NGO FUNDING ROW: Groups accused of inciting poor
Home » Publications » International newspapers and newswires » Asian newspapers » The Nation (Thailand) » May 2003 »
Recently viewed: Article: Briton faces orphan trafficking and sex charges.
Save
Export
Cite
NGO FUNDING ROW: Groups accused of inciting poor, NATION
The Nation (Thailand)
The Nation (Thailand)
May 12, 2003
Permalink
The Nation (Thailand)
05-12-2003
A senatorial committee yesterday alleged that some non-governmental organisations
incited the poor to rally against the government so they (NGOs) could attract
foreign funds.
The allegations were made by Chanthaburi Senator Wicha Siritham,
chairman of the special Senate committee studying the purposes and actions
of NGOs.
The Senate set up Wicha's committee a year ago following government
allegations that some NGOs were paid by foreign agencies to move against
the government.
Wicha said that his panel had gathered information from senators who
used to be NGO officials and from then-PM's Office minister Pongthep Thepkanchana,
as well as from the Anti-Money Laundering Office, the Labour Ministry and
the Special Branch Police.
In a report released to the media, Wicha said NGO officials disguised
themselves as democracy activists, environmentalists and human-rights activists
when their real motive was to seek financial support from foreign NGOs
in various countries.
The report said that some Thai NGO officials lived comfortably and
made use of the plight of the poor for their own interests.
Wicha said that there were records of transactions between foreign
agencies and the bank accounts of Thai NGO leaders.
For example, the German-based Terre Des Hommes, which has a regional
branch in Thailand, transferred money to the accounts of leaders of the
Mool River Protection Group, Wicha said.
He said there were also records of payments from the Southeast Asian
Committee of Advocacy (SEACA) to the Campaign for Popular Democracy (CPD).
He said the CPD promised SEACA that it would organise rallies or the poor
with the money.
Wicha also said that the Assembly of the Poor, which led the poor to
move against the Pak Mool Dam, received financial support form the World
Commission on Dams and the International River Network.
He said evidence showed that a foundation in Germany had given Thai
NGOs Bt89.35 million from 1997 to 2002, and Terre Des Hommes Bt74.89 million
over the same period. He said another agency, called Novib, paid Bt54 million
a year to Thai NGOs.
CPD secretary-general Suriyasai Katasila said yesterday that there was
nothing wrong in his group receiving foreign funds. He said the group always
reported the financial aid it received to the government.
He said the CPD had not covered up its activities or acted with
malicious intent to topple to the government.
"If Wicha sees that the CPD is undertaking illegal activities, he can
ask the police to arrest us," Suriyasai said.
Wanida Tantiwitthayapitak, an adviser to the Assembly of the Poor,
said Wicha was prejudiced against NGOs, so he came up with the report to
try to discredit them.
Wanida said that her group received very little money from foreign
agencies, and it was used for the monthly salaries of advisers of the Assembly
of the Poor.