PACC officials 'mourn' Dusadee's transfer
Many Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) officials wore black to work yesterday in protest of what they consider is an unfair transfer of their boss PACC secretary-general Colonel Dusadee Arayawuth.
Along with this quiet protest, anonymous leaflets were distributed yesterday morning at the PACC, the Justice Ministry and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) alleging that Dusadee’s transfer was linked to his agency’s investigation into certain cases involving politicians in power.
The leaflets detailed links to cases including one related to forest encroachment in Phuket, tax evasion involving imported cars and the government’s spending of the disaster rehabilitation budgets. The write-up said that Dusadee was removed after he turned down requests to cover up the wrongdoings of certain persons and that the government was trying to replace him with a senior official from the DSI.
The Cabinet decided to move Dusadee to the Justice Ministry as deputy permanent secretary.
Dusadee, who was also in black, said honest officials should be confident that they are doing the right thing by adhering to the principles of morality.
“As I have always said, anything that is right today will remain so in the next 100 years. If you try to please someone [wrongly] today, people will eventually find out if it’s your fault,” he said.
“Some of my younger colleagues wear jackets with the Justice Ministry logo, but I wonder if they have ensured justice for anybody.”
With brimming eyes, Dusadee accepted flowers from more than 20 of his black-clad PACC colleagues, led by deputy secretary-general Prayong Preeyajit.
Prayong said he was shocked by the news that Dusadee was being transferred.
“Pol Colonel Dusadee will always remain in our hearts. We will continue working with him to the best of our ability for the 20 days he is with us and will keep his spirit alive afterwards,” he said.
In a separate development, Interior Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit denied that Wibul Sanguanpong met Thaksin Shinawatra in Hong Kong before taking over as permanent secretary at the ministry. Wibul is meant to replace Phranai Suwannarat, who is due to retire on September 30.
“Check with the Immigration Bureau to see if a government officer went with me to meet Thaksin. If I and the officer did go to meet Thaksin, then the immigration should have evidence of it,” Yongyuth added.
