Probe use of Army trucks to transport water:ex-senator
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Former senator Ruangkrai Leekitwattana yesterday called on the Election Commission to investigate the use of military trucks in transporting bottled water donated to the Democrat Party.
He made his call when testifying before the EC investigation committee about his petition for the agency to probe the opposition party in connection with an alleged donation scandal involving Bt1 million the Democrats obtained from East Water.
Ruangkrai, a self-styled graft-buster, earlier petitioned EC chairman Apichart Sukhagganond, who is also the political party registrar, to investigate East Water’s donation of 850 packs – each containing a dozen bottles of water – worth a total of Bt35,700, to the Democrat Party.
He said yesterday that he wondered why the EC separated the two issues in its investigation although in fact they were related. “It’s okay if the registrar thinks this will help speed up the work,” he added.
Ruangkrai also called on the EC to investigate the use of military trucks in transporting part of the donated water to Songkhla. He said it was against the Political Party Act for a party to accept benefits from a state agency.
The ex-senator pointed to pictures on the Democrat Party’s website showing the military trucks among a convoy of vehicles carrying relief supplies for flood victims in the South in November 2010. The convoy was released from the Democrat Party’s headquarters. At that time, the Democrats were part of the government.
Ruangkrai said yesterday that judging from the information, it was clear that the Democrats acted in the name of the political party, and not the government.
