Asset disclosures by members of Thailand's military-dominated post-coup Cabinet reveal they are quite well-off, a trait shared with the civilian politicians they accused of corruption.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission today released the asset declarations of the 33 Cabinet ministers, 25 of whom are millionaires in dollar terms.
Allegations of corruption and inappropriately gained wealth have played a major role in the country's fractious politics in the last decade. The current government has made fighting corruption a priority, though its critics believe the policy is being wielded mainly as a weapon against its political rivals, particularly those connected to the elected government it ousted.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who as army commander led a May coup d'etat, listed USD 3.9 million in assets and USD 20,000 in liabilities. Under the disclosure laws, assets belonging to spouses and children under 21 must be included. He also reported the transfer of USD 14.3 million to other family members.
Before his retirement at the end of September, the general received USD 43,000 annual salary as army chief. His assets include a Mercedes Benz S600L car, a BMW 740Li Series sedan, luxury watches, rings and several pistols.
The richest Cabinet minister is Deputy Prime Minister Pridiyathorn Devekula with USD 42.3 million of declared assets, mostly stocks, other financial investments and land. He also holds lifetime memberships in five golf clubs. The former Bank of Thailand governor does not have any debts.
Pridiyathorn's fortune is dwarfed by that of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who listed more than USD 3 billion in assets during his 2001-2006 governments.
Thaksin, whose fortune was based on telecommunications but diversified into other sectors, was ousted in an earlier military coup after being accused of corruption. He claimed he was the victim of a political vendetta organized by the country's traditional ruling class who were upset at the political power he accumulated at the polls. He was convicted on a conflict of interest charge in 2008 but fled the country to escape jail.
