Public opinion was stirred up when the Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand used a luxury plane for a 100km business trip.
Mr. Prawit became the focus of Thai public opinion after a photo of him using a police plane worth 37 million USD (860 billion VND) went viral.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), over the weekend, photos of Deputy Prime Minister Prawit stepping off a luxurious 6-seat Dassault Falcon 2000S aircraft with his entourage spread rapidly on the media. The photo is said to have been taken when the leader arrived in Lopburi province, only 100 km from his starting point – the capital Bangkok.
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| Thai Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and his entourage leave a police plane. Photo: Wassana Nanuam/facebook |
Mr. Prawit served as Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Thai Army for two years (2004-2005) and was promoted to the rank of general. Then, in 2008, he served as Defense Minister and became Deputy Prime Minister since the military coup in 2014.
Last year, Mr Prawit was cleared of corruption charges over the undeclared purchase of 25 luxury watches worth 40 billion baht. At the time, the National Anti-Corruption Commission said there was “insufficient evidence” that he had deliberately misrepresented or concealed information.
Activist Srisuwan Janya has filed a complaint with the National Audit Commission, calling for an investigation into the Royal Thai Police's purchase of the expensive aircraft in September last year.
Responding to reporters, Mr. Srisuwan questioned the necessity of using such an expensive means of transport for short distances. “Why does the Thai police need to buy such an expensive plane when they already have about 71 planes? Why does Thailand always buy everything at such high costs?”, Mr. Srisuwan hinted at wondering why the price of the plane that Thailand bought was 350 million baht higher than the market price.
The expensive plane has been used by the police chief several times because it does not need frequent refueling and is suitable for all climate conditions and runway sizes, a Royal Thai Police spokesman said on July 8.
According to the representative, Thai officials often use helicopters for short flights, but a helicopter still has many limitations as it cannot fly in all weather conditions and can only hold a few people.
