ID :
154607
Fri, 12/24/2010 - 14:40
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http://m.oananews.org//node/154607
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Thai Premier Abhisit, Finance Minister Korn cleared from SMS case charges
BANGKOK, Dec 24 (TNA) - Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has cleared Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij from charges of wrongfully requesting three local mobile phone firms to send out mass text messages under their "short messaging service" (SMS) to 17.2 million users free of charge when they first took office in 2008.
NACC Secretary-General Apinan Issarangura Na Ayuthaya said his anti-graft agency resolved at its meeting on Thursday to dismiss the case against both Abhisit and Korn on grounds that the three mobile phone operators, including AIS, DTAC and True Move, cooperated with the government's request voluntarily for public benefit; so, NACC did not consider the move was malfeasance.
NACC also resolved that replies of the text message were done by mobile users voluntarily and the operators had paid income tax from the replied SMS in accordance with the law; so, the three mobile phone companies did not made any gains from the service. If found guilty by the charges, filed by opposition Puea Thai Party leader Chalerm Yoobamrung and 158 opposition MPs, both the Thai prime minister and finance minister would be removed from office for violating Article 103 of the NACC Act.
Abhisit and Korn introduced the move to communicate with the Thai public before the official appointment of Abhisit as the new Thai prime minister on December 17, 2008 in a royal command endorsed by His Majesty King Bhumibo Adublyadej.
The SMS was launched after the government came to power and the message was screened and approved by Abhisit and Korn themselves. In the message, Abhisit asked the public to help him solve the country's crisis. Interested mobile phone users were asked to send back their postal codes. Each reply generated a 3-baht revenue for the three mobile phone operators. NACC also decided to drop another case in which Abhisit was accused of abusing his power by appointing Kasit Piromya the new foreign minister although Kasit was allegedly involved in seizure of Thailand's main Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang Airports by the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in 2008, reasoning a lack of solid evidence. (TNA)
NACC Secretary-General Apinan Issarangura Na Ayuthaya said his anti-graft agency resolved at its meeting on Thursday to dismiss the case against both Abhisit and Korn on grounds that the three mobile phone operators, including AIS, DTAC and True Move, cooperated with the government's request voluntarily for public benefit; so, NACC did not consider the move was malfeasance.
NACC also resolved that replies of the text message were done by mobile users voluntarily and the operators had paid income tax from the replied SMS in accordance with the law; so, the three mobile phone companies did not made any gains from the service. If found guilty by the charges, filed by opposition Puea Thai Party leader Chalerm Yoobamrung and 158 opposition MPs, both the Thai prime minister and finance minister would be removed from office for violating Article 103 of the NACC Act.
Abhisit and Korn introduced the move to communicate with the Thai public before the official appointment of Abhisit as the new Thai prime minister on December 17, 2008 in a royal command endorsed by His Majesty King Bhumibo Adublyadej.
The SMS was launched after the government came to power and the message was screened and approved by Abhisit and Korn themselves. In the message, Abhisit asked the public to help him solve the country's crisis. Interested mobile phone users were asked to send back their postal codes. Each reply generated a 3-baht revenue for the three mobile phone operators. NACC also decided to drop another case in which Abhisit was accused of abusing his power by appointing Kasit Piromya the new foreign minister although Kasit was allegedly involved in seizure of Thailand's main Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang Airports by the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in 2008, reasoning a lack of solid evidence. (TNA)
