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Published on February 23, 2008

Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin's advisers want him to urgently look into accusations of sexual misbehaviour and corruption against a high-ranking Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) official.

Apirak already knows the identity of the official in question because he received a letter detailing the case from women's rights advocates last month, adviser Dr Pensri Pichaisanith said yesterday.

How the case is dealt with depends on Apirak, she said.

However, she would like Apirak to set up a panel that would be responsible for gender equality in the BMA or appoint a chief gender equality officer (CGEO) as many government departments have already done.

She said she believed having a CGEO would bring about justice and stop such scandals from occurring again.

The official in this case is accused of having sexual relationships with six female subordinates and of corruption. It was also reported that the affairs were part of a wider pattern of corruption.

Women's rights groups received complaints about the official from BMA staff last month.

"People have known about the issue even before Apirak took over as governor. The reason previous governors did not deal with it was probably because they did not consider it an urgent matter. However, women's advocacy groups have initiated steps to tackle the scandal and BMA executives should rush to examine the case," Pensri added.

Apirak's chief adviser, Nipon Boonyapattaro, said he would tell the governor to look into the matter immediately because it affected the BMA's image.

He said it did not matter if the official held a senior position, he should still be punished for any sexual misbehaviour and corruption.

Nipon called on other BMA staff who feel they were treated unfairly by this official to file a complaint with the Administrative Court.

The Nation