NAN COMMUNITIES SEEKING OTHER INVESTMENT OPTIONS

       Fearing possible corruption within new community development projects, local communities in Nan municipality are seeking to invest in schemes other than those involving solar-powered water vending machines.
       The other projects include solar-powered streetlights and the production of bio-fertilisers, mayor Suraphol Thiansoot said. He also said several businessmen had earlier tried to convince villagers into buying water-vending machines or investing in projects that did not serve their needs.
       Suraphol said he had helped "educate" villagers about the so-called "Self-Sufficiency Community" project and explained loopholes that would protect them from subsequent "civil and criminal penalties" if they agreed to implement projects that were mired in corruption.
       Chairat Srisuk, head of a community fund in the municipality, said villagers had decided to go for other projects after news emerged about the controversy.
       "Now they can use the Bt250,000 allocated for projects other than the water-vending machines," he added.
       One of the projects being considered is purchasing cheaper versions of water-vending machines, that go for as little as Bt178,900 each, or going into the production of bio-fertiliser, which costs Bt200,000, he said.
       Anchalee Wanichthepphabutr, a secretary to Deputy Prime Minister Korbsak Sabhavasu who oversees the sufficiency project, said all deals related to solar power would soon be officially scrapped. In addition, a median price of 20 different types of water-vending machines will be worked out and later sent to communities as a reference so they do not get talked into buying overpriced technology.
       Complaints related to the project can be filed at the hotline numbers: (02) 629 8444 and (02) 629 8555.
       Of the 66,000 communities nationwide, 170 of them are allowed to reconsider whether they still want to obtain solar-powered vending machines. Anchalee said projects that are allegedly mired in corruption would be further investigated, while schemes without any signs of graft would be implemented.