PROGRESSIVE Movement leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit posted on Facebook that the government’s reaction to his statement on Monday on Covid-19 vaccine transparency only increased his doubt that a royally owned company had received special treatment in the country’s vaccination plans.
On Monday, Thanathorn went on Facebook Live to slam the government for its tardiness in providing Covid-19 vaccines and also claimed the company – Siam Bioscience – tasked with manufacturing the vaccine locally, is owned by the monarch, leading to the Digital Economy and Society Ministry filing lese-majeste charges on Wednesday.
He wrote: I demand that the government unveil vaccine manufacturing and related contracts to prove transparency in the selection process, as follows:
> The manufacturing contract between AstraZeneca and Siam Bioscience that states the number of doses, manufacturing cost, selling price and other related details.
> The budget contract between the National Vaccine Institute and Siam Bioscience that states the total budget for vaccine manufacturing, detailed usage and other conditions. > Minutes of the National Vaccine Institute’s meetings on the conditions, qualifications and details of firms to be funded by the government to manufacture the vaccine.
“I doubt the transparency in the selection of the manufacturer, and the administration of the vaccine plan that seems to lack risk diversification, which will result in people receiving the vaccine late and with smaller coverage, ” he said. — The Nation/ANN
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