GT200 scandal is a chance for junta to set the bar high
The junta declares that our military must perform with transparency and be corruption-free. Thus, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit recently signed a MoU between the Ministry of Defence and the National Anti-Corruption Commission that will
But why wait until the next round of purchases to show its commitment to fighting corruption? The junta can, and should, start with getting to the bottom of the GT200 fake bomb detector scandal. The military set the GT200 terms of reference, tested the delivered items, and certified that they worked as claimed before acceptance. Obviously either the wrong terms of reference were set, or the testing process failed, or both – for in 2010, then-Science and Technology Minister Khunying Kalaya Sophonpanich reported that the tested device only had a 20 per cent success rate. Flipping a coin would have saved many more lives than relying on the GT200.
DPM Prawit, actions speak louder than words. Investigate the panels that set the ToR and accepted the fakes, invite outside neutral observers to ensure transparency, and let the chips fall where they may. Show the world that our military is fully committed to being clean.
Burin Kantabutra
