Lawmaker Exposes Budget Waste: Flashlights Priced at 5,600 Baht Each
A Prachathai party lawmaker exposed severe budget irregularities during parliamentary debate, including flashlights priced at 5,600 baht each without specifications and vague project allocations totaling tens of millions of baht. She called
At 3:40 p.m. on September 7, 2569, during parliamentary debate on the 2570 Budget Bill, Ratchanok Srinok, a Prachathai party MP, discussed the budget for the Office of the Prime Minister and its affiliated agencies. She proposed cutting the Office of the Budget's allocation by 10 percent, citing insufficient efficiency. All project budgets should include detailed price quotations, she argued, but a subcommittee found that some projects lacked specifications, brand information, and descriptions of items to be purchased—such as a climate-data project valued at tens of millions of baht with no details provided.
Ratchanok highlighted a particularly troubling case involving the Internal Security Operations Command. The organization requested flashlights at 5,600 baht per unit without any price quotation or brand specification. She also noted that some projects had price quotations from different companies but used the same project manager name and contact number, and that one project sought quotes from a dormant shell company with no financial records in recent years. Some government agencies, including the Ministry of Defence and the National Police Office, have submitted information via QR codes that are deleted after viewing, raising transparency concerns.
Ratchanok emphasized that the Office of the Budget must become a transparent and efficient institution to prevent corruption and support the subcommittee's work. She appealed to the new Budget Office director to reform the budgeting process and serve as an effective check on government spending.
