SPECIAL REPORT
Media, 'idleness' blamed for lack of progress on graft
Political desk
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Corruption has always been identified as a big problem in Thailand, but the public is apparently giving less priority to solving it. The question is - what happened?

Democrat MP Warong Dechgitvigrom, who has been a key person digging up irregularities in the government's rice-pledging scheme, said it was the media, free TV and newspapers that were not performing their duties as they were supposed to.

The media used to provide investigative reports. When a corruption case was exposed, they would follow and report more angles in the following days. Columnists would also give critical commentary to stimulate social sentiment and actions. However, what happens nowadays is reporting day-to-day news and that is all, he said.

Warong raised the example of the Democrats coming under heavy fire in the case of rotten canned fish found in relief kits distributed by the Abhisit Vejjajiva government. Witoon Nambutr was forced to resign as social development and human security minister. If the media did the same for the rice-pledging scheme, this government would not have survived this long, Warong said.

Some interests, possibly in the form of advertising, are keeping the media silent, he said.

Pheu Thai MP Kokaew Pikulthong said the public does not condone corruption but accepts it because attempts to eradicate graft had failed. Some then changed their mind to accept corruption as long as they also gained something.

"I don't mean that that thinking is right. But people have no choice. No matter who becomes the government, from political parties or from the military, corruption is there," he said.

Vicha Mahakhun, a member of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, said "idle Thais" are pervasive. They do not want to fight, fearing they will get in trouble.

Patronage system

"It's the patronage system that we're accustomed to. When we need something, we go to the authorities or people who have more power than us. This promotes corruption as a way of life," he said.

The rice-pledging scheme is a good example of Thais' idleness, he said. Thailand is an agriculture country, over a million people benefit from the scheme and no one wants to risk being.

While the NACC is in charge of anti-corruption work, the agency had become a byword for slowness. "NACC" stands for "National Anti-Corruption Constipatedly", he said, citing the lengthy legal and procedural requirements hindering the agency's work.

Many pollsters regularly conduct surveys on people's opinions on corruption. Sukhum Chaloeysub from Suan Dusit Poll said Thais might not join in fighting corruption as they believe they can benefit from it, they see legal loopholes or claim the need to cheat because, for example, they have debts to pay. Some also imitated fraudsters as they see cheating people getting way unpunished.

Ten years ago, people were still afraid to cheat as they believed in karma. Many attempts to fight corruption do not seem to be taken seriously, he said.

Sing Singkachorn of Bansomdej Poll said there was a gloomy trend for more and more Thais to accept corruption. He hopes research institutes in collaboration with the media would help draw people to see the vicious consequences and help solve the problem.

Pramon Sutivong from the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand, which includes a network of companies joining its campaign, said movements to stop corruption have not achieved the anticipated results.

The government is ignoring the problem, companies still cooperate with cheaters as they would also benefit from the fraud, government officials still pay to get promoted and the public then lacks an anti-graft conscience, Pramon said.

The media lack guts to dig in and expose corruption, he said.

Pramon said there is no magic bullet to create immediate change, but there has been a good sign in that more people and organisations have come to join his network in the past few years.

"Nothing is certain. Some exposed issues might be completely ignored. But some issues might create changes within one to two months," he said.


-- The Nation 2013-10-21

No surprises here - rather a non-story in fact

Of course nothing to do with the fact that opinion polls show the average Thai sees nothing wrong with corruption as long as it's not ' excessive ' and they can get a piece of the action.

BANGKOK: -- Corruption has always been identified as a big problem in Thailand, but the public is apparently giving less priority to solving it. The question is - what happened?

What happened??? Well, the majority of this country is brainwashed so much beyond brain damage repair, that they lost their common sense and thus are easy targets for populist policy luxury freebies without wanting to work a lick for those

Understatement of the year:

Some then changed their mind to accept corruption as long as they also gained something.

Everyone wants their piece of the pie one way or another.

Idleness. A fair characterization of the entire Thai situation. Stay idle.

No punishment = No Crime.

How can you have corruption fighters, when the persons assigned to fight corruption are on the take? Sounds like Catch 22. Where is the corruption fighter? Taking a kick back, from a politician.

Very good points, the media here seems to be both lazy and apathetic about these kinds of issues. I have seen very little in the way of investigative reporting, by either the newspapers or the TV reporters. Where will the Anna Hazare of Thailand come from? I was reading about a high school student who was leading some protests against corruption, and the Bangkok Post was making him out to be some kind of super freak for doing so. No, he is a hero. He is thinking outside the box, and needs to be rewarded for his courage and creativity. He should be given a freaking medal for being different.

"The question is - what happened?"

The answer is: "Nothing happened". It's not just Thailand. It's a universal phenomenon. People aren't against corruption or discrimination unless it affects them negatively on a personal basis. What many, if not most people want, is to be the ones in power and not the victim. We see this on a regular basis when a regime is overthrown for abusing its power and committing atrocities against a minority or a powerless populace. However, when the new regime takes over, it commits the same atrocities against those who criticize their abuse of power, or against historical "enemies".

So in Thailand, the same thing happens. Polls have indicated that people don't mind corruption if it benefits them personally. To blame the press for only reporting this, is a cop out. Their job is only to report the news. The responsibility for change is in the hands of the public. If the public wants a change, then they can attain this through the polls, in which they do not accept a payment to vote for a particular corrupt candidate.

This article is just another example of how non-committed the general public is and how they believe change will occur if they just wish it upon themselves.

I see that the worthy people noted in the article recognize that corruption exists and also where and how it exists.

They also understand the apathy of the people and the insidious corrupting dangers of the the antiquated patronage system.

Good.

Now do something about it, then.

Simple really.

"The media lack guts to dig in and expose corruption"

You mean like journalist actually asking a politician, policeman or industrial magnate some questions and then doing a bit of legwork and homework; getting the facts, and then writing a story and following up on a story that won't be binned because of the perils of retribution?

Of course nothing to do with the fact that opinion polls show the average Thai sees nothing wrong with corruption as long as it's not ' excessive ' and they can get a piece of the action.

Maybe that is also the fault of the media. If they would tell that beer Chang would cost only 20 Baht without corruption (a bit wide stretched but, less corruption less tax) and the rest gets into Thaksins pocket than maybe some Thais would wake up. While x billions doesn't mean anything to the average Thai (or myself).

Or what does upset you more: Someone steals 1000 Baht from you, or you read in The Nation that the trillion baht anti-flood mega projects show bad performance due to corruption?

Both is stealing from you, but the newspapers don't teach that.

Of course nothing to do with the fact that opinion polls show the average Thai sees nothing wrong with corruption as long as it's not ' excessive ' and they can get a piece of the action.

Maybe that is also the fault of the media. If they would tell that beer Chang would cost only 20 Baht without corruption (a bit wide stretched but, less corruption less tax) and the rest gets into Thaksins pocket than maybe some Thais would wake up. While x billions doesn't mean anything to the average Thai (or myself).

Or what does upset you more: Someone steals 1000 Baht from you, or you read in The Nation that the trillion baht anti-flood mega projects show bad performance due to corruption?

Both is stealing from you, but the newspapers don't teach that.

Newspapers aren't teachers, that job stats with parents. What newspapers do or should do if to inform people of various social happenings in a factual, fair if not unbiased way. To the extent that this is done, is the extent of the relative or absolute truth that we get from them.

Don't blame the media when the law enforcement agencies don't aggressively go after corruption (probably afraid any investigation would lead to one of their bosses), and the population as a whole don't really care or don' feel they can do anything about it. Unfortunately, it's a Thai culture thing and will take at least a generation to change.

Of course nothing to do with the fact that opinion polls show the average Thai sees nothing wrong with corruption as long as it's not ' excessive ' and they can get a piece of the action.

Maybe that is also the fault of the media. If they would tell that beer Chang would cost only 20 Baht without corruption (a bit wide stretched but, less corruption less tax) and the rest gets into Thaksins pocket than maybe some Thais would wake up. While x billions doesn't mean anything to the average Thai (or myself).

Or what does upset you more: Someone steals 1000 Baht from you, or you read in The Nation that the trillion baht anti-flood mega projects show bad performance due to corruption?

Both is stealing from you, but the newspapers don't teach that.

Newspapers aren't teachers, that job stats with parents. What newspapers do or should do if to inform people of various social happenings in a factual, fair if not unbiased way. To the extent that this is done, is the extent of the relative or absolute truth that we get from them.

You are constantly burbling too much common sense to be the local drunk.

So everyone agrees that corruption is a drain on the country's performance, and everyone agrees that someone else should do something about it, as long as it does not hurt their own pocket, and everyone agrees that.......not much is going to change

Don't you just love consensus politics?

Edited October 21, 201312 yr by bangon04

Of course nothing to do with the fact that opinion polls show the average Thai sees nothing wrong with corruption as long as it's not ' excessive ' and they can get a piece of the action.

Maybe that is also the fault of the media. If they would tell that beer Chang would cost only 20 Baht without corruption (a bit wide stretched but, less corruption less tax) and the rest gets into Thaksins pocket than maybe some Thais would wake up. While x billions doesn't mean anything to the average Thai (or myself).

Or what does upset you more: Someone steals 1000 Baht from you, or you read in The Nation that the trillion baht anti-flood mega projects show bad performance due to corruption?

Both is stealing from you, but the newspapers don't teach that.

Newspapers aren't teachers, that job stats with parents. What newspapers do or should do if to inform people of various social happenings in a factual, fair if not unbiased way. To the extent that this is done, is the extent of the relative or absolute truth that we get from them.

You are constantly burbling too much common sense to be the local drunk.

I've always thought the two to be natural concomitants.

Parents are the first ones to teach us what is right and what is wrong and for my teaching greed is immoral same as taking something that does not belong to you is wrong, called stealing in my family, but if the first lot of parents never taught their children right from wrong then it will never get passed down to the next generation of children.

Edited October 21, 201312 yr by metisdead
Font

Of course nothing to do with the fact that opinion polls show the average Thai sees nothing wrong with corruption as long as it's not ' excessive ' and they can get a piece of the action.

Maybe that is also the fault of the media. If they would tell that beer Chang would cost only 20 Baht without corruption (a bit wide stretched but, less corruption less tax) and the rest gets into Thaksins pocket than maybe some Thais would wake up. While x billions doesn't mean anything to the average Thai (or myself).

Or what does upset you more: Someone steals 1000 Baht from you, or you read in The Nation that the trillion baht anti-flood mega projects show bad performance due to corruption?

Both is stealing from you, but the newspapers don't teach that.

Newspapers aren't teachers, that job stats with parents. What newspapers do or should do if to inform people of various social happenings in a factual, fair if not unbiased way. To the extent that this is done, is the extent of the relative or absolute truth that we get from them.

You are constantly burbling too much common sense to be the local drunk.

In Vino Veritas !

Aside from the physiological pressure of the 17 cases or so Thai activists disappeared in the past ten years there is a major constraint on investigative reporting in Thailand i.e.:

Criminal Defamation
Defamation as a criminal act in Thailand is defined by the Thai Criminal Code as a statement made by a person who imputes anything to another in a manner which is likely to impair the reputation of the latter or to expose him to hatred or contempt. Under the same Code, such person is liable for an imprisonment up to two years or he can be ordered by the court to pay a fine of 200,000 Baht or may be both.
Burden of Proof and Available Defense
In Thailand, it is not the duty of the victim or the prosecution that the statement made by the defendant is false. Hence, the burden of proof lies on the defendant to prove that his statements are true. The defense that the defendant did not know his statements to be false is not acceptable in Thailand. Regardless of the truthfulness or falsehood of the statement, once it became a source of an injury which caused damage to the victim, the defendant is liable.

Edited October 21, 201312 yr by simple1

Note, nowhere does he mention that it is basically illegal and should be stamped out with severe punishment.

They will make an effort and try. Bla bla bla

Parents are the first ones to teach us what is right and what is wrong and for my teaching greed is immoral same as taking something that does not belong to you is wrong, called stealing in my family, but if the first lot of parents never taught their children right from wrong then it will never get passed down to the next generation of children.

Followed up by the legal system punishing wrong doing.

There is no hope here for a long time.

if there happy with corruption,fine by me,stay impoverished and debt ridden for the remainder of your miserable excistence,ive given up on them,im getting a very thick skin over this issue now..n.a.t.o...no action talk only...next topic..

Could it have something to do with NEWSPAPER Owners in Thailand, not wanting to "rock the political boat"?

They don't have the Testicular Power to print the truth and would rather just let it wash all over them while they enjoy a long lunch at their club, where everybody gets to pee in every other member's pocket.

Of course nothing to do with the fact that opinion polls show the average Thai sees nothing wrong with corruption as long as it's not ' excessive ' and they can get a piece of the action.

Maybe that is also the fault of the media. If they would tell that beer Chang would cost only 20 Baht without corruption (a bit wide stretched but, less corruption less tax) and the rest gets into Thaksins pocket than maybe some Thais would wake up. While x billions doesn't mean anything to the average Thai (or myself).

Or what does upset you more: Someone steals 1000 Baht from you, or you read in The Nation that the trillion baht anti-flood mega projects show bad performance due to corruption?

Both is stealing from you, but the newspapers don't teach that.

Newspapers aren't teachers, that job stats with parents. What newspapers do or should do if to inform people of various social happenings in a factual, fair if not unbiased way. To the extent that this is done, is the extent of the relative or absolute truth that we get from them.

No they are not teachers, but here they are just lazy cowards. I don't mean the quality newspapers I think for the low quality. It would be in their interest to spice up the stories.

What does sell better: "Corruption Case against former Premier brought before court", or "Thaksin has stolen 1000 Baht from everyone" (and than in the small letters that nothing is proofed and not guilty until court rules blablabla).

As Torrens54 wrote "Could it have something to do with NEWSPAPER Owners in Thailand, not wanting to "rock the political boat"?".

It's a tradition in Thailand. Rocking the boat be very dangerous for the journalist and for the newspaper.

The journalist get some bombs deliver by his front door just to warn him. This most time do the trick and make the journalist walk in "correct" lanes. If not then maybe a kidnap or worse to show who is in power correct the situation.

For the newspaper/tv/radio the change is big that they must come for court and get convicted.to pay heavy fines or worse, threaten with closure.

As elsewhere a very few untouchables are beyond criticism,There is a furthur strata who by maintaining the status quo have a very lush life.The press does not to be gaged its is docile afeared rightly and unable to even discuss certain aspects,

I see little or no chance of improvement in 3 decades as a city worker and now retired to a small Lanna community.

In fact the contray more and more will be indebted and mortage their ancestors scrap of land which could support a family in rags on chikens and offal.Howver such smallholdings don't yield enough for an annual golf or Apple upgrade let alone enough wedge to drag someone down the heart of the capital to their death with impunity.

Mrs Thatcher said there is no such thing as society and locals are proving her right.

Family shops with albeit modest employment are giving way to franchises,local produce to processed food.

Despite lip service to Buddhsm overt consumption is the way of the world.

During my entire experience the safety (excluding no helmet motomadness) food weather and quality of life environment and social civilty superior to western cities I have endured mostly London Sydney and Bristol.

I would admit Ciopenhagen and San Franciso are great places DESPITE their awful weather.What always surprises me is why anyone would spend a day of their precious lungs in Bangkok lest paid handsomely

Many laws and the penal code of Thailand would have to be partly rewritten before anyone would seriously tackle the corruption problem. Lots of talk, but on the end they are afraid for their life’s.

This article 'ducks the issue' and blames the people.

The drive to reduce corruption has to start at the top. The present government could set the chase. First identity corrupt politicians. You know who they are!

You PM Yingluck take them down yourself, you have the power to do that.

Next take civil service criminals down, for Sugar, Palm Oil, Contracts etc.

Fight corruption and you will win. Don't fight and we will all loose and know that you are protecting corruption yourself.