Fire at tambon administration office in Pattani suspected to be inside job to cover up corruption
Pattani tambon office fire may be inside job to destroy corruption evidence in canal project probe, say anti-graft officials.
Anti-corruption officials suspect that an arson attack on the office of a tambon administrative organisation in Pattani’s Sai Buri district last week may have been an inside job aimed at halting a corruption investigation.
On Wednesday night, a fire engulfed the office building of the Paen Tambon Administrative Organisation (TAO), destroying office equipment, official documents, and vehicles. The blaze swept through the entire building.
An official from the Pattani office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) said the fire may have been deliberately set to destroy evidence related to corruption, and not the work of southern insurgents.
The official said the Paen TAO was under investigation by both the NACC and the Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) over a 6.8-million-baht canal dredging project.
Although the project was declared completed and the budget fully paid to the contractor, both agencies suspect irregularities in the process.
Police and military launch parallel investigations
Pol Col Thirapoj Yindee, commander of the Sai Buri police station, said the motive for the arson had not yet been determined. Investigators are awaiting lab test results on spent M16 ammunition shells found at the scene to help identify the perpetrators.
Lt Gen Phaisal Noonsang, commander of the Fourth Army Area, confirmed that military officials were also investigating the case.
A source from a military intelligence agency said it was possible that someone hired insurgents to set the fire in order to destroy evidence and make the incident appear to be linked to insurgency.
The source added that in several past cases, powerful groups had hired insurgents to carry out attacks as a smokescreen. Arrested insurgents reportedly confessed that they had been hired to stage such attacks.
