SONDHI STRIKES AGAIN: A Russian blitz

SONDHI STRIKES AGAIN: A Russian blitz
Published on December 10, 2005

Kongsak targeted as huge Lumpini crowd told of fishy plan to buy jet fighters from Moscow. Refusing to accept Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s olive branch, media tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul kept up his campaign against the government yesterday by alleging that a plan to buy a squadron of jet fighters from Russia had been put together with dubious intentions.

Aiming his new attack at the government’s weakest link, Sondhi told a crowd of about 80,000 people gathered at Lumpini Park that the Bt35-billion deal raised a lot of questions about Interior Minister ACM Kongsak Wantana, whose wife is a close associate of Khunying Pojaman Shinawatra.

Kongsak served as Air Force commander-in-chief before joining the Cabinet in August. His wife, Salillawal, used to be one of Khunying Pojaman’s most trusted secretaries.

“It’s all about commission fees,” Sondhi said. He charged that whereas normally a 3-per-cent commission is granted in such deals, in this case, the commission fee would be 10 per cent, amounting to Bt3.5 billion.

Sondhi said the purchase plan had followed the first meeting between Thaksin and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Apec meeting in Bangkok in 2003. Speculation abounded that the Royal Thai Air Force was set to purchase a squadron of jet fighters from Russia.

Earlier an RTAF procurement committee had reviewed the possibility of acquiring the JAS 39 Gripen made by Saab of Sweden, the F-16 C/D Block 50/52 of Lockheed of the US, and Su-30 MK of Russia’s Irkut Corp, Sukhoi Air Holding Co and Rosoboron Export.

Sondhi said the committee had eventually rejected the Russian-made jet fighter squadron, which was considered to be too large and unsuitable for the RTAF.

In August and September 2004, news reports emerged from Government House to the effect that the Thai government would like to do a barter trade with Russia in the acquisition of jet fighters. This would save Thailand’s foreign-exchange reserves and would also help the farm sector.

Sondhi said Kongsak, then Air Force chief, was pushing hard for the acquisition of the Russian jet fighters. He was quoted as telling the RTAF’s senior officers: “It is worthwhile to barter chicken in exchange for Russian jet fighters, although these jet fighters might have to be parked as spare parts.”

Kamolwarn Benjaratanaphorn of Karnjana-arpha Co was acting as a sales agent for Rosoboron Export of Russia. Kongsak made it clear he did not want Kamolwarn to broker the deal, prompting the agent to register a complaint.

Sondhi said that it was then that Ekachai Thamvaranukhupt, backed by ACM Kongsak, entered the scene with his Eagle Thai Co, which presented itself as a new sales agent. Sondhi said Ekachai wrote to Sergi Chemezov of Rosoboron Export, asking that his company be appointed as the official sales agent for the deal.

The deal was interrupted by the retirement of Kongsak, who was subsequently appointed interior minister. Kongsak would proceed to become one of the most heavily criticised Cabinet members because of what was perceived as his lacklustre performance.

Sondhi said that last month ACM Sukamphol Suwannathat, the new air force chief, went to meet Prommin Lertsuridej, the premier’s secretary-general, at Government House. He said Prommin wanted the RTAF to propose the Russian deal for government approval.

If the RTAF decided to purchase the 12 jet fighters from Russia, it would have to pay Bt35 billion. The commission fee for this deal could go up to 10 per cent, or Bt3.5 billion, Sondhi charged.

“I don’t know who this money went to. But it’s ugly,” he said. “Thai politics today is not difficult to read. There are only a few players and a few clans [running the show].”

Sondhi urged that the relevant agencies, such as the auditor-general, should examine the wealth of Kongsak, whom he alleged had just built a new house worth more than Bt10 million.

Keeping it no secret where his damning accusations originated, Sondhi said there was no stopping government officials fed up with the current administration’s endemic corruption from turning to him with exposes.

“Today, the dam has burst. Officials who are honest and those who have been bullied can no longer stand it. They are sending enough information to me to hold this [weekly] talk show for five years on end. Things keep coming,” he said, referring to his popular “Thailand Weekly” talk show at the park.

The media mogul vowed to continue exposing Thaksin, although the latter has withdrawn all lawsuits against him following HM the King’s birthday speech virtually reprimanding the prime minister for intolerance of criticism.

Although two weeks ago Sondhi urged 500,000 people to show up at the park, only about 80,000 came yesterday. Nevertheless, that was a sizeable increase from the estimated attendance of 50,000 people a fortnight ago.

Sondhi also took the occasion to vaguely apologise to the audience for whatever mistakes he may have committed in the past, a possible reference to his past four years of being a staunch cheerleader of PM Thaksin.

Sondhi famously said two years ago, in a statement that has now come back to haunt him as it is now being used to discredit him through leaflets, that Thaksin was “the best prime minister Thailand ever had”.

“I’m no longer Mr Sondhi of old,” he explained yesterday. “If I committed some wrong in the past I would like to apologise. Today, I can no longer return to become Mr Sondhi of old. People said life is of no essence unless one can contribute to the country, religion and monarchy. Then one can die in honour.”

Sondhi said he would continue with his weekly talk show until there was a regime that would put an end to rampant corruption and embark on constitutional reform.

The crowd, mostly urban educated middle-class people but also people from nearby provinces, appeared genuinely displeased with Thaksin. The weekly talk appears to have generated a considerable momentum of its own by now.

In a related development, the Royal Thai Air Force yesterday informed Defence Minister Thamarak Isarangura of its decision to favour the Russian-built Su-30 jet fighter over the JAS-39 from Sweden and the F-16 of the United States, according to a source.

RTAF representatives reported to the minister on a joint decision by the Air Force’s two committees responsible for selecting fighter aircraft. They made the report as part of Thamarak’s meeting with armed forces’ representatives to discuss budget plans for the military.

The source said the Su-30 was favoured by certain high-ranking officers in the Air Force.

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation

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