Defiant Udomdej vows to stay on

DEPUTY Defence Minister General Udomdej Sitabutr remained defiant yesterday amid growing pressure over the Rajabhakti Park scandal, making it clear that he would stay on while the investigation into the scandal goes on. 

“I shall carry out my duties as usual,” Udomdej said. “I believe in our good intention.”

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, meanwhile, suggested that the person at the centre of the scandal should step down to relieve pressure on the government that has yet to complete its grand mission for the country. Installed by the National Council for Peace and Order, the government has vowed to reform the country for the better and fought against corruption. 

“If the scandal drags on, politicking will increase and spiral further. Overall, such things may not bode well for the government and the public,” Abhisit said when asked about the Rajabhakti Park project. 

The former prime minister pointed out that during his government, two Cabinet members had resigned to show political responsibility. “It’s a way to boost public confidence in the government’s political standards,” he said. 

Funded mainly by about Bt1 billion in donations, the Rajabhakti Park project developed a grand park in Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Hua Hin district and erected huge statues of seven former Thai kings under the Army’s supervision. The park is built on Army land.

Udomdej, who left the helm of the Army two months ago, chairs the Rajabhakti Park Foundation.

Ensnared in the scandal, Udomdej last month publicly admitted that demands for illicit kickbacks were detected during the implementation of the project but insisted that the problem had already been tackled. 

He had kept his silence about the scandal until yesterday.

“My heart is not heavy because I know we do good things,” Udomdej said yesterday. He hinted that some ill-intentioned people might have tried to fan the scandal for their benefits. “If they are successful in painting the white black, the country is in danger. I am not going to identify them by name. You can see for yourself who have jumped on the scene lately,” he said. 

Two red-shirt leaders, Jatuporn Promphan and Nuttuwut Saikuar, were detained on Monday while they were on their way to the Rajabhakti Park. They have since been released. The Pheu Thai Party yesterday said in its latest statement that government figures were trying to portray the Rajabhakti Park project as a political issue, while in fact it was about corruption. It also said that top officials initially did not mention that the project also used state budget. 

Udomdej said he expected the ongoing probe by the Defence Ministry to dig deep into the Rajabhakti Park scandal and clear any lingering doubts.

“I hope the probe will go into the details so that the Defence Ministry can clarify everything to the people,” Udomdej said, adding he will not intervene in the probe. He said he would also welcome investigations by the Office of the Auditor-General and the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). 

NACC secretary-general Sansern Poljieak separately said his agency’s intelligence bureau had already gathered information on the scandal but found no clear evidence that the Rajabhakti Park project was mired in corruption.

Regarding the auditor-general’s revelation that the project had used Bt63 million from state coffers, Sansern said the Office had already been looking into whether the project had used the granted budget properly. Even in the face of this scandal, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsu-wan said the government remained strong and stable. 

“We can be compared to multi-reinforced concrete,” he said, adding there would be no Cabinet reshuffle.