BMA paid three times the market price for another fleet of fire vehicles: exMP

A NEW scandal related to a Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) fire-vehicle procurement project has emerged.

Vilas Chanpitaksa, a former Bangkok MP, yesterday exposed alleged irregularities in the city administration's Bt160-million project to buy small fire vehicles.

He also vowed to officially ask the Office of the Auditor-General and the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate the project soon out of concern the city administration would buy more such vehicles in the upcoming fiscal year.

"The BMA has paid nearly Bt8 million for each of these small fire vehicles. They are equipped with fire extinguishing equipment, which apparently came at a highly inflated price. A portable fire-extinguishing cylinder is available for about Bt2,800 in the market but is listed at Bt8,000 for the BMA project," he said.

He suspected that overall, each small fire vehicle might have been three times more expensive than it should have been.

more BMA paid three times the market price for another fleet of fire vehicles: exMP - The Nation

Either they're very good with numbers or very "crap" with numbers...

Nope, they're just thieves in a place where there is no rule of law and everyone is childishly greedy.

Yeah some crap Chinese limited life extinguisher is available for 2000 baht but a proper one is 8000!

Me thinks the MP was excluded from the bung so he's pissed.

That's not the only crap they are in :

BMA probed over misuse of public funds | Bangkok Post: news

This is not the first time, it's no wonder the BMA have been such good doggies for the junta as they are riddled in corruption...

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Originally Posted by misskit

Office of the Auditor-General and the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate

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A bit like asking the fox with feathers hanging out of his mouth to investigate the disappearence of all the chickens.

The last lot of fire engines are they still sitting rusting away and it is unlikely they will ever be used but they are siill racking up storage costs :

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...ire_trucks.jpg

Photo Oct 2013

The City Hall expects the Geneva-based court to deliver its ruling by the end of this year.
BMA took the case to the International Court of Arbitration to demand the supplier of the fire trucks and boats, Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug AG of Austria, to compensate for the overpriced deal which was rigged with corruption.
The 315 fire trucks have been parking at Laem Chabang deep-sea port since 2004 when the scandal was exposed. Many of them have become inoperational and they require massive maintenance if they are to become operational again.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday sentenced former deputy interior minister Pracha Maleenont and Pol Maj-Gen Atilak Tanchookiat, head of the City Hall’s fire and rescue department to 12 years and ten years imprisonment respectively after finding them guilty of corruption, abuse of authority and price collusion.
Both Pracha and Atilak are on the run and were not present when the court announced the verdict. Warrants have been issued by the court for their arrest.
Former Bangkok governor Apirak Kosayodhin, former interior minister Bhokin Polakul and former commerce minister Watana Muangsook were found not guilty.

So let's go after the foreign company for theses high prices?
Foreign companies are asked to give kick backs to officialsand there are more risks to see a contract cancelled/postponed when dealing with a thai public contract so they include this cost in their prices... the price offered to thai administration is then often higher than the proce proposed to other country, often with an objective reason...

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Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

Nope, they're just thieves in a place where there is no rule of law and everyone is childishly greedy.

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....and the same continuing cycle for decades.

The real story leaves us in it's wake.