Suffinator

A lobotomy is in order for this dude.

Better the death penalty. Have it over and done with. Pity he didn't shot himself in the head and saved time and effort prosecuting him.

According to Gen. Paiboon, the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) has been established and a rehabilitation fund set up.

Does that mean those who are sacked are compensated by a fund to off-set the amount of graft income they will lose until natural retirement age? Yeah I'm sure this will scare the living crap out of any corruption official.

Fek me what next ....

Originally the land was being reserved for farmers by the Agricultural Land Reform Office but somehow a title deed was issued for a housing estate instead.

Shocking, how on earth could this happen in a country full of righteous, honest, trustworthy, decent and morally aligned human beings?

The future or a meeting on how the country is going to be carved up for the benefit of a select few.

As usual one department doesn't collaborate with another allowing corruption play its part in making a few very rich. I can only laugh at the stupidity of it.

In the beginning I had high hopes but how long has he been in power and what the <deleted> has he fixed

In a nutshell .... ummm, that would be SQUAT DIDDLY

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha expects the European Union (EU) to give Thailand another chance to address problems in its fishing industry while urging all sides to join hands in the effort.

If there were international yearly Delusional Awards this guy would win it hands down.

Sir successive governments have effectively supported the atrocities so that a few get rich. Time to face up to the atrocities and make some high profile arrests. Unfortunately the west knows, as well as you do, that the underpinning corruption in Thailand has now left you with nowhere to go but down.

It's no good crying about it and the EU HAVE given you time ... 6 months; which in my view is 5 months and 29 days too long considering how long this has been going on for and how many times the EU has asked for measurable changes. You should consider yourself extremely fortunate they gave 6 months, thanked them profusely and then actually started with proactive measures to address the issues ... of course that's now what you are used to but fail to do so will likely result in the loss of around a US$1 billion a year ... OUCH!

Gen Prayut added that another important solution is to enforce new and more effective fishery-related laws, some of which are currently under the deliberation of the National Legislative Assembly.

Are you suggesting that there are laws in place but as usual due to corruption they are not enforce? I'm afraid that it's no good making new laws if you weren't able to enforce existing ones and the EU will see right through the cow dung.

Note there was no mention of the fact that under Thai law no person may operate such a craft without a Thai Captains licence. So effectively the officials allow operators and tourists to break the law ... and yes all to make sure the MONEY keeps on flowing.

I wonder if any Thai official can spell the word ... FARCE

They wouldn't have issues with power lines coming down if they were buried underground; it would also save a lot of other issues too. I hear from a friend that they've started doing so in parts of Phuket. Maybe they are finally beginning to realise that they are better off underground.

Ms Apiradee voiced belief that all problems will be addressed in a matter of six months. In the meantime, she said the Commerce Ministry has prepared alternative markets, such as Eastern Europe and the CLMV group, to accommodate Thai fishery products in place of the EU market.

Well she can't be that confident if she's already looking for alternative markets. Does she believe that some Eastern European countries are not concerned about Thailand's failures?

The deputy minister said the envoys are to emphasize Thailand’s commitment and relentless efforts to tackle various problems in the fishing industry. She also hopes importers of Thai products will be convinced that the issue has received the greatest attention from the Thai government and their perception of Thai goods will not be tarnished.

Tarnished? It's already too late the horse has bolted and now you want to close the barn door?

As I pointed out in an earlier post an EU ban could potentially wipe out their fishing industry, or rather its ability to export. Even if the EU lifted the ban the retailers would have already switched supplies and unless Thailand were to offer its product at a much lower rate then their exports may never recover.

This is the price Thailand will pay for allowing the fishing industry to be run the way it has over the last few decades. It's not like they couldn't see this coming but as usual the Thais think they are above and beyond reproach and are superior in every way ... this lesson is going to be a very painful one; they'll lose face and more importantly what they covet most ... MONEY>

"There has been no impact on trade yet. But all our customers have sent us very worrying signals that if [the problem] is not solved, they will turn to buying [seafood] from other countries," he said.

And there lies one of the biggest issues. If the EU does in fact implement and enforce a ban then retailers will look elsewhere and IF and WHEN the ban is lifted it's unlikely the retailers will bother switching back if the price / quality is comparable.

A ban could well wipe out the Thai fishing industry or damage it to a point where it will never truly recover.

Serious enough to warrant a four finger point.

Yes it is that serious... Thailand can in no way continue its course of the past. Many Thai's think they can do what ever they like and when caught just wai and say "khortot", and then all is forgiven. At the moment it's a clean house strategy from top to bottom that the government is doing. Look at the headlines: Bonanza, former DSI Cheif Tarit, Kho Samui and Kho Tao, all the way to Puckett's beaches and illegal street vendors in Bangkok, National Park land encroachments, illegal logging and human trafficking... Just to name a few. The current government isn't joking around.

That's a lot of progress ... how many actual arrests and how many actually imprisoned for their crimes I wonder as this appears to be the missing factor.

<deleted> delusional. Could a human being sink any lower than to BBQ a dead infant. Seriously all this mambo jumbo bs is ludicrous ... unless of course you're a country still living in the dark ages.

Without migrant workers Thailand would come to a complete crawl. It's time the migrant workers started demanding better treatment.

With this move it makes Thailand no better than Nazi Germany; will they be wanting to tattoo numbers on their arms next?

Once again the world can see just how ignorant and uneducated the Thai nation is as a whole.

Yes the truth often hurts ... Boo Hoo.

So there's the clear message; if you don't like it then go ... I'm one of the lucky ones who left

It is nice to see that some Thais have got their heads screwed on the right way ... Nattaphorn Bie Dokbunnak posted in English: “Sorry for commenting on your site, I know i'm not your FB friend, but I really do agree with this picture. I know this is not the whole of Thailand, but this is real. If some people think that really hurts, they should try to fix that problem rather than say this doesn't happen in this country. Forgive me for my English if this isn't perfect.”

Thailand on Wednesday warned it risked losing nearly $1 billion a year if the European Union makes good on a threat to ban fish imports from the kingdom unless it does more to halt illegal fishing.

If that's what it takes to force Thailand to finally comply with its signing of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights so be it. Hit them where it hurts most ... their wallets.

Thailand can consider itself fortunate that the EU gave them yet more time to clean up their deplorable human rights tract records ... if it was me I would have issued a ban on the spot and had done with it.

"I am confident that our private sector, fishermen and our fisheries operators are aware that if we fail to solve this problem our fishing industries will be faced with several problems," he said.

Of course they are aware of it; human trafficking and slavery have been their bread and butter for decades and built vast fortunes on the misery and often death of others ... but that's never been a real concern up until now has it?

But its image has been battered by allegations of ships using human trafficking victims and slave labour, as well as taking illegal catches -- practices critics say successive governments have turned a blind eye to.

Allegations? You mean hard documented facts from NGO's supported by the poor who managed to survive Thai greed.

Thailand's junta, which took over last May in a coup and has vowed to kickstart the kingdom's flagging economy, has said it is determined to combat illegal fishing, including a plan to role out widespread GPS devices on fishing vessels.

So when are they going to start? I guess the race is on ... 6 months and counting. Trouble is with corruption being the tail wagging the dog it's unlikely that Prayut will be able to stop the on-going abuse.

Petipong said he was confident Bangkok would meet the EU's six month deadline, adding that the country's rubber stamp parliament had already passed a new bill giving greater powers to harbour and labour officials to monitor trawlers.

Yes but the EU doesn't care what 'rubber stamp' you use on paper it's concerned about measurable advancements in stamping out human trafficking, forced and slave labour. Yes a new bill being stamped is only going to go as far as increasing the size of the brown envelopes that harbour and labour officials will demand to look the other way ... as has been widely documented but none have yet to been removed, faced justice and imprisoned for their crimes.

On Tuesday Thailand's Foreign Ministry said it was "deeply disappointed" by the EU's yellow card, accusing Brussels of ignoring the steps the junta had taken in the last six months to tackle illegal fishing.

Yes being caught out must be very disappointing. They didn't ignored the steps that the gov were taking but rather couldn't find anything measurable ... lip service, promises and crying like a baby when you don't get your own way doesn't achieve anything other than making the EU and the entire world seeing Thailand for what it truly is.

For years, the State Department has put Thailand on the watchlist in its annual trafficking report, saying the Thai government has made efforts to stop labor abuse. But last year, after several waivers, it dropped Thailand for the first time to the lowest rank, mentioning forced labor in the seafood industry.

So the question that begs to be answered ... Why is the US and EU not already applying a complete ban? Why would any county and indeed their citizens support a nation with such abhorrent human rights abuses?

The question is obviously answered by the following statement .... "If Thailand was North Korea or Iran, they'd be treated differently," said Josh Kurlantzick, a fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations. "They're a key ally and we have a long relationship with them."

So the US and other nations are effectively willing to allow the continuation of human rights abuses, even murder, so long as they are considered 'key allies'. Makes you wonder why we bother having the UN and its Declaration of Human Rights because clearly many countries don't give a toss.

And this is made clear by ... A U.S. Senate report in December detailed how top al-Qaida suspect Abu Zubaydah was water-boarded, slammed into a wall and isolated at a secret safe house in Thailand as part of CIA interrogations in 2002.

Yes the US and indeed other western nations, will turn a blind eye to human rights abuses because they are perpetrators of it. Before anyone bleats on about them being 'terrorists' you should accept that they are only SUSPECTS and that torturing a person will eventually lead to any confession that suits your needs.

It's time the atrocities where adequately addressed and if Thailand among others can show no signs of improvement then a complete and total export ban on the offending industries must be made. Maybe the likes of Obama, Cameron and Prayut should be subjected to life on the high seas for a year ... see how they like living in fear and working for nothing.

Until we demand action from our respective governments and stop just thinking about ourselves then humanity (if you dare call it such) is doomed.

Selective law enforcement ... yeah that sounds about the usual way to boost tea money earnings.

Target those who refuse to pay or target foreigners where a Thai business owner is losing out to the competition.

Stinks from the top down.

Would the growth of 1% be wiped out if the EU impose sanctions on their fishing industry? They already know the baht is way to high and yet appear reluctant to devalue it.

I wonder how selective the PM will be in prosecuting those on the list. Will the PM finally adhere to the idea of complete transparency and open up his financial affairs to public scrutiny along with all those currently running the show? Doubtful to say the least and it's why this exercise of ousting the corrupt won't work ... any of them who have dirt on him or any of his chums is not going to face the music.

I wonder how long it will take Prayut to issued an arrest order for PRAVIT ROJANAPHRUK so that his attitude can be adjusted. Yeah the truth hurts and the pen is mightier than the sword.

He told reporters he believes MPs will not resort to appointing an unelected Prime Minister unless it is absolutely necessary to do so.

The ONLY reason such would be necessary is when those at the top don't like the people's choice of an elected PM. So this basically paves the way for the army and the elites to elect anyone they see fit and at any time. Democracy Thainess style.