Actor and volunteer rescue worker Bin Bunluerit must ensure that flood relief cash donations he received from the public are not abused, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said on Monday.
Gen Prawit was responding to social media complaints that some community leaders were taking a cut from recipients eligible for relief funds raised by Bin. The donations are going to victims in flood-ravaged provinces, including worst-hit Ubon Ratchathani, in the Northeast.
The community leaders were reportedly entrusted by Bin to compile a list of residents to receive the cash donations.
A Facebook page called "Nok Krajok" (Sparrow) alleged that local leaders were collecting between 300 and 500 baht as a "paperwork fee" from flood victims who were entitled to receive 5,000 baht per head from the donations. Local officials were also adding names of residents unaffected by the floods to the donation recipient lists, the page claimed.
On Monday, Gen Prawit said demanding fees from victims was an act of corruption, adding that Bin had a duty to ensure the donations were not tainted by graft.
Meanwhile, Bin admitted that relief funds had been abused, describing the actions as "deplorable" .
He said victims had willingly paid the "paperwork fee" because they were afraid that local leaders would not include them among the recipients. He said he knew the culprits' names and was taking legal action against them.
The actor has said that donations he has collected -- which have exceeded 400 million baht -- can reach flood victims more quickly because they are not controlled by the state.
