Thread: King Power wins duty-free auction for Suvarnabhumi airport

BANGKOK, 1 June 2019 (NNT) - King Power Group has won the bid to operate duty-free shops at Suvarnabhumi airport for another 10 years after it received the top score in terms of financial returns. The old contract will end in September next year.


Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) has announced that King Power Duty Free Company Limited has won the bid to operate duty-free shops at Suvarnabhumi airport. There were five operators who bought the bidding documents. Three of them met the initial qualifications for proposing financial proposals. The AoT will negotiate the proposals before submitting them to the Board for approval on June 19.


The companies which participated in the auction include King Power Duty Free Co., Ltd., Bangkok Lotte Duty Free Aviation Joint Venture (Suvarnabhumi Airport), consisting of Bangkok Aviation Company, Hotel Lotte Company Limited and Bangkok Airways Holding Company Limited and Royal Orchid Hotel Joint Venture (Thailand) Public Company Limited consisting of Royal Orchid Hotel (Thailand), Empire Asia Group Company Limited and WDFG UK LIMITED (England).

National News Bureau Of Thailand

So enough palms greased, then.

Slabhead's transfer fee won't be going down.

King Power Group has won the bid to operate duty-free shops at Suvarnabhumi airport for another 10 years after it received the top score in terms of financial returns.

what a fxcking surprise.

^Indeed...

Actually it comes as a surprise, I remember that King Power was viewed as Thaksin ally, and got the duty-free monopoly in return ...both the company and T have been criticized as corrupts...so seeing King Power won the bid for this new contract while Junta is still in power is kind of strange, given their anti T and corruption stance....could be a case of money talks indeed, anti-corruption stance seems reserved to opposition, once they get to power well they got reality checked...

Originally Posted by Farang Ky Ay

King Power was viewed as Thaksin ally

The connections here are never very clear, never fully black or fully white...

What people have to remember is that Thaksinmania, like any other political movement, was for many simply a vehicle with which to negotiate the Thai path of self-enrichment by networking among the interlocking cabals comprising the higher echelons of socio-economic-political society.

In the case under current debate the patron was not directly Thaksin, but his chief lieutenant, the provincial enforcer, Newin Chidchob.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

What people have to remember is that Thaksinmania, like any other political movement, was for many simply a vehicle with which to negotiate the Thai path of self-enrichment by networking among the interlocking cabals comprising the higher echelons of socio-economic-political society.

In the case under current debate the patron was not directly Thaksin, but his chief lieutenant, the provincial enforcer, Newin Chidchob.

SA is correct, and there's a lot more to this story... fridges, unmentionables, generals, airport raids by heavily armed groups, toilets...

It ultimately comes down to the size of the envelope. Anyone in the top political echelon is only renting their position, easly dethroned with behind the negotiations..and cash of course - money and favours is all politics here come down to.

Well it does explain why the heir to the King Power fortune was seen swanning around Europe following his toy football team without a care in the world.

So I'm guessing this has been done and dusted for a long time.

Interesting Seeking Asylum...QED, what was viewed as a corrupt deal under one government is now considered as legit because the benefactor has switched its loyalty to the Army-led government (both now and under Abhisit government)

Originally Posted by Farang Ky Ay

Interesting Seeking Asylum...QED, what was viewed as a corrupt deal under one government is now considered as legit because the benefactor has switched its loyalty to the Army-led government (both now and under Abhisit government)

"is now considered as legit"

By whom?

It was always considered legit by the people getting the envelopes.

Originally Posted by NamPikToot

It ultimately comes down to the size of the envelope

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

So I'm guessing this has been done and dusted for a long time.

Muliple envelopes over many years to many different governments is the norm.

TiT but not unique to Thailand. Billions are donated to political campaigns in many "western" nations. The idea politicians who receive these donations will not consider this when awarding gov contracts is laughable.

Originally Posted by Farang Ky Ay

Interesting Seeking Asylum...QED, what was viewed as a corrupt deal under one government is now considered as legit because the benefactor has switched its loyalty to the Army-led government (both now and under Abhisit government)

You might recall last year that a combination of the tax office and dept. of trade launched a legal action against King Power in relation to underpayment for their concessions which resulted in considerable losses to the taxpayer. The action was dismissed on adjudication by the court that was convened to hear it but I don't recall seeing a written determination outlining their reasons......

But it seems that all is hunky-dory now. Which is nice.

Originally Posted by Norton

TiT but not unique to Thailand. Billions are donated to political campaigns in many "western" nations. The idea politicians who receive these donations will not consider this when awarding gov contracts is laughable.

Consider it? It's their fucking job. That's where they earn most of their income.

Originally Posted by Norton

Muliple envelopes over many years to many different governments is the norm.

TiT but not unique to Thailand. Billions are donated to political campaigns in many "western" nations. The idea politicians who receive these donations will not consider this when awarding gov contracts is laughable.

And what most apologist fail to recognize is that such activity has been steadfast universal the world over....
Manipulated to appear different or referred to as something else - yet, the graft and corruption are brethren.