DSI Camera probe starts
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The Department of Special Investiga-tion has started its probe into fake surveillance cameras, asking the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration yesterday to submit all relevant documents within three days.
MPs will also look into the issue, with the government and opposition both submitting urgent motions yesterday to scrutinise it.
Deputy Bangkok governor Theerachon Manomaiphibool is due to appear today before the Senate committee on science, technology and telecommunications.
The opposition put in an urgent motion to look into 7,000 dummy cameras installed in the deep South during the first Thaksin government. This had also been put to Parliament for approval for scrutiny with the government motion, government whip Udomdej Rattanasathian said.
The opposition has also proposed setting up a panel to look into cameras in the deep South. “Both urgent motions have been included on today’s meeting agenda,” he said.
At the BMA, DSI specialist Phongphorn Phramsaneh said he wanted all documents within three days despite a legal seven-day period for the BMA to comply. He did not explain reasons for the rush and there were no details last night about the BMA’s response to the urgent deadline.
“There are two issues the DSI is currently interested in: whether the purchases of all cameras made by the BMA are overpriced; and what reasons are behind the BMA’s decision to install dummy units,” he said.
Asked whether the DSI would also scrutinise the CCTV project and camera units installed in the deep South, he said: “We are now looking into the issue surrounding the BMA, and if there are irregularities found in BMA-procured purchases, there is no need to bring up other projects.”
The Pheu Thai Party, which leads the Yingluck Shinawatra government, also asked the Interior Ministry to look into claims by opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva that many cameras among 7,000 units installed in the South were fakes.
PTP spokesman Prompong Nopparit cited a party inquiry to the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre, on whether the CCTV cameras installed in the far South was procured during the Surayud government.
Government whip Jirayu Huangsap said Abhisit’s statement about cameras in the deep South being fake was a lame excuse to distract from the issue in Bangkok as the incumbent and previous Bangkok governors were members of the Democrat Party, which Abhisit led.
Jirayu claimed the CCTV system installed in Bangkok was procured at an unusually high price through contracts won repeatedly by a limited number of contractors.
