Anti-Graft Network Urges Scrutiny Of Post-Flood Projects: Thailand

[webfact]

ANTI-CORRUPTION

Anti-graft network urges scrutiny of post-flood projects

Petchanet Pratruangkrai

The Nation

The Anti-Corruption Network (ACN), an alliance of private watchdog groups, will submit a letter to the government outlining three steps it must take to monitor its huge spending towards the country's rehabilitation as the ACN is concerned the projects could lead to corruption.

Sompol Kiatphaibool, committee member of the ACN and chairman of the Stock Exchange of Thailand, said the ACN wants the government to closely monitor three key issues as it could lead to fraud and corruption by involved officials.

First, it called for the government to clearly inform the public about procurements via its website so that every section of society can easily observe the government's actions and procurement. It suggested that the government should inform clearly who have joined the auction, who was chosen, and what is the price offered. The information should be released based on real-time so that it would prove the government's transparency rather than provide retroactive information.

Second, it asked the government to form its own investigation unit to double-check on budget spending. The unit may be outsourced to an external auditor to ensure transparency, and clearly release the investigation results to the public. Also, if the government found any doubtful activities, the government must stringently investigate the case and punish any unscrupulous officials or involved persons.

Finally, it urged the Cabinet to give full authority to the National Anti-Corruption Commission to release information and set up a middle price for the government's bidding and procurement in order to use as a database for keeping an eye on future corruption. So far, the Cabinet has not yet accepted the idea in principle.

Sompol said the ACN will also focus on the worthiness of the budget spending of the government in particular or whether each agency of the government has duplicated work on each project and made inefficient use of the budget.

ACN chairman Pramon Sutivong said the government should stop its special procurement method as it could lead to corruption easily.

"The government did not have the middle price for citation to compare with the market price in many procurement projects. The procurement method is one of the first things that the government needs to revamp," he said.

Wiwat Charoenpanichsiri, director of the ACN Centre, said that it will soon send 10 projects worth a combined Bt1 billion for investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

Since June this year, the centre has received more than 500 complaints about corruption cases from its volunteers and allies. The provincial chamber of commerce will first investigate those cases.

-- The Nation 2011-12-15

[glenfaux]

Who watches the ACN?

just lip service.

[pimay11]

I predict 2012 will be a record setting year for the sales of Benz and BMW in Thailand and maybe another pink Bentley !

[spidermike007]

What is the anti graft network? What are they doing to fight corruption? There seems to be zero effort being made to fight this fight. How many Thai officials have been arrested and jailed in the past year on corruption charges? Until this starts to happen it is a joke, a lie, a deceit, and something far, far beyond disingenuous to say Thailand has an active anti graft commission, or is in any way waging a battle against corruption, or even interested in fighting it. Here is an excerpt from an article I recently read, which validates my long standing argument that Thailand is one of the very few countries in Asia, NOT fighting corruption on an level. Read this. 6,000 government officials were jailed in 2010 for corruption. Almost 1,000 were executed for corruption! Now, that is a fight against corruption!

Critics say corruption has long been one of China’s most chronic problems. Chinese presidents and premiers, including the current leaders Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, have publicly denounced rampant corruption for years, but standards of conduct only seem to deteriorate. Out of 178 countries in Transparency International’s 2010 Corruption Perception Index – which measures the perceived levels of corruption in public sectors – China ranked 78th.

That’s lower than most other developed countries, as well as many developing countries such as Brazil and Cuba.

According to a Beijing News report last May, 24,406 government officials were jailed in 2010 for corruption, up 9.4 percent from 2009. Almost 6,000 of them were sentenced to more than five years in prison.

China is also one of the few countries in the world that executes its citizens on corruption charges. Some of the officials captured in Zhang’s portraits have already been executed, including the former head of the State Food and Drug Administration and the former governor of Guangxi province.

[pimay11]

What is the anti graft network? What are they doing to fight corruption? There seems to be zero effort being made to fight this fight. How many Thai officials have been arrested and jailed in the past year on corruption charges? Until this starts to happen it is a joke, a lie, a deceit, and something far, far beyond disingenuous to say Thailand has an active anti graft commission, or is in any way waging a battle against corruption, or even interested in fighting it. Here is an excerpt from an article I recently read, which validates my long standing argument that Thailand is one of the very few countries in Asia, NOT fighting corruption on an level. Read this. 6,000 government officials were jailed in 2010 for corruption. Almost 1,000 were executed for corruption! Now, that is a fight against corruption!

Critics say corruption has long been one of China's most chronic problems. Chinese presidents and premiers, including the current leaders Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, have publicly denounced rampant corruption for years, but standards of conduct only seem to deteriorate. Out of 178 countries in Transparency International's 2010 Corruption Perception Index – which measures the perceived levels of corruption in public sectors – China ranked 78th.

That's lower than most other developed countries, as well as many developing countries such as Brazil and Cuba.

According to a Beijing News report last May, 24,406 government officials were jailed in 2010 for corruption, up 9.4 percent from 2009. Almost 6,000 of them were sentenced to more than five years in prison.

China is also one of the few countries in the world that executes its citizens on corruption charges. Some of the officials captured in Zhang's portraits have already been executed, including the former head of the State Food and Drug Administration and the former governor of Guangxi province.

Impressive article. If the same policy was implementated here the government would have to be outsourced. There would not be enough politicians left to form a government.

[Skywalker69]

I predict 2012 will be a record setting year for the sales of Benz and BMW in Thailand and maybe another pink Bentley !

Sad but true.

[spidermike007]

What is the anti graft network? What are they doing to fight corruption? There seems to be zero effort being made to fight this fight. How many Thai officials have been arrested and jailed in the past year on corruption charges? Until this starts to happen it is a joke, a lie, a deceit, and something far, far beyond disingenuous to say Thailand has an active anti graft commission, or is in any way waging a battle against corruption, or even interested in fighting it. Here is an excerpt from an article I recently read, which validates my long standing argument that Thailand is one of the very few countries in Asia, NOT fighting corruption on an level. Read this. 6,000 government officials were jailed in 2010 for corruption. Almost 1,000 were executed for corruption! Now, that is a fight against corruption!

Critics say corruption has long been one of China's most chronic problems. Chinese presidents and premiers, including the current leaders Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, have publicly denounced rampant corruption for years, but standards of conduct only seem to deteriorate. Out of 178 countries in Transparency International's 2010 Corruption Perception Index – which measures the perceived levels of corruption in public sectors – China ranked 78th.

That's lower than most other developed countries, as well as many developing countries such as Brazil and Cuba.

According to a Beijing News report last May, 24,406 government officials were jailed in 2010 for corruption, up 9.4 percent from 2009. Almost 6,000 of them were sentenced to more than five years in prison.

China is also one of the few countries in the world that executes its citizens on corruption charges. Some of the officials captured in Zhang's portraits have already been executed, including the former head of the State Food and Drug Administration and the former governor of Guangxi province.

True. Very true. But perhaps at that point the Thai government could start attracting talented, intelligent people, instead of extremely mediocre candidates chosen for their fundraising ability alone. Then the country could start progressing like other countries in the region. I fear this country is heading backwards, and that in 10 or 20 years it may again be an economic backwater. Exactly the opposite of what the King intended. Where is the Anna Hazare of Thailand? Who will step up? If not Anna Hazare, how about a Charlie Bronson type?

Impressive article. If the same policy was implementated here the government would have to be outsourced. There would not be enough politicians left to form a government.

[OzMick]

How can you expect anti-corruption measures from a government whose primary aim is an amnesty/pardon/whitewash for a corrupt politician?

Cue the Thaksin sycophants - "Reconciliation, mandate, popularity, politcally motivated charges, etc, etc, ad infinitum, ad nauseum."

Edited December 16, 2011 by OzMick