Is this the real reason for all those "four-eye" meetings with foreign leaders?
CENSURE DEBATE DAY 3: Thaksin dealt dual iPSTAR, exam blows
Published on May 22, 2004
Opposition links ship deal with satellite compromise, slams Adisai over leak scam
The opposition dealt Prime Minister Thak-sin Shinawatra major blows before the censure debate concluded last night, hammering away at the university entrance-exam leak scandal and claiming that a Bt3.5-billion ship procurement deal with China was a trade-off for a crucial iPSTAR satellite compromise.
In his closing speech, Democrat Jurin Laksanavisit said the Navy's 2002 procurement of offshore vessels from CSTC of China followed then-defence minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh's over-enthusiasm to give the company the deal despite its previous bidding failures.
After the Chinese won the deal, the prime minister's family business empire clinched a frequency-coordination deal with rival Hong Kong-based satellite operator AsiaSat. The deal enabled the operator of the Shin empire's multimedia satellite iPSTAR to rid itself of a dispute over positioning and potential frequency-jamming problems.
"Basically, the state budget was spent to ensure huge fortunes for the private sector, estimated to be at Bt2.7 billion annually," Jurin said.
Jurin's iPSTAR attack sparked an outcry from the government camp, which said he had no right to make fresh accusations in the closing speech.
The Chinese procurement deal was raised by Democrat party-list MP Peerapan Saleeratthawipak on the first day of debate, but he did not make any link with the Shin empire's iPSTAR.
Earlier yesterday evening, Parliament erupted when the opposition attacked Education Minister Adisai Bodharamik over the university entrance-exam leak during Adisai's turn in the hot seat in the no-confidence debate.
The scandal has been spawning rumours about one of Thaksin's beloved family members, prompting him to make an emotional plea to the media recent for an end to "sensational" news coverage of the issue.
Caught in a storm of protests from Thai Rak Thai MPs, Democrat MP Sanan Suttakool launched his long-awaited assault on Adisai at about 8.45pm, which added to the intrigue behind the attack.
He said that the moves behind the leaking of the exam were made possible by "an integrated and systematic plan" to benefit a particular test-taker.
Sanan alleged that Adisai had failed to effectively administer the university entrance exam, which led to the leak.
He said the scandal had shattered the credibility of the entrance exam system, which once had a reputation for the highest degree of fairness and transparency.
Rumours of the leak, suspected to have benefited some students, began to develop shortly after the results of the first round of entrance exams were released, Sanan said.
He alleged that at the time a wealthy woman, a female politician, and an owner of a tutorial school met to find ways to help a student to get into a preferred university with assistance from an official in the Education Ministry.
Sanan accused Adisai of protecting former Education Ministry secretary-general Voradej Chandarasorn when the scandal broke and not cooperating with the parliamentary investigation into Voradej's involvement.
He also questioned Adisai's move to increase the weight of secondary-school grade point averages in the entrance exam.
Sanan said Adisai devised the increase of the GPA portion from 5 per cent to 25 per cent, which was to take effect this year. When the change was suspended later it led to an uproar among students.
Adisai might have had an agenda for his hasty move to increase the GPA portion to help some students, Sanan alleged.
Sanan was dubious about Voradej's assertions that he needed to open the test envelopes to ensure the integrity of the tests, as teachers from the Commission of Basic Education were also involved in the process.
After going through his case, at about 9.35pm Sanan displayed a newspaper with a photo of Thaksin giving a wai to the press, a move which produced more protests from the Thai Rak Thai bloc.
Voting on the no-confidence motions will take place on Monday.
CENSURE DEBATE DAY 3: Thaksin dealt dual iPSTAR, exam blows
Published on May 22, 2004
Opposition links ship deal with satellite compromise, slams Adisai over leak scam
The opposition dealt Prime Minister Thak-sin Shinawatra major blows before the censure debate concluded last night, hammering away at the university entrance-exam leak scandal and claiming that a Bt3.5-billion ship procurement deal with China was a trade-off for a crucial iPSTAR satellite compromise.
In his closing speech, Democrat Jurin Laksanavisit said the Navy's 2002 procurement of offshore vessels from CSTC of China followed then-defence minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh's over-enthusiasm to give the company the deal despite its previous bidding failures.
After the Chinese won the deal, the prime minister's family business empire clinched a frequency-coordination deal with rival Hong Kong-based satellite operator AsiaSat. The deal enabled the operator of the Shin empire's multimedia satellite iPSTAR to rid itself of a dispute over positioning and potential frequency-jamming problems.
"Basically, the state budget was spent to ensure huge fortunes for the private sector, estimated to be at Bt2.7 billion annually," Jurin said.
Jurin's iPSTAR attack sparked an outcry from the government camp, which said he had no right to make fresh accusations in the closing speech.
The Chinese procurement deal was raised by Democrat party-list MP Peerapan Saleeratthawipak on the first day of debate, but he did not make any link with the Shin empire's iPSTAR.
Earlier yesterday evening, Parliament erupted when the opposition attacked Education Minister Adisai Bodharamik over the university entrance-exam leak during Adisai's turn in the hot seat in the no-confidence debate.
The scandal has been spawning rumours about one of Thaksin's beloved family members, prompting him to make an emotional plea to the media recent for an end to "sensational" news coverage of the issue.
Caught in a storm of protests from Thai Rak Thai MPs, Democrat MP Sanan Suttakool launched his long-awaited assault on Adisai at about 8.45pm, which added to the intrigue behind the attack.
He said that the moves behind the leaking of the exam were made possible by "an integrated and systematic plan" to benefit a particular test-taker.
Sanan alleged that Adisai had failed to effectively administer the university entrance exam, which led to the leak.
He said the scandal had shattered the credibility of the entrance exam system, which once had a reputation for the highest degree of fairness and transparency.
Rumours of the leak, suspected to have benefited some students, began to develop shortly after the results of the first round of entrance exams were released, Sanan said.
He alleged that at the time a wealthy woman, a female politician, and an owner of a tutorial school met to find ways to help a student to get into a preferred university with assistance from an official in the Education Ministry.
Sanan accused Adisai of protecting former Education Ministry secretary-general Voradej Chandarasorn when the scandal broke and not cooperating with the parliamentary investigation into Voradej's involvement.
He also questioned Adisai's move to increase the weight of secondary-school grade point averages in the entrance exam.
Sanan said Adisai devised the increase of the GPA portion from 5 per cent to 25 per cent, which was to take effect this year. When the change was suspended later it led to an uproar among students.
Adisai might have had an agenda for his hasty move to increase the GPA portion to help some students, Sanan alleged.
Sanan was dubious about Voradej's assertions that he needed to open the test envelopes to ensure the integrity of the tests, as teachers from the Commission of Basic Education were also involved in the process.
After going through his case, at about 9.35pm Sanan displayed a newspaper with a photo of Thaksin giving a wai to the press, a move which produced more protests from the Thai Rak Thai bloc.
Voting on the no-confidence motions will take place on Monday.
posted by Bob Boonhod @ 1:00 PM
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