PM announces 20 year plan to take action against corruption

[reader]

From The Thaiger

Action against corruption in Thailand is now a “national agenda” and a 20-year plan, backed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, is set to be rolled out to promote transparency in the Thai government, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced today.

On a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 being “highly corrupt” and 100 being “very clean,” Thailand’s score is 36, according to the Corruption Perceptions Index by the global coalition Transparency International.

Each year, the organisation ranks countries by their levels of public sector corruption. Out of 180 countries, Thailand ranks 104. South Sudan and Somalia both ranked last as the most corrupt countries.

Prayut mentioned the Thailand’s ranking on the Index during a broadcast today, adding that the Thai government is working on solving the problem of corruption in the public sector.

To help with plans to improve transparency, government agencies in Thailand are told to complete a self-assessment by Integrity and Transparency Assessment. The results will be used to improve the management of government agencies.

“I’d like to encourage all Thai citizens in government offices in every department nationwide to take part in improving Thailand’s transparency to meet international standards by jointly completing the transparency assessment online via NACC website or ITAS application from now until May 31, 2021.”

https://thethaiger.com/news/national/pm-prayut-chan-o-cha-announces-20-year-plan-to-take-action-against-corruption

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, reader said:

Action against corruption in Thailand is now a “national agenda”

 shock for me , I thought it always was

[spoon]

At 67 years old now, 20 years mightve been his planned retirement age?

[anddy]

2 hours ago, vinapu said:

 shock for me , I thought it always was

you're confusing that with the "action for corruption" which has indeed always been on the agenda

[anddy]

4 hours ago, reader said:

backed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission

one of the most toothless tigers in the country.... just an extension of the army and their cronies

4 hours ago, reader said:

government agencies in Thailand are told to complete a self-assessment

  

[Guest]

I imagine transparency assessments will only work if people filling them out are transparent & honest.    

Now, are the BIB really going to start listing all the bribes they receive on the transparency assessment ?

Then if the people enforcing the law take bribes, all is lost, as who is actually going to investigate and prosecute bribery in other areas ?

 

 

 

[reader]

From Bangkok Post

Key tourism scam suspect turns self in

A key suspect in an investment scam which included a well-known tourism project turned himself in to police on Monday to face charges of defrauding the public of about 1 billion baht.

Well-known businessman Prasit Jeawkok, chairman of the Kuen Khun Pandin ("Paying Back the Land") project, showed up at the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) with his lawyer to answer charges of colluding with five others to swindle the public.

Four of them -- Major Amaraphon Wisetsuk, who is an army doctor and chairwoman of the Tiew Puea Chart (Travel for the Nation) project, Nuttawan Uttamaprakrom, Sirima Naovarat, and Kittiwat Oum-aree -- had already been arrested while the other, Kittisak Yenyanond, remains at large.

Police raided locations in greater Bangkok last week, acting on complaints filed by thousands of victims who were lured to invest in various schemes with offers of high returns. The investors received initial dividends and were persuaded to invest more, at which point the payments stopped.

A group of 20 complainants led by fellow victim Atichart Laohapibulkul on Monday gave further statements to the CSD.

Mr Atichart said he thought he could trust Mr Prasit who is a high-profile public figure and had been part of every investment scheme offered by Mr Prasit's group. He said he had ended up losing about 80 million baht over the course of two years.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2117291/key-tourism-scam-suspect-turns-self-in

 

[PeterRS]

This has to be some form of joke! A 20 year plan to root out corruption? Why on this good earth does it take 20 years? Fact is it doesn't need to take a fraction of that time - unless this is merely another of the PM's publicity stunts and nothing whatever will actually have been achieved at the end of that time.

There are examples in the region of the correct way of rooting out corruption in a vastly shorter period. Singapore is one. Hong Kong another. Before the mid 1970s corruption in Hong Kong was rife. There was triad infiltration in many aspects of society, many in the police force were corrupt. Same with the civil service and even the judiciary. For example, even if you wanted an ambulance to get to hospital, most crews would demand tea money to get you there! Once in hospital the cleaners would demand a small amount to clean around your bed!

Power in Hong Kong in those pre hand-back-to-China days was vested in the figure of the Governor. Appointed in 1971 Sir Murray Maclehose became the longest serving Governor and was much liked and respected especially by the general public. He quickly realised that Hong  Kong was a cess pit of corruption. He determined to do something about it. He also realised that only a radical solution was needed, one that would strike at the problem with speed and teeth. Nothing within the existing police force and civil service system could achieve that.

The trigger for what was about to happen was a case in 1973. Peter Godber, a Police Superintendent, was found to have assets vastly in excess of his income. During the investigations, with the help of his friends he was able to escape to Britain. A mass body of students assembled in a park to protest and condemn the government for failing to tackle the corruption problem. Like Thaiiand now, Hong Kong had an anti-corruption agency. Like Thailand it was a toothless tiger.

In 1974, virtually overnight but with many top secret earlier discussions, Maclehose established the Independent Commission Against Corruption - the ICAC. Key elements of the ICAC was that it was answerable only to the Governor. It was also totally separate from the existing police force. It had its own thoroughly vetted inspectors and investigators, most specially imported into Hong Kong from the UK. Judges ruling on corruption investigations were again thoroughly vetted prior to being accepted. Although it was not specified as such, essentially anyone accused of corruption had to prove their innocence. The existing system of justice was all but reversed in those cases.

Relatively quickly, 143 police officers and 247 civil servants were fired. One judge packed his bags and left the territory with indecent haste. Later a Crown Public Prosecutor was jailed for 8 years. The business and commercial sector was far from immune. The Chairman and some members of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange were hauled before the ICAC and jailed for the preferential allocation of shares about to be listed on the Exchange. Even today the ICAC continues its work. In 2015, one of the territory's top multi-billionaire property tycoons and the city's former No. 2 in the administration were jailed for 5 years and 7.5 years respectively for collusion and sweet deals.

Anyone who thinks such measures were unpopular need only look at a survey conducted on the eve of the millennium. The general public was asked to nominate the most important events in Hong Kong's 150 year history. The establishment of the ICAC was ranked #6.

The attached paper outlines Hong Kong's experience in formulating an effective anti-corruption strategy. The first item on the list is "Is there adequate political will to fight corruption?" As far as Thailand is concerned, the answer is unquestionably a loud 'No'!

Oh, and one of the ICAC's first successes was the extradition back to Hong Kong of Peter Godber who ended up in jail for 4 years.

https://www.unafei.or.jp/publications/pdf/RS_No69/No69_23VE_Man-wai2.pdf

[Guest]

2 hours ago, PeterRS said:

This has to be some form of joke! A 20 year plan to root out corruption? Why on this good earth does it take 20 years? Fact is it doesn't need to take a fraction of that time - unless this is merely another of the PM's publicity stunts and nothing whatever will actually have been achieved at the end of that time.

I guess how long it takes depends on the motivation of the PM and his cronies.   The few beneficiaries of corruption may have a very different attitude to the rest of society.   For political policy, 20 years is close to never, so it rather looks like they have no interest at all in dealing with corruption.

[PeterRS]

31 minutes ago, z909 said:

I guess how long it takes depends on the motivation of the PM and his cronies.   The few beneficiaries of corruption may have a very different attitude to the rest of society.   For political policy, 20 years is close to never, so it rather looks like they have no interest at all in dealing with corruption.

Some of the major beneficiaries of corrpution are government ministers. That is why in Bangkok we have several operators each extracting tolls on a single expressway. The Ministers get wind of the developments in time to buy up the land which is then sold for major profits. I love the story of the Minister of Transport who lodged a complaint to the police about a break in at his residence at which some relatively invaluable items were stolen. When the police searched the home, they found something like US$200 million in cash in the basement!

[Keithambrose]

Is it April 1st?

[anddy]

4 hours ago, z909 said:

For political policy, 20 years is close to never, so it rather looks like they have no interest at all in dealing with corruption.

exactly, and as @PeterRS remarked at the end of his (very interesting) Kong Kong story the political will has to be there, which clearly is absent here. This is put up for show, with the long time frame there is no risk of any immediate "damage" to the golden goose and in a year or less the whole thing will be entirely forgotten

Such "initiatives" have happened here before haven't they? To what effect? Zero as everyone knows

[Boy69]

22 hours ago, z909 said:

For political policy, 20 years is close to never, so it rather looks like they have no interest at all in dealing with corruption.

It's the Thai way to say this issue is in a very low priority for the Thai government.

[PeterRS]

On 5/19/2021 at 12:16 PM, Boy69 said:

It's the Thai way to say this issue is in a very low priority for the Thai government.

20 years? I reckon non-existent is more like it!!

[reader]

From Thai PBS World

Govt move to restrict freedom of information is a mandate for corruption, critics warn

Proposed amendments to the Official Information Act are aimed at protecting state secrets, contrary to the law’s original goal of securing the public’s right to access government data, critics warn. 

The draft amendments would prohibit the disclosure of any official information deemed potentially damaging to the monarchy or its security. They also cover information on military affairs and national security, among others.

The prohibitions are listed in an added chapter titled “Information Prohibited from Disclosure”.

The controversial bill also sets much harsher penalties for violators of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of Bt200,000, compared to the current maximum three months jail time and Bt5,000 fine.

Critics say the tougher punishment is likely to act as a deterrent against disclosure of official information, as officials opt to err on the side of safety.

Proposed by the Prime Minister’s Office, the bill gained Cabinet approval on March 24 and could be debated during the new parliamentary session, which started on May 22.

The Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand (ACT) on May 20 asked the government to review the draft amendment following widespread opposition and claims that it violated constitutional clauses requiring transparency of the state.

In an open letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, ACT warned that preventing transparent disclosure of official information would undermine his government’s policy of fighting corruption.

ACT secretary-general Mana Nimitmongkol, who sits on the regulatory Official Information Board set up under the law, said state agencies and politicians often attempted to delay or limit disclosure when asked for official information like government budget spending.

“The current law is a serious obstacle. State agencies and politicians intentionally interpret the law and regulations in a way that benefits them,” he said.

Already unhappy with the current law’s limits on access to official information, critics warn the amendments will restrict freedom of information for Thai citizens even further.

Law Professor Worachet Pakeerut of Thammasat University said he was “rather shocked” on reading the contents of the draft bill. “The state is going to control the flow of news and information more intensely,” said Prof Worachet, who sat on the regulatory Official Information Board for 16 years.

Continues at

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/govt-moves-to-restrict-freedom-of-information-is-a-mandate-for-corruption-critics-warn/