required to give someone money for something you have bought or money that you have borrowed from them - เป็นหนี้
panel: a group of people who make decisions or judgments - คณะกรรมการ
policy: a set of plans or action agreed on by a government, political party, business, or other group - นโยบาย
probe: an attempt to find out the truth about an issue, problem or accident, made by an official group (or by the media); an investigation - การตรวจสอบ การสอบสวน
process: a series of actions that you take in order to achieve a result - แนวทางปฏิบัติ, กระบวน, วิธีการ
purchase: to buy something - ซื้อ
rampant: existing, happening or spreading in an uncontrolled way - รุกลาม อาละวาด กำเริบ รุนแรงจนควบคุมไว้ไม่ได้
recommendation: a suggestion for how to solve a problem, deal with a situation - ข้อเสนอแนะ
reject: to not accept something - ปฏิเสธ ไม่ยอมรับ
rice-pledging scheme: a government programme in which farmers sell rice to the government at a particular price, with the right to reclaim the rice if the market price goes higher - โครงการจำนำข้าว
role: the position or purpose that someone or something has in a situation, organisation, society or relationship - บทบาท
scheme: a plan that is developed by a government or large organisation in order to provide a particular service for people - แผนการ โครงการ
separate: to keep or put apart - แยก
sharp: strong - ที่รุนแรง
source: someone who gives information - แหล่งข่าว
sped up (past of speed up): caused to happen more quickly - เร่งให้เร็ว, ทำให้เร็วขึ้น
state enterprise: a company or business owned and managed by the government - รัฐวิสาหกิจ
sue: to take legal action against a person or organisation, especially by making a legal claim for money because of some harm that they have caused you - ฟ้องร้อง
suggestion: the possibility that something is true, or evidence showing that something may be true - ข้อชวนคิด
suspect: a person who is thought to have committed a crime - ผู้ต้องสงสัย
swell: to increase in size or number - เพิ่มจำนวน, เพิ่มขนาด, เพิ่มปริมาณ
target: to direct something at someone or something - ตั้งเป้าหมาย
trade: the buying and selling of goods and services - การค้าขาย
violate: to do something that is against the law - ละเมิดกฏหมาย
