Misuse of funds and resources factored heavily into more than 5,000 complaints filed to complaint centers operated by the military in the past two years, according to an official tally.
Though the vast majority of the 5,073 complaints cited hardships, 912 addressed alleged corrupt practices and misconduct on the part of officials, such as embezzling school funds or releasing polluted water on public land, according to government spokesman Sirichan Ngathong.
Col. Sirichan said complaints about malfeasance were forward to the National Anti-Corruption Commission, while other complaints were sent to the Prime Minister’s Office for dissemination to relevant agencies.
The complaint center, opened by the military two years ago to discourage people from airing their grievances on social media, has ceased to exist.
Sirichaclose said the complaint center was dissolved along with the junta, aka the National Council for Peace and Order. Sirichan said complaints can still be filed to other government agencies including the its Damrongtham Centers, the Public Service Center and the Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission.
Last week, junta leader and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha announced he would relinquish absolute power and disband his junta once his new cabinet was in place, as the constitution requires. However, more than 100 orders will remain in place, including extralegal powers granted to soldiers to search and arrest anyone for up to seven days for what is deemed a matter of national security.
Critics say Prayuth and the military have abused those powers to detain critics and dissidents. The spokesman did not detail how complaints regarding the ruling government would be treated after the complaint center closes and the rights to detain critics still remains in place.
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