Government gazette: App use, corrupt officials and direct report line to PM added to emergency decree

 

Image: Daily News

 

The website of the Government Gazette announced yesterday some fundamental changes to the emergency decree that dates back to last March. 

 

The moves mean that it is increasing likely that corrupt officials could see jail time as punishments under the emergency decree are more severe. And they herald a new moment in powers of the state to act in matters related to the pandemic.

 

The changes specifically refer to the necessity of the public having the tracing apps and refer to corrupt officials regarding gambling and migrants. There is also the establishment of a direct line to the PM to report bent civil servants. 

 

The emergency decree came in during the height of the first wave of the pandemic. Now it has been decided to add sections after the latest development in the devastating second wave that has been sweeping Thailand. 

 

People should have the Mor Chana and Thai Chana applications on their phones. 

 

Though the government has performed a U-turn on saying that people would be prosecuted for not having the apps, their inclusion in the emergency decree legislation now means any possible penalties would be much more severe, notes Thaivisa.

 

The changes aso give powers for the set up of checkpoints in the provinces and in Bangkok.

 

Punishments for corrupt officials in the movement of migrants and dereliction of duty in connection with the allowing of gambling to go on in precincts has also been added.

 

This comes in the wake of a large number of cases of corrupt officials and gangs being involved in the movement of migrants contributing adversely to the spread of Covid-19. 

 

Also large numbers of police both in Bangkok and the provinces are under investigation for allowing gambling on their patches, an activity previously quietly tolerated but now seen as a key driver in the spike in Covid cases due to people gambling in crowded conditions.

 

The Government Gazette announcement paves the way for disciplinary and criminal prosecution under the emergency decree. 

This could see corrupt officials no longer just being transferred or given a slap on the wrist but potentially going to jail for transgressions.

 

The get-tough measures also referred to the setting up of an information hotline direct to the prime minister for people to report corrupt officials involved in the movement of migrants or gambling operations.

 

Source: Daily News

 

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4 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

This could see corrupt officials no longer just being transferred or given a slap on the wrist but potentially going to jail for transgressions

Assuming there are any non-corrupt officials to make it happen.... 

Not a bad idea as such as long as they don't force an App on us. Let's see how this one will evolve... 

7 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

it is increasing likely that corrupt officials could see jail time

People would have more confidence in this decree if it was worded 

"Corrupt officials WILL see jail time"

15 hours ago, rooster59 said:

the establishment of a direct line to the PM

 

ring ring , ring ring , ring ,

 

' Sawadi krap '

 

' Is that Mr Prayuth  ? '

 

'krap '

 

"  Do you do deliveries . If so, on yer bike and bring me a family size pepparoni pizza.

 

On second thoughts , skip the pizza part '

 

 

 

25 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

devastating second wave that has been sweeping Thailand. 

Worrying sure, but devastating? 200/300 cases a day and 3 more deaths. If that’s devastating, we need a new lexicon of adjectives to describe the waves in UK, US etc

55 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

App use, corrupt officials and direct report line to PM added to emergency decree

Dear PM, How much has your wealth increased in the past 5 years in comparison with Daeng the construction laborer from Udon Thani?

I have tried out that freakin' MorChana app. And have uninstalled it again very quickly.

 

It uses a tremendous amount of battery power as well as bandwidth because Bluetooth has to be enabled round the clock for it to work.

 

Unless I am forced to use it, I am not going to install that cr&p piece of incompetent app development again. 

I hope they don't crack down too hard on the corrupt police. If you take away their harmless income streams they may start to become like the Central/South America, Eastern Europe, Africa and Philippines using kidnaping and violent extortion.  

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The moves mean that it is increasing likely that corrupt officials could see jail time as punishments

They could make this a math test question:

If the likelihood was previously "0", and now has doubled because of the decree, what is the end result?

 

2 x 0 = 

So now everybody is required by law to use Thai Chana app together with Mor Chana app (it doesn't say "or", it says "together with", so you need to use both)

6 minutes ago, jackdd said:

So now everybody is required by law to use Thai Chana app together with Mor Chana app (it doesn't say "or", it says "together with", so you need to use both)

 

Yeah, I spotted that too. 

So what does it mean, when do we use which app?

 

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

This could see corrupt officials no longer just being transferred or given a slap on the wrist but potentially going to jail for transgressions.

 

I'll believe it, when it actually happens.

 

All prior promises of this kind have pretty much turned out to mean nothing.

 

Their track records in such matters speak much more loudly than their words.

 

 

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The moves mean that it is increasing likely that corrupt officials could see jail time 

Corrupt officials could see jail time, ha, ha, ha, that is something that will never happen, because if all corrupt officials were jailed, who would be left to run things?

Answer nobody.

2 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

I have tried out that freakin' MorChana app. And have uninstalled it again very quickly.

 

It uses a tremendous amount of battery power as well as bandwidth because Bluetooth has to be enabled round the clock for it to work.

 

Unless I am forced to use it, I am not going to install that cr&p piece of incompetent app development again. 

So, you don't like it?

 

19 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

Yeah, I spotted that too. 

So what does it mean, when do we use which app?

 

You will be able to download another app which will control both mandatory apps and make them work in unison. Supplementary battery packs will be available at cost from a government website only. Do not be alarmed we have everything under control........

3 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

It uses a tremendous amount of battery power as well as bandwidth because Bluetooth has to be enabled round the clock for it to work.

 

You can turn off BlueTooth in the app settings, it warns you that you won't be able to locate other devices automatically.

Storm in a Tea cup and there willl undoubtedly be another version another change in a week or so. Its the land on inconsistency, and thats only consistent thing about it.

"There is also the establishment of a direct line to the PM to report bent civil servants"

What's the chances of someone picking up?

29 minutes ago, ChrisY1 said:

"There is also the establishment of a direct line to the PM to report bent civil servants"

What's the chances of someone picking up?

Of course he will pick it up.

It is there so that he can learn who is being 'dobbed' in and thus warn his friends.

Does this include reporting I. O's  asking for bribes. 

7 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

They could make this a math test question:

If the likelihood was previously "0", and now has doubled because of the decree, what is the end result?

 

2 x 0 = 

= 555

11 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

I have tried out that freakin' MorChana app. And have uninstalled it again very quickly.

 

It uses a tremendous amount of battery power as well as bandwidth because Bluetooth has to be enabled round the clock for it to work.

 

Unless I am forced to use it, I am not going to install that cr&p piece of incompetent app development again. 

That maybe means that the thai App MorChana doesn't use Bluetooth Low Energy  (BLE)? With the Corona-App here in Germany you can leave Bluetooth enabled all the time (something I haven't done before) and I don't see it using a big amount of battery power.

13 hours ago, rooster59 said:

There is also the establishment of a direct line to the PM to report bent civil servants

where to report the PM then ....in case? to the King? well, it's believed, his majesty passes the chief part of his time in germany, though!

10 hours ago, jackinthebox said:

That maybe means that the thai App MorChana doesn't use Bluetooth Low Energy  (BLE)? With the Corona-App here in Germany you can leave Bluetooth enabled all the time (something I haven't done before) and I don't see it using a big amount of battery power.

As you correctly pointed out, the German app uses BLE. To be very correct, it’s actually not the German app developers who did this, but Apple and Google, who developed the underlying contact tracing framework which is available on every iOS and Android device. This framework is available to everyone, so the Thai government could use it as well. 

The reason for using BLE is data privacy. It enables contact tracing without ever having to share any location data or other personal information with the government (or any other third party). It all stays on your phone and only the phone user gets a notification in case he came in contact with someone who updated his app with “tested positive”. 
 

The only downside of this approach is that older devices don’t have BLE chips, so the German app (and I believe any app that implements the Apple/Google framework) only runs on c. 80-90% of smartphones currently. 
 

 

 

20 hours ago, Sakeopete said:

I hope they don't crack down too hard on the corrupt police. If you take away their harmless income streams they may start to become like the Central/South America, Eastern Europe, Africa and Philippines using kidnaping and violent extortion.  

Some cops here have already done that.

So now they need an Emergency Decree to be able to Jail corrupt officials (cops)? How sad is that!!
Report line to the PM  lol! The Army had one of those to the top General and what happened?
A whistle blower was prosecuted for reporting corruption.

Sorry people are just too scared to report corrupt officials so they just ignore it.
 

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2021/01/09/benefits-aplenty-and-punishment-rare-in-the-world-of-police-inactive-post/

Probably to defend any accusations by the opposition of dereliction of duty.

On 1/9/2021 at 10:26 AM, RotBenz8888 said:

Assuming there are any non-corrupt officials to make it happen.... 

Lets just put this whole thing to bed and ask, although we will never get an answer.

How much has the unelected "PM"s personal fortune risen since he and his soldiers bullied their way into power about six years ago?

1 minute ago, possum1931 said:

Lets just put this whole thing to bed and ask, although we will never get an answer.

How much has the unelected "PM"s personal fortune risen since he and his soldiers bullied their way into power about six years ago?

I seem to recall a post some while back suggested that when he took office his declared net worth was something like 2 million baht, and it was suggested that the latest estimate was in the billions??

 

He must have a very large yearly salary................