Corruption Threatens To Ruin Thailand, Warns King

[george]

BANGKOK: Corruption threatens to ruin Thailand, warns Bhumibol

BANGKOK: Thailand’s revered monarch King Bhumibol Adulyadej has called on the Thai people to stamp out corruption within a decade or risk leading the country

to ruin, local media reported yesterday.

The king has been deeply disturbed by mounting graft and urged all Thais to lead more modest lives and be satisfied with what they had, Sumeth Tantivechakul, secretary of the king's Chai Pattana Foundation, said in the Nation newspaper.

"The wealthier you are, the more corrupted you become," Sumeth quoted the king as saying.

Most analysts credit the king, the world's longest serving monarch, as the stabilising force which allowed Thailand to develop a constitutional monarchy and strong democratic system.

His call to end corruption within 10 years extends beyond that of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's six-year goal to stamp out socalled dark influences.

Sumeth also fired a broadside at Thaksin's CEO-style of leadership, reportedly saying that Thais should stop emulating imported ideas such as good governance and CEO-style administration.

— AFP 2004-03-19