by PIYANART SRIVALO
A senior Royal Forestry Department
official's plan to donate Bt5 million,
which he claimed had been offered to
him as a bribe, to the Thai-help-Thai
fund has sparked a criminal
investigation into the matter.
Prawat Thanatkha, a deputy RFD
director-general, denied that he
attempted to hold a press conference
in the presence of Prime Minister
Chuan Leekpai in an effort to gain
publicity and let ''whoever'' tried to
bribe him know that he did not want
the money.
Prawat arrived at Government House
yesterday afternoon with a box
containing the money and two Army
officers and a senior civilian official
who are all close to Chuan.
Maj Gen Kittisak Ratprasert, one of
the two officers, then asked
Government House officials to
arrange a press conference at a main
stairway and told waiting reporters:
''The prime minister will have big
news for you.''
Chuan was then informed about the
money by the official who
accompanied Prawat, but the prime
minister turned down the donation
offer. The prime minister also
suggested that Prawat lodge a
complaint with the police about the
claimed bribery.
Chuan then instructed the four to
meet him in his office in Thai Khoo Fa
Building. The four appeared anxious
after the meeting and called off the
press conference.
The prime minister then assigned
Central Investigation Bureau
Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Seri
Temiyavej to look into the matter.
Seri said Chuan wanted to know
whose money it was.
After speaking to Chuan, a
worried-looking Prawat said he did
not know who left the box of money in
front of his house, but that it might
belong to logging operators who
wanted him to do something for them
in return.
Prawat said the press should draw
the right conclusions and declined to
say whether the money had anything
to do with the Salween logging
scandal.