STREET WISE : Throwing out the wrong man ?

STREET WISE : Throwing out the wrong man ?

Both before and since its opening, Suvarnabhumi Airport has been plagued with rumours - nearly all of them negative.

This week, it is the turn of Somchai Sawasdeepon, senior executive vice president of Airports of Thailand (AOT) and Suvarnabhumi's director.

Somchai is the subject of a rumour that he will be kicked out as director because of the many mishaps at the airport.

True or not, this followed a recent allegation against Somchai and two other persons who are implicated in a possible corruption deal concerning the CTX 9000 bomb scanners. Implicated with Somchai are former transport minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit and former AOT chairman Srisook Chandrangsu.

Somchai could not be reached for comment.

But insiders provided us with some shocking information. They confirmed the rumour that Somchai would be dismissed, but said this was not substantiated by his performance. Rather, it is the poor performance of AOT president Chotisak Asapaviriya that is behind the move.

The insiders said that it was very likely that Chotisak, who is on probation and whose performance is to be reviewed by a new board of directors under the guidance of new chairman General Saprang Kalayanamitr, had sparked the move in order to divert attention from himself.

They confirmed this was very likely given that Somchai has experienced no discord with Saprang, a key figure in the Council for National Security (CNS) and the man who has vowed to clean up the mess at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

"He is very unlikely to dismiss him when he is the person who knows best about what has been going on at the airport, including all those scandals," an insider said.

He certainly should know his stuff, for Somchai has been involved with the construction of the airport for years. And he was at the centre when many scandals broke out, including the CTX scam. Ahead of the airport opening, he was the one who said that with the CTX bomb scanners, Suvarnabhumi Airport would be the world's safest airport.

Whatever, he is a precious asset of the CNS, if the council really wants a witness for its attacks against influential figures during the Thaksin era who are charged with damaging the country.

Indeed, Somchai might not be worried if he really is to lose his job.

He once told a senior editor of The Nation that if he resigned, he was ready to write a book about the all bad things at the airport. In fact, he said, he could write several books.

Certainly, that should earn him a lot of money. And among the avid buyers would members of the CNS.

achara_d@nationgroup.com

The Nation
Thursday January 11, 2007