"Chaiyachana" urges the Prime Minister, the Comptroller General's Department, and the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate a nearly 60 million baht street lighting project covering seven routes by the Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Administrative Organization. Although the engineering division issued formal objections, the project continued, raising concerns about lack of transparency.
On 3 Sep 2026 GMT+7 at the Parliament, Mr. Chaiyachana Dechdecho, a party-list MP from the Democrat Party, spoke about the street lighting project in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, calling it a matter of concern. He revealed that a deputy chief of the Provincial Administrative Organization (PAO), acting as the interim chief, issued an order to proceed with installing street lighting on seven routes, specifying the use of innovative lamp fixtures. Subsequently, the engineering director responded in writing that these innovative lamps were not an urgent project and recommended reallocating the budget to other projects, warning of potential corruption risks. However, the deputy chief replied that failure to proceed would result in disciplinary action. The project involves lamps priced at 73,000 baht each from a particular company. Mr. Chaiyachana pledged to investigate and provide information to the parliamentary anti-corruption committee to trace the company’s financial links to PAO executives.
Mr. Chaiyachana further called on the Comptroller General's Department and the Prime Minister to investigate whether the procurement of the seven street lighting projects, totaling nearly 60 million baht by Nakhon Si Thammarat PAO, complied with the department’s procurement regulations. He requested an inquiry into possible corruption, noting that while civil servants cautioned against the project, the deputy chief threatened disciplinary action if it was not carried out. He viewed this as an abuse of authority over subordinates. Since the project is currently in the procurement phase, he urged the Comptroller General's Department to verify its compliance. As the supervisory authority over local administrative organizations, the Prime Minister should direct relevant agencies to investigate, including the National Anti-Corruption Commission. He added that this approach was even more problematic than simply reducing specifications, as it explicitly dictated what equipment and brand to use.