泰国王储：淡马锡“皇家顾问”与我无关
Temasek suffers Thai upset over royal aide
Temasek Holdings, the Singapore state investment company, has suffered an embarrassing setback in Thailand after a former royal aide it hired as a corporate advisor was disowned by the Thai crown prince.
The company recently hired Tongnoi Tongyai, who was described as a royal counsellor to Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, to help head its new Bangkok office.
But Mr Tongnoi’s appointment was abruptly cancelled by Temasek last week. In a blistering statement at the weekend, the crown prince’s office said Mr Tongnoi had allegedly misrepresented his credentials to Temasek “to establish influence for his own business benefit”.
Temasek is under investigation by local authorities over its $3.8bn takeover this year of Shin Corp, the Thai telecoms and media group, for allegedly breaching foreign ownership limits in strategic industries.
The statement was triggered by speculation that Mr Tongnoi might have been hired to cultivate ties with the crown prince, the most powerful figure in Thailand after his father, the king.
Mr Tongnoi’s “acts have caused misunderstanding among the public and caused damage to the HRH Crown Prince’s personal office,” it said. “The office thus decided to explain and announce these facts to the public.”
Mr Tongnoi’s claims of being an advisor to the crown prince “have caused damage not only to the country but also instability for international investment in Thailand”, the crown prince’s office added, saying his duties had been “translating and drafting English documents and occasionally writing letters”.
Temasek did not respond to a request for comment. Mr Tongnoi could not be reached for comment.
Temasek has been criticised for underestimating the political effect of its purchase of Shin Corp from the family of Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Thai prime minister, in January. The deal sparked protests against Mr Thaksin and led to his overthrow in a military coup in September.
Surayud Chulanont, Thailand’s interim prime minister, pointedly skipped Singapore during a recent tour of south-east Asia.
The episode could increase pressure on Temasek to halve its estimated 96 per cent stake in Shin Corp to avoid threatened legal action by Thai authorities.
Analysts in Bangkok say Temasek has been trying to gauge the political climate in Thailand. Shin Corp’s share price has fallen 31 per cent since the deal was concluded.
“This is now very political. Does the government really want to upset Singapore? There are many ways of slicing this and I think they are all being explored right now,” said Andrew Yates, head of institutional sales at Merchant Partners in Bangkok.
泰国王储：淡马锡“皇家顾问”与我无关
新加坡政府投资公司――淡马锡控股(Temasek Holdings)在泰国遭受了令人尴尬的挫折，因为泰国王储否认，被淡马锡聘为公司顾问的前皇室助手与其有任何关联。
淡马锡最近聘用了Tongnoi Tongyai协助领导其新成立的曼谷分公司。Tongnoi被描述为哇集拉隆功王储(Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn)的皇家顾问。
但淡马锡上周突然取消了该项任命。哇集拉隆功王储办公室周末发表了一份言辞激烈的声明，称Tongnoi涉嫌向淡马锡陈述不实资历，“以建立影响力，牟取个人商业利益”。
淡马锡今年以38亿美元收购了泰国电信及传媒集团臣那越集团(Shin Corp)，但因该交易涉嫌违反外资在泰国战略产业的持股比例上限，淡马锡目前正接受泰国政府调查。
