Government defends its corruption-fighting record

By The Nation

 

As he covers his eyes to avoid the sun, Deputy Premier and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan (centre, bottom row) displays a luxury watch he is wearing, during a photo call with other members of a new cabinet in Bangkok on December 4, 2017.

 

The government has defended its record despite the country’s failure to achieve significant improvement in international rankings on public-sector corruption, and insists that the luxury-watch scandal involving deputy premier General Prawit Wongsuwan is not related to the unimpressive ranking.

 

Thailand’s ranking in the latest global Corruption Perception Index 2017 rose to 96 from 101 last year. Thailand scored 37 this year, up from 35 last year. 

 

The index, prepared by Transparency International, ranks 180 countries and territories by perceived levels of public-sector corruption. 

 

Nine key sources are used to compile the index, including the International Country Risk Guide, Economist Intelligence Unit, and the World Economic Forum’s Executive Opinion Survey. The ranking uses a scale of 0 to 100, in which 0 is “highly corrupt” and 100 is “very clean”. 

 

“I don’t know. But the score has nothing to do with the [watch] matter,” Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam replied on Thursday when asked if Thailand’s score improved only slightly due to the scandal involving Prawut’s apparently extensive collection of luxury watches. 

 

Regarding concern that the score had dropped due to lack of efficiency in scrutinising corruption among government employees, National Anti-Corruption Commission chairman Pol General Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit said that no country was able to thoroughly investigate corruption.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30339465

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-2-22

14 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Commission chairman Pol General Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit said that no country was able to thoroughly investigate corruption.

 

Yes that's impossible when there is a plague of it. Like here! 

 

 

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

“I don’t know. But the score has nothing to do with the [watch] matter,” Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam replied on Thursday when asked if Thailand’s score improved only slightly due to the scandal involving Prawut’s apparently extensive collection of luxury watches. 

for a seemingly intelligent fellow, he sure says some idiotic things

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Regarding concern that the score had dropped due to lack of efficiency in scrutinising corruption among government employees, National Anti-Corruption Commission chairman Pol General Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit said that no country was able to thoroughly investigate corruption.

i see, so he is , in effect, saying: 'i have an impossible job'; thus , smiles all around, no problem; {hand waving away all corruption;; this guy is precious}

38 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

for a seemingly intelligent fellow, he sure says some idiotic things

That only proves he is not intelligent. Just like the rest of them; military officers that is.

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

I don’t know. But the score has nothing to do with the [watch] matter,” Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam replied on Thursday

He does not know is the only truth to the statement.

 

I think of all those well meaning people who wore yellow and choked the city streets to bring these morons to power.  One wonders what they are thinking now ? We can only hope Thailand learns from this huge failure in governance. 

Junta definition of corruption:

 

'Dishonest or illegal behavior, especially by powerful people such as government officials or police officers, where Junta interests are being denied their rightful share of the profits.'

 

Yes...absolutely...the Junta is battling night and day, with all their might, to completely eliminate corruption.

Government defends its corruption fighting record !!!

Now listen here peasants, you do as we say, ok, not as we do.

Rearrange these simple words Mr Deputy PM

Foot your  Open mouth your it in and put .

 

 

 

Total BS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

'... Pol General Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit said that no country was able to thoroughly investigate corruption.' 

 

BS! Every country can investigate, though the results might not always be what it wants. But LoS lacks the the motivation to even initiate an investigation.

Save yourself this constant drivel and just declare Thailand to be corruption-free, just like you declared Thailand to be IUU-free and while you are at it, why not declare Prawit wristwatch-free...

With Prawit in the forefront of the defence, no doubt.

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Government defends its corruption-fighting record

What record?

 

Prawit is still deputy PM and defense minister while toying around with the NACC as he pleases. They cannot even clear their own ranks of corrupt elements. Meanwhile, the former chief of police openly declared (nay, bragged!) that he borrowed close to $10 million from a known brothel owner when he was still in office - and sees absolutely nothing wrong with that. So again: What record?

Maybe they are working hard to keep Thailand as low as possible due to inadequate schooling and they misunderstand that low on the table is bad and high is good !

Commission chairman Pol General Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit said that no country was able to thoroughly investigate corruption.

 

Corruption not same your Country Mr. 

   I used to think that sending someone to an 'inactive position' for gross wrongdoing wasn't much of a punishment.  Now, however, I realize that the poor bloke sent to an 'inactive position' will likely just get his normal salary rather than the millions he was raking in with his 'active' (collecting bribes) position.  Ouch, that's gotta hurt.

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20 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

National Anti-Corruption Commission chairman Pol General Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit said that no country was able to thoroughly investigate corruption.

Playing the blame game or justifying lack of own progress? 

44 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

The problem with these corruption studies is they cannot possibly be accurate with a military government running the show. One that is completely unwilling to investigate or even acknowledge possible corruption within its own ranks. It is highly improbable even slightly accurate figures were provided or able to be obtained under these circumstances.

 

 

the CPI is based on proxies of corruption, not figures provided by governments.  not an issue.

Prawit has two weeks to clarify 25 pricey watches

Edit Prawit has an additional two weeks to lie about 25 pricey watches. The poor fellow has run out of dead friends. It starts at the top PM Prayut, bite the bullet and make the country proud by providing a good example.

2 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Corruption is ingrained in Thai culture and it will ever be thus. 

 

I see the need for greed has increased lately in Bangkok with Police checkpoints at Asok junction nightly pulling people from their vehicles and taxis for 'shakedowns'. My Thai friends were complaining about this too.

 

The problem with these corruption studies is they cannot possibly be accurate with a military government running the show. One that is completely unwilling to investigate or even acknowledge possible corruption within its own ranks. It is highly improbable even slightly accurate figures were provided or able to be obtained under these circumstances.

 

 

To be fair, a Thai speeding on the wrong side of the road, drunk with no license and a boot full of drugs would consider a 250 baht fine a shakedown. No one likes to be held accountable for their actions.

4 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Corruption is ingrained in Thai culture and it will ever be thus.

From top to bottom, in the rulers, BIB, land offices etc etc............in fact reading the Nation today I was appalled at the number of articles detailing corrupt people and practices.

 

So much so (along with other cases we all know about) that I despaired about Thailand and its future.

the empty seat is for Elliot Ness

The men in white. Pure as the driven snow with a frosty sun glinting off the bling has the guy from the empty seat gone for ice creams. 

I remember a few years back. I was in a taxi with my realtor on the way to the land office to complete a condo purchase.

We started talking about corruption in Thailand. Usual conversation ensued; corruption bad, needs to stop etc etc.

Then, without missing a beat she went in to telling me how she'd greased a few palms at the land office to ensure we didn't have to wait.

Nothing big, but it's symptomatic that it's so ingrained in their whole culture they don't even see it when they are actually part of it.

The whole watch scandal as hilarious as it is, is such the tip of the iceberg issue, it's almost funny if it wasn't so tragic

It's the system. In Thailand things happen, public works etc using an age old system which means that every hand the money passes through slips a little of it into a pocket. And every time any type of economic activity takes place, for example, has a stall or shop buying/selling goods, whether it be noodles or aeroplanes, someone else is holding out a hand to rake off the cream. It's a system which works (for Thailand). The fact that this is labelled as corrupt by some other (not all) nations/cultures in the world does not matter much unless it affects OS money coming into the country. Other counties generally have things like checks and balances to make sure money gets where it's supposed to go. Thailand doesn't need that complication, the system can't abide that anyway because of the possibility of people losing face.
So stop pickin' on us! We'll go on our merry way.
Let's face it, corruption works very well in all countries, but there's a different approach to it to cater for local conditions. Same result though - people get rich at the expense of others.

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I guess it would reinforce their 'message' if they could actually list a record of anti-corruption achievements from 2017?

 

Instead, we're left with a new, and lingering, trail, of nepotism and corruption of epic scale by those in and close to the ruling Junta.

 

Surely there must be some red-shirts they were able to jail?

19 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

I see the need for greed has increased lately in Bangkok with Police checkpoints at Asok junction nightly

Until Prayuth takes on the police Thailand will always figure highly in the corruption table.  The RTP makes Thailand look like a banana republic in the eyes of the world.

55 minutes ago, mikebell said:

Until Prayuth takes on the police Thailand will always figure highly in the corruption table.  The RTP makes Thailand look like a banana republic in the eyes of the world.

To be fair, he did said that police reform is a difficult task and he will leave that to the next government. Easier to kick the can and wash his hands when you don’t have that will and gumption.