TOT chairman Saprang Kalayanamitr yesterday defended the sacking of Vuthipong Priebjrivat as acting president, saying that it was not out of hurt feelings over the controversial purchase of electronic equipment for the Army and that he must have a hidden agenda in exposing the deal.

Vuthipong was ousted because of his show of disrespect towards Information and Communication Technology Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom during a visit to TOT staff in the South, General Saprang said.

"Khun Sitthichai was very upset with this and I launched an urgent investigation into it. Vuthipong also admitted saying it," he said.

Thai culture demands younger people to be polite to their seniors, he said. If this griping was unintentional, Vuthipong needed to apologise and show spirit by tendering his resignation. However, Vuthipong declined to give in and the TOT board resolved to have him quit. But when Vuthipong heard about the board's decision, he asked the board to fire him.

Vuthipong said the board dumped him because of his opposition to the Army's secret request to have TOT finance an electronic device worth Bt800 million.

In an interview with TITV, Bannavit Kengrien, an adviser to Saprang, also said the purchase was not the issue and that Vuthipong insisted on a "one-man" show, not teamwork.

"The purchase deal is a trivial matter which is not the reason for the board's decision to dismiss him," he told the TV station.

In the interview yesterday following TOT's decision to dispose of Vuthipong and the man who exposed the Army's secret request, Saprang insisted that the telecom equipment purchase was not a problem. He said that it was natural for financially able state enterprises to set aside a budget for political, national-security and social projects. This is normal and the board approved the Army's request. State enterprises are mandated to take care of infrastructure, but some infrastructure is meant for national security. This was not an order.

"That he said he was forced out because of this request is not the point. He probably wants something. In any conflict, one should not expose an institution or national security. That is bad and that person should have no place in society," he said.

Sitthichai said there was no longer any conflict between him and Vuthipong. "I have cleared the misunderstanding. I am not a man of vengeance."

He said there could have been other agencies that approved a deal like this but he could not say more. The Army is procuring the electronic device but its request for help could have come because it had limited cash.

"This problem should end here as there's no secret behind it," he said, adding that personally he thinks state enterprises should provide support to other agencies if it is a matter of national security and if the move is in line with the law.

The termination of Vuthipong is subject to the Finance Ministry's final approval, under the Corporation Act. As the 100-per-cent owner, the ministry would see if the action taken against Vuthipong was for a proper reason.

"We are looking into details of this," said Suparut Kawatkul, permanent secretary of the ministry.

Saprang said the Army had not asked for financial support, but equipment support. He did not say if the value of the equipment reached Bt800 million as Vuthipong claimed.

A TOT source said the telecom enterprise sets aside a certain fund for social projects, however it does not exceed Bt100 million a year. This year it has already spent Bt66 million on social causes.

"If the donation exceeds Bt500,000, the state enterprise must seek board approval," the source said.

TOT has already contributed Bt5 million to a social project of the Council for National Security (CNS), the source added.

Industry observers questioned if there were similar requests by the Armed Forces of state enterprises, on whose boards the top brass from the CNS sit as chairman or director.

A source at Thailand Post Co, which is under the ICT Ministry, said no such requests from the Armed Forces have been submitted to the state agency.