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Public Warehouse Organisation chief faces probe over missing tapioca

18 Sept 03:22 Key points summarised by AI

Thailand's National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is investigating the former acting director of the Public Warehouse Organisation (PWO) for alleged corruption involving 30,000 tonnes of missing tapioca.
The tapioca, purchased for over 210 million baht to aid farmers, was allegedly stolen from private warehouses, replaced with low-grade product, and then auctioned for only six million baht.
The former director is accused of changing regulations to allow warehouse owners to replace the stolen tapioca and dropping complaints against them, potentially leading to PWO losing court cases and paying storage fees.
This probe adds to an existing investigation against the same director concerning a 112 billion baht rubber glove procurement deal during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today 14:58 Key points summarised by AI

Thailand's government will launch the "Chainat-Pasak-Gulf" water diversion canal project in fiscal year 2027, a seven-year mega-infrastructure initiative.
This permanent structural solution aims to mitigate recurrent central plains flooding by diverting water from the Chao Phraya River directly into the Gulf of Thailand, significantly reducing flow to major cities like Ayutthaya and Bangkok.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul justifies the long-term investment as a means to reduce future damages and fiscal burdens, contrasting it with the 40-50 billion baht spent annually on short-term flood relief.
Concurrently, the Prime Minister instructed officials to expand drainage capacity into the Tha Chin River and swiftly remove water hyacinths to improve immediate flood management.