Thai PM continues corruption drive - he's determined to tidy up the RTP's bent officers

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I thought they might be talking about this case, since it hits closer to home for the PM:

 

Thai Army General Jailed in US$1.3 Million Fraud Case

 

A Thai Army General and two other accomplices have been sentenced to jail for colluding to coerce two companies into paying 43 million baht (US$1.35million) for state projects that did not exist.

 

In a ruling yesterday, the Criminal Court in Bangkok found General Sompote Ngerncharoen, 66, Chutikan Boonmee, and Thanankan Nanthadamrongwat guilty of committing fraud.

 

A former assistant leader of a team attached to the chief of staff of the Department of Defence, General Sompote was a former adviser to a commander of the Fourth Region Army.

 

https://www.chiangraitimes.com/crime/thai-army-general-jailed-in-us1-3-million-fraud-case/?noamp=mobile

 

[tandor]

We all wish you and your troops the very best of luck in ridding this wonderful country of this curse. Chok dee mak mak.

[Millcx]

I love my daily Comedy Channel … It’s always a belly laugh morning 555555

[mikosan]

What a load of <deleted>.  Ask the bar owners in Soi 94 of Hua Hin and pretty much anywhere else in Thailand and they'll tell you that graft is very much alive and kicking.  They've just received demands for 1200 baht per month to stay open, up from a pre COVID 500 baht.  Admittedly, very little in the grand scheme of things, but still blatant corruption.  And if you try to expose them, you're dead meat.

Edited February 24, 2022 by mikosan

[Snig27]

This is also a man who changed the electoral rules using his appointed Electoral Commission AFTER the election because, despite the fact he'd done everything possible to fix the election, they still didn't win. He's the global gold standard in corruption.  

Edited February 24, 2022 by Snig27

[PEE TEE]

3 hours ago, keith101 said:

I dont think there would be a police force anywhere in the world that does not have corruption and will never be eradicated as long as its officers are underpaid IMO .

correct sir But even if overpaid greed would take over 

[Snig27]

3 hours ago, keith101 said:

I dont think there would be a police force anywhere in the world that does not have corruption and will never be eradicated as long as its officers are underpaid IMO .

Try and bribe a cop in NZ and see how far you get. 

[Swampy999]

I thought for a while on how to construct a meaningful comment but all I could come up with was ????????????????????????????????

[mikosan]

12 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

No, no, no, no. Totally fake news. The real problem is, they will not go after these guys. Not the top bankers, not the high ranking guys, not the provincial authorities, and certainly not the army, or the police. They are all corrupt beyond imagination. And the level of corruption simply escalates, the further up the food chain you go. They police and army are not expected to be honest, and they are not expected to engage in law enforcement, traffic or public safety, on any level. It is an irrevocably broken and dysfunctional system. Any hyperbole to the contrary, is just a smoke screen, intended to deceive the most naive amongst us.

The Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand (ACT) is one of the most feeble and ineffective of all the tools Prayuth has used to deceive the people into believing that he is fighting corruption. Who was the last high level authority, in the police, immigration, the army, or the active administration they arrested, charged, tried convicted, and sent to prison? Nobody. Zero. Nunca. Nada. Why? Because Prayuth has had a mandate from the beginning to do the very opposite. To protect the elite, the super wealthy who are guilty, those that are connected, and those who are in power. Just think Dark Tao. Just think Red Bull. The list goes on, and on, and on. Only the most naive amongst us believe he or ACT secretary-general Mana Nimitmongkol are sincere about this. 

It barely matters. These guys are above the law. Any and all laws. The only time they are arrested is when it becomes big news, or it is reported internationally, and Thailand gets a ton of egg on it's face. And even then, it normally does not result in a conviction. Very, very few current (not former) police, immigration, customs, cabinet officials, army officials, or administration officials are arrested here, tried, convicted and imprisoned. My guess is it is one of the lowest rates in the world. The corruption here is never ending.

And to think that tiny P. came into office with the agenda of cleaning the place up. LOL. About as amusing, and about as sincere as Trump draining the swamp. Nothing ever got cleaned up. If anything, things are filthier under the army, then they were before. 

When you have an administration that is built solely upon a foundation of cronyism, favoritism, and corruption, you end up with alot of morally bankrupt people, with ridiculous amounts of money. It gives them an Ivory Tower consciousness, and seems to foster a level of pathology that manifests itself as a dislike of the common man, a lack of respect for anyone who is not very wealthy, and a system of patronage, that only the toxic urchins within the army, the administration, the police, immigration, customs, and the elite of society benefit from. Sorry to inform you, Prayuth. But when you run a nation built upon a foundation that only protects the elite, the super wealthy, those that are well connected, those in power, and a spectacularly corrupt army, and then you reach out to nations that observe the rules of law and order for help, you get ignored, scorned, and ridiculed. Nobody is listening to you these days, much less Interpol. You are NOT a serious man. 98% of Thailand knows this, and most of the world does too. Over 7 years of your nonsense and insincerity has proven that time and time again.
 
For the masses, woe are them. And woe is Thailand.

Hear, hear.  I concur, absolutely.

[jack7106]

They just take you into a side room where there is no camera to accept the payment - FACT

Happens daily on Soi 9 ????‍♂️????????????????????

[farangroby]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Picture: INN

 

When Thailand's current PM assumed power the best part of eight years ago he promised  h

He promised to end corruption in Thailand in 20 years, he just forgot to reveil when he'll start to do it

[biggles45]

'will never be eradicated as long as its officers are underpaid IMO' 

 

They could pay them 5 times as much and they would still take bribes and be corrupt. It's part of the force culture, accepted by everyone especially the Thai people. 

[candide]

1 hour ago, heybruce said:

Not too long after the most recent coup the RTP very publicly demonstrated that they can expose a great deal of dirt on high ranking military officers. 

 

Nothing is going to change under this guy.

Exactly, they arrested army officers (including a General) for human trafficking. Then Prayuth quickly forgot about the idea of fighting corruption in the RTP. ????

 

Army general among Thais convicted of human trafficking

https://apnews.com/article/eaa174075aa14f0e9355e557d9255954

[Excel]

????????????

 

Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the most corrupt of us all ?

[ChrisKC]

It is often stated on this forum that police corruption is partly the fault of low salary. I do not accept this! In my opinion, corruption is about greed!

 

When they take on the job, they are accepting the salary offered and also the responsibility of subsequent due diligence in carrying out their duties according to the contract.  Let's call that, out working - "upholding the law".

 

Corruption is not the only element in the equation. Bribery often encourages and promotes that corruption, sometimes in ways that are so tempting as too good to refuse.

 

Corruption cannot be eliminated but a decent real job towards it, with methods that are likely to work and be measured, would go some way towards their objectives.

 

But why seriously bother? Nothing much has changed in the last 20 years and let's not forget that it is on the record that...

 

"The RTP is doing a wonderful job", and if anyone says anything different, that will be considered a crime against them.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 24, 2022 by ChrisKC
typo

[The Hammer2021]

1 hour ago, RafPinto said:

I always wonder what those "would like to by hobby farang, tourist police guys" are getting for their services.

 

From a bus driver in north england to a tourist police volunteer.

What a career.

They are not careers they are part time. They get good contacts. Some feel they are helping  out. Some are on ego/ power trips.

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Views on how well he is doing are mixed.

From poor to p#ss poor?

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

This brought the total for the year to 36 - 29 sacked and 7 dismissed.

Love to know the percentage of the RTP that equates to.

[AhFarangJa]

"Thai PM continues corruption drive"

Meaning that he is at the head of it.

Should the headline not include the noun lead.........maybe not......maybe the headline is correct....

[Brian Hull]

Even if he can't get rid of corrupt senior cops I would like to see him crack down on indolent ones who don't measure up to their responsibilities. Although Thailand has one of the deadliest traffic records in the world and the main cause is that there is NO police control of motor bikes on the roads (at least in Chiang Mai) they are obviously not answerable to any higher ups. So collecting a pay cheque and perks each month but not assuming any responsibility is one form of corruption.

 

[Mike KIWI]

Only 12 more years to forget that promise. 

[soalbundy]

2 hours ago, Guderian said:

If the government is taking firm action (a big 'if', I know) to end corruption in the police force, then perhaps it would only be fair for the police to take firm action to end corruption in the government. Now that's what I would call a win-win situation for the ordinary Thai folk.

That's why it wont happen

[Mavideol]

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I thought they might be talking about this case, since it hits closer to home for the PM:

 

Thai Army General Jailed in US$1.3 Million Fraud Case

 

A Thai Army General and two other accomplices have been sentenced to jail for colluding to coerce two companies into paying 43 million baht (US$1.35million) for state projects that did not exist.

 

In a ruling yesterday, the Criminal Court in Bangkok found General Sompote Ngerncharoen, 66, Chutikan Boonmee, and Thanankan Nanthadamrongwat guilty of committing fraud.

 

A former assistant leader of a team attached to the chief of staff of the Department of Defence, General Sompote was a former adviser to a commander of the Fourth Region Army.

 

https://www.chiangraitimes.com/crime/thai-army-general-jailed-in-us1-3-million-fraud-case/?noamp=mobile

 

unfortunately the punishment will be a slap on the wrist,  a couple weis (like a mea culpa) and they will be taking an early (well remunerated) retirement

[Artisi]

More smoke and mirrors, very thick smoke and many many mirrors..... 

[Purdey]

While I appreciate that the PM might have his hands tied somewhat by an entrenched culture I saw that 23 officers were expelled from the force in February and thought, "how does that compare with January?"

 

In fact, I would love to see an annual chart of the number of corrupt coppers expelled in order to understand whether the numbers have increased, remained consistent or declined. I would also greatly appreciate knowing how many were imprisoned for corruption. 

 

Of course, one cannot set a target. It is up to what evidence can be gathered.

I also have met some very nice, helpful coppers, so nothing against the whole force. But when a politician says he intends to clean it up, providing statistics will help people when election day comes around as well as bolstering the good reputation of that politician.

[Will B Good]

A good start would an "Unexplained Wealth Law"..........I'd start with a high profile character like Thamanant and find out where he got $42,000,000 to put in his bank account........total pie in the sky of course.

 

Doing something like this would be like the fattest pig at the trough, face covered in food, demanding to know who at all the pies.

[koele2]

Huh huh hahahahahahahahah!   Corruption in Thailand will end when pigs fly.  It’s the lifeblood of this and many other countries.  

[NobbyClarke]

Corruption will stay forever.

Sometimes it's s good thing sometimes it's bad.

Open the windows and give 300baht or go to court and all that entails....

Under the table works well for the non criminals exceptionally well

Don't you agree?

[Paul Henry]

To stop corruption you have to start at the top. Start with politicians and then move down the food chain. Police are about number four in the food chain. Corruption is no different to covid it keeps spreading through the community , however there is no vaccine. 

[clivebaxter]

Maybe he should start at recruitment. When my sister in law went for the entrance exam years ago they were told the pass mark was 400k, she failed!