Praween Chanklai, aka “Kamnan Nok, operates two construction firms, P. Phatanarungrod and P. Raweekanok, which have won contracts in 1,544 construction projects in 11 provinces combined. These contracts have been worth 7 billion baht since 2011, according to police investigation reports.
Praween, former head of Ta Kong sub-district in Mueang district of Nakhon Pathom province, is currently being held in police custody for the alleged murder of a highway police officer and wounding another at his house on September 6th, after one of the victims declined his request for the promotion of one of his men.
Several state agencies, among them the Department of Special Investigation, the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission, the Revenue Department and the Central Investigation Bureau are investigating Praween’s vast construction business, to determine whether the contracts with state and local agencies were won through price collusion or the intimidation of competitors.
The construction projects mostly concern road building and are individually worth between 30 million and 300 million baht. They include work on Highway 375 in the Don Toom district of Nakhon Pathom and Highway 346 in Lum Look Bua sub-district, also in Nakhon Pathom.
The 1,554 construction contracts awarded to Praween’s two companies since 2011 are (by location):
Nakhon Pathom, 1,498 projects
Bangkok, 3 projects
Kanchanaburi, 13 projects
Kamphaeng Phet, 1 project
Chachoengsao, 6 projects
Nonthaburi, 1 project
Prachuap Khiri Khan, 2 projects
Phetchaburi, 3 projects
Ratchaburi, 6 projects
Samut Sakhon, 4 projects
Suphan Buri, 7 projects
The contracts awarded to Praween’s companies Nakhon Pathom alone are estimated to be have been worth about 6.8 billion baht.
The state agencies engaged with Praween’s companies include the Provincial Administration Department, the Local Administration Department, the Highways Department, the Rural Roads Department, the Royal Thai Air Force, the Royal Thai Police and the Office of the Higher Education Commission.
