Bangkok governor suspended from duty

BANGKOK, August 25 (TNA) - Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra has been temporarily suspended from his duty pending an official probe on his alleged irregularities in the City Hall's projects. Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha has resorted to the Article 44 of the country's Provisional Constitution to issue the suspension order against the Bangkok governor until a further notice and the order is effective as of August 25 after it was published in the Royal Gazette. The Bangkok governor is now visiting South Korea to participate in activities to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Bangkok and Seoul as sisters' cities and he is scheduled to return home on August 28. MR Sukhumbhand has faced a wave of scandals, namely his alleged misspending of a Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) budget on a 39.5-million-baht decorative lighting tunnel outside the BMA headquarters during the New Year Festival 2016 and a purchase of 20 mini fire engines at the cost of 160 million baht. (TNA)