Published on October 18, 2005

A Samut Prakan senator claimed during an Upper House session yesterday that he had received threats to his life and family business after scrutinising irregularities in the Klong Dan wastewater treatment project.

Charoon Youngprapakorn, who sits on a Senate panel probing alleged corruption in the project by local and national politicians, said two officials of the Pollution Control Department (PCD) recently went into his family business, the Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm.

They claimed the right to inspect the farm and its licence though they had no authority to do so, he said.

“Apart from the two officials’ illegal action, someone has threatened to kill me,” Charoon said. “I’m lucky to have some good, powerful figures trying to help me, otherwise I wouldn’t be alive today.”

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Yongyuth Tiyapairat said he would check whether any officials of the department, which is under his ministry, had acted as claimed and, if so, they would be punished.

Yongyuth dismissed a charge that the Pollution Control Department was not cooperating with the State Council by failing to submit requested documents or other evidence, which could be seen as an attempt to protect some politicians working for the government.

He said the probe into the Klong Dan project was slow because several departments were involved. But he insisted the probe would be completed by the two-year deadline, after which the National Counter Corruption Commission would be given the ministry’s findings and decide on action against any culprits.

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