Anutin Recalls Near-Kidnapping by Gangsters Over Bid-Rigging
Anutin Charnvirakul revealed he was nearly kidnapped by gangsters in his youth after opposing bid-rigging schemes. Speaking at an anti-corruption forum, he said he now uses his authority to eliminate such corrupt practices. He urged anyone facing similar pressures to report directly to him.
At 7:00 p.m. on October 1 at the Impact Exhibition and Convention Center in Muang Thong Thani, Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, delivered a special address at the Dinner Talk 'Zero Corruption: From Polity to Action.' Deputy Prime Minister Prakorn Nitpraphan, the Joint Standing Committee of Commerce, Industry and Banking, and relevant agencies attended.
He said that public procurement must be fair, with specifications that give no one an advantage or disadvantage, so that anyone in business knows the standards and those who win contracts will not face such abuses. He added that if anyone feels they are being set up, pressured, sabotaged, or manipulated, they should complain directly to him, because he enjoys reading about bullying and government procurement, having experienced it himself. 'Now that I am in this position, I must use the authority I hold to eliminate the things that Thais despise—and I despise them even more, having been a victim myself. I was almost abducted by gangsters, threatened, and needed three or four bodyguards wherever I went before I turned 30, after crossing those who could rig bids. I could not stay at home or sleep peacefully. Today, I will settle these scores.'
