Time running out for Thailand's junta after watch scandal

Reporter's note: Time running out for Thailand's junta after watch sandal

POLITICS By Tony Cheng

2018-01-30 15:51 GMT+8

Share

Thailand's parliamentary body has voted to postpone a long-delayed election possibly until early 2019, as public impatience for a general election is building.

After a cast iron guarantee that elections will be held this November, Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha conceded last week that polls would be pushed back again to February 2019.

Prayuth's government has been under huge pressure after social media users took note of the luxury watch worn by Prawit Wongsuwan, the junta's number two, also the country's deputy prime minister.

Glistening in the bright sunlight, and dangling off the general's wrist, was a Richard Mille RM29 watch, valued at 2.5 million baht, or 80,000 US dollars, an extravagant indulgence for a man whose official annual salary is only half of it.

The discovery prompted the country's cyber sleuths to scour the archives for other ostentatious timepieces.

So far they’ve found 25 designer watches in past pictures of Prawit, with a total worth of 1.5 million US dollars, none of which had been officially declared on the list of his assets.

Prawit took office in 2014 after the junta toppled the government of Yingluck Shinwatra.

The deputy prime minister explained that the luxurious timepieces had been lent to him by a wealthy friend, who conveniently passed away last year.

But few people in Thailand seem to believe him and a public poll conducted last week found more than 80 percent of those questioned had serious doubts about the provenance of the watches.

Thailand's National Anti -Corruption Commission promised to look into the undeclared assets, but has so far remained silent.

There appears to be little confidence in the agency's ability after it became known that the head of the commission, Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit, was a former subordinate of Prawit, and was placed in his current position by the deputy prime minister himself.

While there are voices calling Prawit to resign, the junta's number one, Prayuth Chan-ocha,

also the prime minister, remains supportive of his deputy, and has been quoted as describing it as a "personal matter…a personal flaw."

Public support also appears to be failing as the scandal refuses to die.

This is not the first time question marks have been raised about the general, who was instrumental in organizing the military coup of 2014.

In 2016, Prawit led a military delegation of 38 to Hawaii in a government chartered Boeing 747, at a cost of 822,000 US dollars and an onboard dining budget of 23,000 US dollars, which reportedly included generous amounts of caviar.

Frustration

The military government has been plagued by the specter of impropriety since it came to power.

Many questions remain unanswered about the procurement of statues in a park in the resort town of Hua Hin, the purchase of expensive submarines by the Thai Navy, and the transparency of several infrastructure projects commissioned by the government.

The junta has shut down public protests to allegations of corruption and limited investigations, which have been lengthy and failed to find evidence of culpability or mismanagement.

For many Thai people, this is especially galling as the military said the coup to oust Yingluck's government is a battle against corruption and the junta has so far failed to provide significant evidence to that.

Few of the reforms promised by the military have been accomplished and nepotism is rife.

Public impatience for elections is building.

The general and his cabinet might be advised to check their own timepieces carefully, as time and patience for military rule in Thailand appear to be coming to an end.

(CGTN)