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BKK Post, March 12, 1998, POLITICS



March 12, 1998, POLITICS

PM's wife accused of not declaring land ownership 
Information from deputy forestry chief 
Wut Nontharit

Embattled deputy forestry chief Prawat Thanadkha has provided the 
opposition with information about allegedly undeclared land ownership on 
the part of the prime minister's wife and the finance minister.

High-ranking New Aspiration Party sources said that to take revenge on 
the Democrat Party for transferring him to an inactive post, Mr Prawat 
gave the party information about land that Pakdiporn Sujaritkul, Chuan 
Leekpai's common-law wife, and some of her relatives own in Chiang Mai's 
Prao district.

This joint ownership of 600 rai of deteriorated forest land - 400 rai 
with Nor Sor 3 Kor land right papers and 200 rai for which papers are 
still pending official approval - had not been declared when Mr Chuan 
submitted his assets declaration, and that of Ms Pakdiporn, to the 
Counter Corruption Commission.

Mr Prawat also reportedly gave the NAP information about Finance 
Minister Tarrin Nimmanhaeminda, who in his capacity as board chairman of 
a land company, supposedly poached some 1,000 rai of reserve forest in 
Chiang Rai's Pan district.

NAP sources claimed that the information given to the party is backed up 
with documentary evidence and they are to be used in the no-confidence 
debate against the government on the 18th and 19th of this month.

Mr Prawat inadvertently kicked off the Salween logging scandal when he 
tried to donate five million baht in bribe money to the Thai-help-Thai 
fund. Prime Minister Chuan refused to take the money and ordered an 
official investigation to unearth the source of the money, which found 
that it was connected to illegal logging at the Salween National Park 
and Wildlife Sanctuary.

The government investigation panel also found that Mr Prawat may be 
connected to wrongdoing at the park though he has denied all charges and 
insisted that he did not know who left the five million baht at his 
home.

Asked about the information from Mr Prawat, NAP MP for Nakhon Phanom 
Paijit Srivorakan would only say: "I think that after the censure 
debate, the police chief and the CCC will have more work to do. We have 
information to take criminal action against people in the government."

He said that the public should keep their eyes on the debate because the 
opposition will present information about people that they may not 
suspect at all.

NAP leader Chavalit Yongchaiyudh yesterday held a one-hour meeting with 
other opposition figures to discuss their plans for the debate. Present 
at the meeting at NAP headquarters were NAP secretary-general Sanoh 
Thienthong, NAP deputy leader Pokin Polakul, Chart Pattana deputy leader 
Korn Dabbaransi and Muan Chon leader Chalerm Yubamrung.

Talking to reporters afterwards, Gen Chavalit denied reports that the 
opposition was trying to buy the votes of between 6 and 12 government 
MPs. He said that they are not aiming to bring the government down but 
wanted some political results from the debate.

He also said that he would show people that he also can speak sharply 
and cause damage to political opponents. "I have been a target for so 
long. They charged that my wife and son-in-law were involved in the 
Salween scandal. It's all untrue. Just you wait and see," he said.

Gen Chavalit added that the opposition had no intention of toppling the 
government during the censure debate but merely wanted to make some 
politcal gains from it.

"It is only three months and we are not that anxious (to be in the 
government). Besides we are still tired," he said.

He called for an end to the long-held thought that the government and 
the opposition could not work together but must be at each other's 
throats all the time.

He assured that the opposition would be different this time. "There are 
no more groundless accusations nor aggressiveness among opposition MPs 
because we want to build a new political culture which is in compliance 
with Thai culture," he added.

He also categorically denied a report that the opposition had "bought" 
the loyalty of six government MPs.

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