Cops Top Graft List, Study Finds

[Thaising]

The police force has topped the list of the most corrupt state agencies, according to a study funded by the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

The study was revealed at a two-day seminar on corruption suppression and prevention which ends today, organised by the national anti-graft agency.

NACC adviser Sirilaksana Khoman, a seminar panellist, cited a study on corruption by Saowanee Thairungroj, vice-rector at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.

The NACC-commissioned study looked at the attitudes of businessmen who came into contact with state agencies and politicians.

The study showed about 40% of businessmen who had experience doing business with government agencies said the police force, including highways and traffic police officers, was the most corrupt state agency.

The top five state agencies and officers that businessmen had to pay "extra money" to during the past five months of this year were the Land Department (72.22%), followed by tambon administration organisations (68.52%), provincial administration organisations (60.52%), highways and traffic police (59.08%), and local politicians and influential figures (44.76%).

State agencies where most respondents said they experienced graft include the Customs Department (12.2%) followed by tambon administration organisations (7.8%), and the Land Department (4.8%).

About 17% of respondents said they had come into contact with corrupt politicians.

According to the study, 19% of corrupt practices in the state sector involved officials thinking up unnecessary projects, 14% involved abusing inside information for personal benefits, particularly to buy land, and about 9% was related to bid collusion.

The respondents viewed that corruption in state agencies stemmed from the culture and mindset of giving and receiving kickbacks and working environments in government agencies which are conducive to graft.

Mrs Sirilaksana said that loopholes and inefficiencies in the administration of the state sector were to blame for the endemic corruption.

"The NACC has funded many studies aimed at pointing out the causes of corruption and coming up with suggestions to close the loopholes," Mrs Sirilaksana said.

The best way to combat graft was through prevention supported by the government, NACC commissioner Methi Krongkaew said, adding that research into corruption would support the anti-graft agency's preventive measures against graft.

Speaking at the seminar, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva stressed the need for all sectors of society, particularly young people, to play a part in monitoring and fighting graft.

He said the government wanted state agencies to adopt good governance in their organisations.

News from Bangkok Post Link: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/1798...ist-study-finds

-- Bangkok Post 2009/06/06

Care to share your experience and encounter on this issue?

[pianoman]

And this comes as a Surprise to Whom???

Let's see, they want people to report the "Bribes" requested / suggested by the Police to whom?? And then who is going to protect you from those that you reported???

This problem in Thailand starts at the Top and goes all the way down with most Goverment Officials and Offices, unforturnately there is little chance that anyone can come up with a way to stop or even reduce it...

Pianoman

Edited June 6, 2009 by pianoman

[Dakhar]

[joskydive]

and they had to do a 'sponsored' study to find this out!!!

Edited June 6, 2009 by joskydive

[LennyW]

I cant believe they needed a study to find this out, but even more surprising - they actually published the results!! obviously someone didnt get paid NOT to publish!

[MHM]

To be fair, the study does add interesting percentages showing the extent of perceived corruption across a range of agencies

[Geckos]

Everyone knows this and it will remain this way for another 100 years that's what Thailand is built on !!!

[steelepulse]

I'm shocked

[Thailand]

Stunned

[stumonster]

Does this mean the Thai police are the most disrespectful of their royal commission ?

irony or hypocrisy ?

[grantbkk]

The same researchers also found, after a five year exhaustive study, that fish need water to survive.

[catmac]

Abhisit spouting his usual platitudes, while his puppet-masters are looting the state coffers under his very nose!

Without a real change at the top, I can't see the situation improving anytime soon.

[Mobi]

This study should be pinned.

Then all those idiots who come on Thai Visa and try to tell us that Thai Police are the salt of the earth and that we nasty farangs should stop bad mouthing them and stop accusing them of corruption, can be referred to the report.

[Samuian]

Can anyone imagine the jealousy this "report" will cause within the ranks of the BiB's?

They will feel cheated by the land department - hopefully nobody gets arrested... and charged with graft!

Edited June 6, 2009 by Samuian

[hammered]

This study should be pinned.

Then all those idiots who come on Thai Visa and try to tell us that Thai Police are the salt of the earth and that we nasty farangs should stop bad mouthing them and stop accusing them of corruption, can be referred to the report.

Now what was it the UN described the Thai police as a while back......

[ScubaBuddha]

What's ironic is The National Anti-Corruption Commission took 2nd place.

[EnhancePlus]

What's ironic is The National Anti-Corruption Commission took 2nd place.

Where's Serpico when you need him?

[sriracha john]

Abhisit spouting his usual platitudes, while his puppet-masters are looting the state coffers under his very nose!

Without a real change at the top, I can't see the situation improving anytime soon.

A good, honest cop like Thaksin sure did a lot in his 6 years to clean up the police force...

[harleyclarkey]

Ha...and it took them 2 days to work this out?? Ask any one of us and we could have come to that conclusion in 2 minutes.

The whole system sucks from the top down ....and it always will.

[jalansanitwong]

In a few days from now we will probably learn of a scandal involving the disappearance of public monies earmarked for this study on Thai corruption. Several years ago a commissioner with the counter corruption commission CCC had to step down over allegations of corruption. I dont know why they bother.

[catmac]

Abhisit spouting his usual platitudes, while his puppet-masters are looting the state coffers under his very nose!

Without a real change at the top, I can't see the situation improving anytime soon.

A good, honest cop like Thaksin sure did a lot in his 6 years to clean up the police force...

As always, you try to shift the blame onto Thaksin and the past. Some time soon, you'll have to start living in the present and start taking the present regime's inability to correct any of these faults at its face value.

[sleepyjohn]

Land Department (72.22%), followed by tambon administration organisations (68.52%), provincial administration organisations (60.52%), highways and traffic police (59.08%), and local politicians and influential figures (44.76%).

Can someone explain how the police topped the list?

[Thailand]

Can someone explain how the police topped the list?

Those that did actually top the list paid off those doing the survey to suppress the information.

[RugbyRugbyRugby]

at least this report takes the focus of the politicians......lol

[ScubaBuddha]

Land Department (72.22%), followed by tambon administration organisations (68.52%), provincial administration organisations (60.52%), highways and traffic police (59.08%), and local politicians and influential figures (44.76%).

Can someone explain how the police topped the list?

This is how:

"The study showed about 40% of businessmen who had experience doing business with government agencies said the police force, including highways and traffic police officers, was the most corrupt state agency."

The confusion is a result of poor reporting of a poorly conducted survey. The two paragraphs seem to contradict each other, but reading it carefully, I think it is because the survey had multiple questions each worded differently, and with qualifying questions as well.

We can assume by the title the survey was given only to businessmen. Of those businessmen, those that had "experience doing business with government agencies" said they thought the police were the most corrupt. An objective question, asking what the businessmen "felt." Not very scientific.

Then, second question given to the businessmen was a bit more specific and qualitative. It probably read something like: Which, if any, state agencies have you had to pay "extra money" to during the past five months of this year. The results of this question do not support the businessman's feelings reported in the first question.

So as we see the Land Department actually tops the list, but I think the editors chose to focus on the police because it is more attention grabbing and more interesting and relatable to the average person, as the average person is more likely to have had to bribe a cop than a land official.

As a math teacher of mine once said, there are lies, dam_n lies, and statistics.

Edited June 7, 2009 by Scubabuddha

[sriracha john]

Abhisit spouting his usual platitudes, while his puppet-masters are looting the state coffers under his very nose!

Without a real change at the top, I can't see the situation improving anytime soon.

A good, honest cop like Thaksin sure did a lot in his 6 years to clean up the police force...

As always, you try to shift the blame onto Thaksin and the past. Some time soon, you'll have to start living in the present and start taking the present regime's inability to correct any of these faults at its face value.

Not shifting any blame, just keeping things in perspective... let's give Abhisit the same six years Thaksin had and not six months.

Thai cops have been the "top of the graft list" for 100 years... given that, you can blame every government for what the cops do.

[selftaopath]

Everyone knows this and it will remain this way for another 100 years that's what Thailand is built on !!!

Unfortunately I believe you are absolutely correct; I agree. Corruption is the cause of practically ALL mayhem and undesirable conditions in LOS (LACK OF SANCTIONS). Pity because the Thai people really deserve better, but as my significant other asks," but what can we (the little people) do"? The wealthy and powerful individuals/families have one but one mission, and that is NOT to benefit the whole.

How can this society change when teachers can not give a deserved grade to a student but rather MUST first think of the student's FACE????

[selftaopath]

The same researchers also found, after a five year exhaustive study, that fish need water to survive.

LOL and the researchers were probably being paid handsomely while doing both studies. LOL

[Plus]

Abhisit spouting his usual platitudes, while his puppet-masters are looting the state coffers under his very nose!

That's quite a twist given that neither Abhisit nor the military are mentioned at all.

>>>>

Police and some ministries and agencies are not the news.

TAO and other provincial bodies are a surprise - they have to be voted in locally, if they are so obviously corrupt, how are they getting re-elected? Is it a problem with electorate? If it is, how can you trust this same electorate make clean choices on the national level when they can't keep their local bodies clean?

Maybe we should accept that corruption has become a standard way of governing for Thai society. Is it dangerous? How much? Should it be reduced, or let's just learn to live with it? For some it's unacceptable no matter what, for others it's not such a big deal.

[hammered]

Abhisit spouting his usual platitudes, while his puppet-masters are looting the state coffers under his very nose!

That's quite a twist given that neither Abhisit nor the military are mentioned at all.

>>>>

Police and some ministries and agencies are not the news.

TAO and other provincial bodies are a surprise - they have to be voted in locally, if they are so obviously corrupt, how are they getting re-elected? Is it a problem with electorate? If it is, how can you trust this same electorate make clean choices on the national level when they can't keep their local bodies clean?

Maybe we should accept that corruption has become a standard way of governing for Thai society. Is it dangerous? How much? Should it be reduced, or let's just learn to live with it? For some it's unacceptable no matter what, for others it's not such a big deal.

The problem with those local elections is that standing against the local influentails is just dangerous. I personally know of a few people who have been asked to stand in TAO elections in the lower north of Thailand by farmers and have then been told by local enforcers that to do so would not be in their interest. Not surprisingly none of them decdied to stand telling me it was too dangerous. TAO and PAO are quite corrupt and usually linked to local robber baron network who in turn are usually linked to a politcal party. It is all about control and power at every level and control of how elections pan out has naby facets. At local level making sure there are no viable opponets is just one.