US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK4367

UNCLAS BANGKOK 004367 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, TH 
SUBJECT: THAILAND: PARLIAMENT AMENDS CONSTITUTION; CRIMINAL 
INVESTIGATION OF BAGGAGE SCANNER DEAL LAUNCHED 
 
REF: A. BANGKOK 3635 
 
     B. BANGKOK 4238 
 
 1. (U) SUMMARY: The Thai Parliament approved a 
constitutional amendment revising the method for selecting 
the nation's National Counter Corruption Commission, the 
nation's chief independent corruption monitor.  Based on 
petitions filed by members of the opposition Democrat Party, 
the Office of the Attorney General opened an official 
criminal probe into a controversial baggage scanner deal that 
was the focus of an unsuccessful censure motion against the 
Minister of Transportation last week.  Opinion polls show a 
modest drop in public confidence in the Thai economy and the 
ruling government's job rating.  END SUMMARY. 
 
CORRUPTION COMMISSION SELECTION PROCESS CHANGED 
 
2. (U) On July 1, a joint session of Thailand's Parliament, 
which consists of the 500 seat House of Representatives and 
the 200-seat Senate, voted to amend the constitution by a 
vote of 484 to 156 with 23 abstentions (35 members were 
absent and there are 2 vacancies).  Passed on its third 
reading, the bill amends Article 297 by changing the 
membership of the selection committee formed to select 
members of the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC), 
one of 5 independent organizations established by the 1997 
constitution.  The current 9 members of the NCCC were forced 
to resign in May after the Supreme Court for Political 
Persons found them guilty of malfeasance for raising their 
pay allowances (Reftel A).  The original Article 297 
stipulated that members of 5 political parties, 4 of which 
now exist, could be chosen to the selection panel.  The 
amendment changes that to one representative each of the 
ruling government and one from the opposition side, without 
stipulating the party names.  Other panel members include: 
the presidents (or Chief Justices) of the Administrative, 
Supreme and Constitutional courts, the Election Commission 
chairman, the Auditor General, the National Human Rights 
Commission chairman, one of the three official government 
Ombudsmen, and six university rectors. The amendment will be 
sent to King Bhumibol for his approval and then published in 
the Royal Gazette. 
 
3. (U) All of the opposition Members of the House of 
Representatives, both the Democrat Party (DP) and Chart Thai 
Party (CT), voted against the amendment, claiming that their 
own proposed constitutional amendment, which was blocked from 
discussion of the joint session in committee, eliminated 
political party representatives from the selection committee. 
 
CTX SCANNER CONTROVERSY NOT OVER 
 
4. (U) Meanwhile, the Office of the Attorney General (AG) 
announced the formation of a panel to oversee the criminal 
investigation of the controversial baggage scanner deal at 
Bangkok's new international airport.  The OAG has assigned 
the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) of the Royal Thai Police 
(RTP) with looking into allegations that bribes were paid by 
a Thai contractors, hired by the US company InVision, to 
secure a deal to sell scanners for baggage at the as yet 
unopened airport in the eastern suburbs of Bangkok. The 
investigation is based on complaints filed by DP Members of 
Parliament.  The commander of the RTP's Central Investigation 
Bureau, which works with the CSD, stated to the media last 
week that he would assign  30 officers to the case. 
 
 
PUBLIC CONFIDENCE DROPS SLIGHTLY BUT THAI RAK THAI STILL 
POPULAR 
 
5. (U) Opinion polls released since the end of the 
unsuccessful censure debate against Transport Minister Suriya 
Jungrungreat (Reftel B), indicate public confidence in the 
economy dropped in June.  A Suan Dusit Ratchaphak Institute 
poll using 100 as a mean standard of confidence, polled 5,771 
people during the last week of June, and calculated an 89.97 
confidence rating, compared with 100.13 in May.  However, the 
government's overall performance rating dropped only 5.78 
points, from 108.67 to 102.89.  A separate poll showed that 
over 55% of respondents still favored the Thai Rak Thai party 
over the Democrats. 
 
BOYCE