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Published on September 22, 2007

These range from concession revisions and the 3G project to amending the frequency-allocation law.

The minister officially announced his resignation yesterday, after the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) found that he and two other Cabinet members hold stakes in companies in excess of the 5 per cent allowed under the graft law of 2000. The NCCC said these holdings were not illegal but were inappropriate. Sitthichai will leave the post officially on October 1.

Sitthichai added that he wanted to leave the Cabinet gracefully and set a new standard in Thai politics.

Sitthichai informed Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont about his decision to resign before the premier went to New York but the premier told him he would talk again with Sitthichai on the matter when he returns from New York.

"I took only 20 seconds to make the resignation decision and I called my wife to inform her about it," Sitthichai said.

Sitthichai owns 16.17 per cent in International Science and Technology, which runs Mahanakorn University of Technology, 31.33 per cent in Thai Space Industries and 31.36 per cent in Technological Research and Development.

When asked how he graded his performance in the past 11 months he said he gave himself a C grade as a politician but A as a researcher.

He added that he declared his assets to the NCCC after taking office and the mistake stemmed from his limited knowledge of the law, not from an intention to conceal his assets.

Sitthichai hopes the new minister will carry on with his unfinished tasks, including the process of making the four major mobile-phone concessions comply with the 1992 Public-Private Joint Venture Act.

The Council of State ruled in May that past concession amendments of four major mobile-phone operators did not comply with the Act, given that the revisions were not submitted for Cabinet approval.

Among these concessions include those of Advanced Info Service, Total Access Communication, Digital Phone and True Move.

The panels of both TOT and CAT Telecom, which are under the ICT minister's umbrella, have recently started negotiating with the four mobile-phone concessionaires to bring their past concession amendments in line with the Act.

The second unfinished task is the ministry's attempt to get TOT's project to roll out a 3G broadband wireless network nationwide up and running. TOT is seeking foreign government partners to help invest in the planned network, which will cost around Bt17 billion. A source at TOT said the state agency hopes the new minister would want to continue this project.

Sitthichai said he had already appointed a committee to adjust the amended draft of the frequency-allocation law. The draft mandates the establishment of a new and single national broadcasting and telecommunications regulator. The minister has to revise the draft and propose it for Cabinet consideration.

The ministry is also waiting for the Council of State to rule if Shin Satellite breaches any of its concession contract terms.

Sitthichai said among his outstanding achievements was his push for the reduction of the telecom excise to zero to protect the national interest. The government of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra imposed a telecom excise of 2 per cent and 11 per cent on the state and private fixed-line and cellular operators respectively in 2003.

They were allowed to pay the excise out of their total concession fee to the Excise Department first and share the remaining concession fee with TOT or CAT. Earlier they had paid the full concession fees to either of the two state agencies. The Surayud Cabinet approved the reduction of the telecom excise rate early this year.

Sitthichai said he was proud of promoting transparency in the state telecom agencies' equipment-procurement process. However, TOT is in talks with China's telecom equipment vendor ZTE to procure its broadband network without bidding.

"I did not say that the state agencies cannot procure equipment without bidding. They can do so as long as the process is transparent," Sitthichai said.

Telecom Reporters

 The Nation