CNS defends pay rises
The junta yesterday defended itself over controversial pay rises awarded to staff, saying the money was coming from its own coffers.
Council for National Security spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd told a news conference yesterday that 128 staff had received the pay hike. The council had sought Cabinet approval for 423 pay increases. The rises will cost the council almost Bt270,000 of its Bt1.2-billion annual budget. Sansern said some military officials had been transferred from former units to the council secretariat. They would receive rises of between 15 per cent to 30 per cent. Junta chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin yesterday said eight members including himself were excluded from the rises. "None of us gets extra pay," he said. Sansern compared the council budget with the value of tax not paid by two of Thaksin Shinawatra's children after they sold shares in their family company Shin Corp. "The council's budget is one tenth of the tax not paid by the Thaksin children. "The pay rise is a benefit to the country but money corruptly earned by members of the last government was for themselves. The people must consider this carefully before complaining," Sansern said. The Cabinet approved the salary rises on Tuesday which was sought by the council in March. The Nation
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