Wissanu seeks details about investment by ThaiPBS in CPF
DEPUTY Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said yesterday that he would send a letter to ThaiPBS to ask for more information regarding its investment in debentures from Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF), after concerns were raised about the integrity and good governance of the public broadcaster.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha also responded to the issue, saying concerned officials are now taking care of it.
Wissanu said he oversees the broadcaster’s policies but he has never gone into detail on how the station runs. He added that ThaiPBS is considered independent and it is not obliged to make periodic reports to the government. ThaiPBS has acquired CPF debentures worth Bt200 million. Krisda Rueangareerat, a director of ThaiPBS, defended the station’s investment decision, saying the annual Bt2-billion budget from “sin taxes” was not enough to run the station. The station has issued a statement saying it would review its investment framework in the capital market and cease investments in some companies, without mentioning any specific companies, including the CPF. ThaiPBS executives said in the statement that they regretted the decision and wished to apologise to the public if their decision to purchase the debentures caused concerns. The purchase, they said, was aimed at maximising financial management of the organisation and adhered to the policy framework. However, to demonstrate that ThaiPBS listens to the public, it would review its policy framework concerning investments and cease investments in some companies. Somkiat Tangkitvanich, a drafter of the law setting up Thai Public Broadcasting Service in 2007, yesterday suggested on his Facebook page that the station should review its investment from an ethical aspect. He added, however, that public broadcasting law does not prohibit the station from investing in the market.