NongKhaiKid

"The chief of the Department of Corrections also noted that 70% of convicts are jailed for drug-related sentence, and he feared that Thai prisons are ripe ground for officials to get involved in drug business."

I can't believe he actually said that!

The Department chief is in line to win understatement of the year. " To get involved " is decades out of date and if he actually believes his own words he needs counselling not a move to an inactive post.

I can imagine there will be some amazing fashion shows, and a lot of screaming, at District Offices from now on especially if a group of ladyboys go along together.

The problem is nothing to do with white teachers. The majority of Thais are taught by Thai teachers who are afraid to speak english (even if they could), and use Thai 95% of the time. I'm still astounded that the average government school graduate can say barely more than hello, even after 12 years of learning english. There are plenty of excellent speakers of english here, educated in private / international schools / overseas, but they are in the vast minority of all citizens.

This gets to the heart of the problem with Thai teachers passing on the bad English they themselves were taught. I taught for quite a few years including university level and soon stopped being surprised at the stories the students told me of how they had learned, or not learned , in High School.

Most had never really put a sentence or two of spoken English together in class as the teacher couldn't handle it and the students knew it.

I know quite a few people who have a BA in English but from their spoken English you would never believe it.

The Thai government has known this for years but ... !

Four years ago when working at a Technical School in North Isan the staff were shown a video made for the government by an independant company on how ready the country was for the coming Asian Economic Group and English language was one of the points covered. In short this video slated everything and stated Thailand was not ready to compete.

At the end of the video my boss, an American educated Thai. who had been translating the main points for me was shocked because he just could not believe the government had sent out such a damning video.

I asked what he thought would be done and his response was along the lines of " very little if anything ".

. . . mostly senior police and military officers, businesspeople and politicians . . .

dam_n, their salaries must be VERY good . . .

It's the "not reported" benefits where the big money is.

This is why being transferred to an inactive post is so feared by senior officials as it takes them out of the loop on EVERYTHING and of course some things are more important than others.

Isn't it amazing how almost every time a major case breaks DSI Chief Tarit says they know all about it so why is there never any pro-active investigations taking place ? I think all of us could advance a credible answer.

Given all these cases DSI must be sitting on I think Tarit must be organising a merit making ceremony every week and praying " please don't let these be made public ".

Tarit, like so many others in senior positions, is a living example of the " Peter Principle " of being promoted beyond their level of competency.

He is lucky he's in Thailand and is connected and protected otherwise he would have painted himself into a corner but the way he talks. If a big case is made public he claims DSI knew all about it but is never asked why nothing has been done and on the other hand he can't hide behind not knowing as it demands a " why not ? " response.

If this wasn't so serious it would be hysterical.

A good place to start would be to investigate who burned the other 35 provincial town halls at the same time, on the same day, under the same guidance, and work from there.

The local reds who torched Udon Thani provincial hall were led by two Police Sub-Lieutenants who went on the run and I've don't know if they were ever arrested. I've a funny feeling they would be less than a priority investigation.

B20 Million is pocket money to a Shinawatra but it looks like a grand gesture possibly made in the knowledge it may never been collected.

If those involved are red shirts their appearance in court is the last thing that's wanted and if anyone is stitched up for this the powers that be will call in Hans Christian Andersen to consult on the tale to be concocted to prove they have nothing to do with the reds.

The biggest in two years. Only in the billions of baht.

What happened last time or is it still in court?

2 years - the BIB would still be waiting for them to come in to answer the summons.

This summons nonsense is a wonderful way to do nothing but make it look as if an enquiry is being looked at. Are DSI officers too afraid to leave their officers because it's the rainy season ? An investigation, and the bigger it is the more important it is, has to be chased but here so called investigators wait for it to come in.

It doesn't matter who is being dealt with the fact they get face by being able to be interviewed when it suits them is a luxury bordering on neglect of duty. Well it would be almost anywhere but here.

If ever words were misused they are " possible " or " possibly " when it comes to corruption.

Customs is having a bad week aren't they.

How do you smuggle a live lion?

Not exactrly something that you can stick down your pants.

Customs, as far as I am aware are even more crooked than The BIB.

I haven't seen them for a long time but there used to be an annual report on the most corrupt government departments, Customs and Revenue Department used to have a battle for 1st and 2nd places

Power is vested in one man and is carried out by his puppets in Bangkok but decentralisation involves more people and would stretch far from the seat of power so it weakens the current structure as Mr. T can't have people actually trying to think and act on their own.

The Chinese have a very apt saying which translates as " the hill is high and the Emperor far away " and is used to say if you are away from the bosses and the centre of authority the better chance of doing what you want and getting away with it.

There's no way any devolved power will be permitted

The cars are being seized, impounded and probably shopped around the good old boy network. Yet no Thais are being hauled off and arrested on income tax evasion and/or grand theft auto charges. And the newspaper doesn't care to follow up on this and smoke them out publicly.

I don't think investigative journalism is a big deal here and those who try are often warned of the error of their ways directly or by pressure being put on the newspaper's owner. When Mr. T was PM a large newspaper group which was critical of him received an anonymous phone call to say they had just lost a big advertising contract, and would get no future business, until they eased off.

Do any Thai ministers read this forum? Or anyone in authority in Thailand? How I wish they would, simply to see the harm they are doing to the reputation of their own country. Sad, isn't it.

Loathe as I am to compliment the place, the scenery can be breathtaking. Contrarily, so can the absolute idiocy.

I sincerely hope they don't Johnny or they would have to invent new criminal and civil offences to cover some of the things we say here as defamation / treason / plotting to overthrow the government / etc are all too lightweight to cover them.

The Ombudsman asked the Foreign Ministry to explain why they had issued a passport and got a two fingered reply so a complaint was filed with the PM, now wasn't that an exercise in futility ?

Wasnt the original issue -pre Yingluck era - about Thaksin having Montanegro citizenship and a passport ? He wasnt eligible for a Thai passport because he was considered Montanegran or whatever their demonyn.

Did he not also get one from a Central / South American country too, El Salvador springs to mind but I may need correcting.

Another enquiry being handled with the usual Thai sense of due dispatch and urgency - publish a list of those involved and invite them to go to the DSI on a voluntary basis failing which they will be summoned If past actions are anything to go by the summons will give a date of attendance sometime during 2014 but not during the World Cup..

Politicians and family members, government officials and celebrities are suspected so let's give them time to get their stories, paperwork and witnesses in order unless they're Democrats.

I can see this lot holding their media calls like a game of pass the parcel so when a question is asked all the ministries reps will pass the microphone from one to another and whoever is holding the mike when the music stops will be required to prevaricate in response.

Boonsong forgot to add that the government's priority now will be to prepare a new set of excuses and lies for release in early October.

The line that " Moody's is confused " is an understatement as so is everyone else. The PM has no idea what's going on, and not just about this issue, and describes all figures as unofficial plus two of her ministries are locked in disagreement.

Rating agencies are often attacked over the way they arrive at their findings but little wonder they and the World Bank are dubious about the cost of the scheme when all local officials can say is they don't actually have final figures yet but they know all outside agencies are wrong.

This no doubt will go to appeal and depending on the court calendar could take time for the Supreme Administrative Court to hear it which would suit Yingluck since she would not have to act on the lower courts judgement.

If the upper court ratifies the decision it becomes Shakespearean for Yingluck " to obey or not to obey that is the question ? ", will the government decide to ignore the court as it hasn't returned a verdict they like. They are arrogant enough.

Is there any point?

Pheu Thai seem to be doing an excellent job in self destructing all by themselves right now.

Nothing wrong with giving them a helping hand though.