BANGKOK, 28 February 2014 The Center for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO) has refuted allegations that it used as much as 10 billion baht in budget over the 33 days since the agency’s establishment. CMPO committee member Tharit Phengdit spoke to reporters about the claim by a Democrat Party spokesman, saying that it was untrue. He explained that the Cabinet had only just approved a budget for the CMPO’s expenses, and this budget also needs to be approved by the Election Commission. He asserted the CMPO had been carefully spending money on expenses that included per diem allowances and food expenses of the policemen and soldiers on duty under the CMPO’s guidance, and that all expenditures were in accordance with state protocols.
Mr. Tharit remarked that the CMPO had established joint patrol teams to help maintain order at rally sites and prevent mishaps, after People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban recently agreed to allow the officials to enter rally premises. He added that despite the limitations imposed upon the CMPO by the Civil Court, the policemen and soldiers have been carrying out their duties in full.
