Opposition grills Thai Interior Ministry over overpriced budget items
Thai opposition MPs debate Interior Ministry budget, highlighting 15,000 baht difference in body armor and solar lamps priced 4-10 times higher.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Department of Administration body armor priced at 46,000 baht, higher than ISOC's 31,000 baht
- Interior Ministry provincial office chair procurement shows varying prices for identical items
- Thai innovation account solar street lamps priced 4-10 times higher than regular procurement
- Democrat Party reports 70-80% drug relapse rate due to lack of post-rehab tracking
The parliamentary budget debate for the Ministry of Interior turned intense as opposition members from the People's Party (PP) highlighted alleged irregularities, inflated pricing, and redundant spending across multiple public procurement projects.
Lt. Kittipong Piyanwanno, a party-list MP for the People's Party, revealed during his speech that the Department of Administration allocated 482.8 million baht to procure 14,814 Level 3A body armor vests at a unit price of 46,000 baht. In contrast, the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) purchased vests of the exact same specification for 31,000 baht each, creating a 15,000 baht price gap per unit that raised questions on public spending efficiency.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Anurak Chureemas, a Pheu Thai MP for Roi Et and deputy chairman of the House budget committee, clarified that the higher price paid by the Department of Administration for territorial defense volunteers was due to lighter materials and advanced manufacturing technology.
"If the specifications are the same, why should the public pay a higher price?"
Lt. Kittipong Piyanwanno
In addition to the armor controversy, Kanphong Prayoonsak, a Bangkok MP for the People's Party, proposed a 2% budget cut for the Office of the Permanent Secretary for Interior. He pointed out that the office allocated 6 million baht for 1,041 chairs across 11 provinces, noting significant price discrepancies for identical furniture items across meeting rooms in provincial halls such as Lamphun, Phrae, and Ang Thong. Selecting the lowest available price across just three reviewed projects could save up to 740,000 baht.
Government procurement oversight remains a critical area of parliamentary scrutiny in Thailand. Discrepancies in pricing for standardized equipment across different departments under the same ministry often highlight potential flaws in reference pricing mechanisms and transparency, prompting calls for stricter auditing standards.
Furthermore, Itthiphol Choltharsiri, a Khon Kaen MP for the People's Party, criticized local administrative organizations for purchasing solar street lamps through the official Thai innovation account at inflated prices ranging from 60,000 to 70,000 baht per pole—4 to 10 times higher than regular open-market procurements of 6,900 to 16,500 baht—arguing that the mechanism bypasses genuine competitive bidding.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Meanwhile, Chaiชนะ Dechdecho, list MP and deputy leader of the Democrat Party, argued that the Interior Ministry's 227 billion baht budget allocation remains misdirected. He highlighted three major issues: a lack of follow-up systems for drug rehabilitation resulting in a 70-80% relapse rate, alleged corruption in disaster relief funds, and unverified personnel payrolls in Thailand's three southernmost provinces, proposing a 10% budget reduction.
Source: Matichon Politics
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