PM axes 45 officials under graft probe with his special powers

[crickets]

What do u expect to fix it? Divine intervetion. I say good start by prayut.

[AleG]

people here complain about Corruption. Then when something is done about it, they have nothing but negative things to say.

What is wrong with you people.

If they are trying to rid corruption, they should be applauded for it..

Sure but if you look closer they are all affiliates with the Reds. Suraphol Thuanthong two years ago arrested a group of traffickers with 5.3 million Yaba pills and is linked to Yingluck. The Udon governor is linked to Yingluck too. Why do they just transfer and let it out in the open what they are accused off.

All seems to be related to the past Yingluck Government so I call it selective targeting. If they have done something wrong charge them in court.

Being selective is hand picking two people out of 45 and using that as a representative sample.

And what of it if some of them are people installed by Thaksin's political machine? It's obvious to any objective observer that machine is/was a vehicle for graft from its inception, from the top down the idea was to get the hand in the cookie jar.

Edited May 16, 2015 by AleG

[cumgranosalum]

At least the general is doing something positive for the country .

I find that an unbelievably naive interpretation of the situation.

[cumgranosalum]

people here complain about Corruption. Then when something is done about it, they have nothing but negative things to say.

What is wrong with you people.

If they are trying to rid corruption, they should be applauded for it..

Sure but if you look closer they are all affiliates with the Reds. Suraphol Thuanthong two years ago arrested a group of traffickers with 5.3 million Yaba pills and is linked to Yingluck. The Udon governor is linked to Yingluck too. Why do they just transfer and let it out in the open what they are accused off.

All seems to be related to the past Yingluck Government so I call it selective targeting. If they have done something wrong charge them in court.

Being selective is hand picking two people out of 45 and using that as a representative sample.

And what of it if some of them are people installed by Thaksin's political machine? It's obvious to any objective observer that machine is/was a vehicle for graft from its inception, from the top down the idea was to get the hand in the till.

And it would be daft of any objective observer to think that the situation is any different now

Edited May 16, 2015 by cumgranosalum

[lucky11]

At least the general is doing something positive for the country .

I find that an unbelievably naive interpretation of the situation.

You didn't finish your sentence so let me do it for you.

.............that I hold!!

[The Deerhunter]

Perhaps it means moved to inactive posts on full pay for an indeterminate period. But I hope it means "AXED"!!!!!!! It has taken him time to get to this but let us now hope that the delay was him checking his facts on people and not the inertia we were all concerned was the problem. Let us hope this is just the start, and that the the motivation is really genuine gross corruption house clearing & not party or ideological political house clearing. If it really is the former, then, "Go for it, General! Keep up the good work. Thailand desperately needs it and the rest of the world now is finally aware and focused, thanks to the recent "humanitarian issues" headlines"

Edited May 16, 2015 by The Deerhunter

[cumgranosalum]

The corrupt axing the corrupt. I'd love to have a database to cross reference to find out which color of shirt appointed these people. It would be interesting to know the backgrounds of their replacements.

Consolidation of power comes to mind.

Interesting point NS.

Now can you tell us how say, the PTP would do things differently if they were in power ?

Some of the wording you used in your post made me think of the Shins for some reason.

THis is a false dichotomy - to suggest that because B is no different then argument A doesn't stand is of course patently nonsense

[jamesjohnsonthird]

At least the general is doing something positive for the country .

My lord. Some people are really in the dark.

I guess I can't blame them since the local press is crooked/controled/censored and the legitimate stuff is blocked/banned.

[AleG]

people here complain about Corruption. Then when something is done about it, they have nothing but negative things to say.

What is wrong with you people.

If they are trying to rid corruption, they should be applauded for it..

Sure but if you look closer they are all affiliates with the Reds. Suraphol Thuanthong two years ago arrested a group of traffickers with 5.3 million Yaba pills and is linked to Yingluck. The Udon governor is linked to Yingluck too. Why do they just transfer and let it out in the open what they are accused off.

All seems to be related to the past Yingluck Government so I call it selective targeting. If they have done something wrong charge them in court.

Being selective is hand picking two people out of 45 and using that as a representative sample.

And what of it if some of them are people installed by Thaksin's political machine? It's obvious to any objective observer that machine is/was a vehicle for graft from its inception, from the top down the idea was to get the hand in the till.

An it would be daft of any objective observer to think that the situation is any different now

I don't think you understand what "objective" means.

It means, for example, that if you follow Thaksin's and Prayuth's carriers you will see that they went in a very different way; Thaksin systematically used access to government to enrich and entrench in power himself and his clan, that is beyond dispute. Intimating that Prayuth is the same, without bothering to substantiate it is not objectivity, it's mudslinging.

[cumgranosalum]

At least the general is doing something positive for the country .

I find that an unbelievably naive interpretation of the situation.

You didn't finish your sentence so let me do it for you.

.............that I hold!!

As a piece of nonsense that appears to be on a par with your other ideas

[Gunna]

If all the officials dismissed are "Red Shirts" or sympathizers or appointed by the Pheu Thai government than all this is nothing more than routing out the opposition and nothing to do with corruption.

As someone above said...the whole story would be revealed if we knew the affiliation of these officials.

Even if they are all PTP affiliates, it may just mean they were more openly corrupt because they thought they would be protected from investigation, eg Tarrit at DSI etc was never going to investigate them and PTP had cut the funding to NACC which already had thousands of cases on it's books.

[Artisi]

The corrupt axing the corrupt. I'd love to have a database to cross reference to find out which color of shirt appointed these people. It would be interesting to know the backgrounds of their replacements.

Consolidation of power comes to mind.

Interesting point NS.

Now can you tell us how say, the PTP would do things differently if they were in power ?

Some of the wording you used in your post made me think of the Shins for some reason.

Would the PTP have something like article 44 at their disposal?

Not needed by PTP - they just changed the rules to suit themselves and the situation at the behest of a fugitive criminal. So guess that meets with the approval of their ilk. Edited May 16, 2015 by Artisi

[NongKhaiKid]

It doesn't matter who runs this country a they all operate the same by moving the goalposts to protect their own then moving them back to screw their opponents.

[Artisi]

I'll take him seriously when he disbands the Thai Occupation Army.

And re-instates the PTP enabling a fugitive criminal to once again pull the strings and bleed the country dry, fund thugs to run riot and murder people who disagree with their ideals while promising everyone who believes that they are only interested in the welfare of all Thai people. Yep sounds like your ideal solution.

[Remi080]

Forty five down, thousands to go.

yes you are correct, Thailand is changing I hope it continues Singapore style

[craigt3365]

A few posts discussing a delicate subject have been removed from view. Hope you understand.

[Thaddeus]

If all the officials dismissed are "Red Shirts" or sympathizers or appointed by the Pheu Thai government than all this is nothing more than routing out the opposition and nothing to do with corruption.

As someone above said...the whole story would be revealed if we knew the affiliation of these officials.

If is a very large word.

I would bet my backside on these officials having more affiliation with money, and suck up to whoever is driving the gravy train.

[Muirton]

At least the general is doing something positive for the country .

I find that an unbelievably naive interpretation of the situation.

Perhaps impressive naiveté, perhaps impressive stupidity.

[FreddieJ2]

The Udon governor is linked to Yingluck too.

All seems to be related to the past Yingluck Government so I call it selective targeting.

Could you expound on your info please?

I didn't find any particular link that would suggest any exceptional closeness to Yingluck and your alleged "selective targeting".

If you live in Udon you would understand how things were here when PTP and the reds ran the show.

Anything more specific?

Particularly related to this man and Yingluck?

One would presume all governors appointed by her were to some degree close. So that one could say that if any governor appointed was involved in any wrongdoing for any reason at any time would be "selective targeting".

The Reds were fanatical in nearly all Issan provinces. Just what sets this particular person apart.

[kaorop]

It would be interesting to know when the NACC started this investigation, and what transpired to identify these 45 persons as corrupt.

The list submitted at the beginning of April by the NACC had over 100 names on it according to reports so it begs the question of what happened to the others.

they are wearing the yellow invisibility cloak?

[FreddieJ2]

It would be interesting to know when the NACC started this investigation, and what transpired to identify these 45 persons as corrupt.

The list submitted at the beginning of April by the NACC had over 100 names on it according to reports so it begs the question of what happened to the others.

they are wearing the yellow invisibility cloak?

Name one. We'll wait.

[quandow]

Goddammit, can't these reporters get things straight, particularly with critical details?!?!?

"Transferred" is not the same as "Axed!"

45 officials in the title but 44 officials several times in the body?

Any and all credibility flushed down the toilet. Again.

[Strangebrew]

Maybe it is Alice in Wonderland Style off with there heads . Nah wishful Thinking

[Jim walker]

So now another new 45 friends of the general can get their snout's in the trough

[piersbeckett]

This is great news, and hopefully the first of many similar positive steps towards a more efficient and accountable state.

Corruption might seem to some people that it is a winner in the short term, but the damage it does to the surrounding mechanisms of state and the confidence of the working population in general, is on such a macro scale that ultimately everyone loses out, even the larcenists. You can't milk a dead cow.

I believe that most military men understand this better than most politicians. A military man knows that you can't have an efficient army if you are stealing their food and basic privileges. The same is true of politics, you can't have a prosperous nation if the workforce is being milked dry by corruption in state. Without regulating to ensure an accountable 'give take' balance, it will always decay into nothing but 'take' and eventually of course, there will be absolutely nothing left for anyone to take, not even for the rascals that caused it all with their corruption.

I think the test will come in the drafting of the 'basic law' (the constitution) and ratification thereof by the populace; when we see corruption outlawed effectively e.g. 'whistle blowing' in the public sector including the military and the police stated as a duty and complicity inferred by failure so to do and meaningful, publicised punishments given to miscreants by impartial constitutional judiciary.

International trade is also adversely affected by corruption and the lack of democracy doesn't improve trade with western style, democratic countries. The voting system itself is an important aspect of democracy and should IMO be tackled by inclusion in the 'basic law' including legislation regarding candidate qualification i.e. not just money and of course vote buying.

As I'm writing this, I'm thinking, 'as if'! As mentioned in a previous post Universities need to 'turn out' better graduates in economics, politics and law which might require much more emphasis generally in the education system on learning English and the employment of more foreign professors.

The need for change is undoubtedly recognised by 'the power that is' but contributors to this forum and apparently the committee tasked with writing the constitution mostly worry that without real legitimacy it's meaningless in the long term.

[Freed1948]

TRANSFER

45 govt officials transferred over corruption charges

The Nation

The order also lists the ad hoc positions created to accommodate the 44 officials.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/45-govt-officials-transferred-over-corruption-char-30260231.html

Well, I'm not quite sure what an "an hoc" position is in the parlance of Thai government bureaucracy.

But it seems The Nation here has answered the question I posed above:

These bureaucrats aren't being FIRED from government service, at least not yet.

They're just being removed from their prior positions, and transferred to sit on a shelf somewhere, presumably continuing to receive government pay.

Will any of them ever actually be fired from government service or prosecuted for their alleged corruption? Will any of us live long enough to ever see the culmination of that?

The other paper reports that they will not receive salaries!

[geriatrickid]

Well done, Mr. Prayut. Bravo and thank you.

Why? What did he do? All that happened is that allegedly corrupt officials were TRANSFERRED to other positions.

How does a transfer help? If someone is corrupt, he or she will remain corrupt unless permanently stopped. Until these culprits are charged, and convicted and their alleged avails of crime seized, NOTHING has been done. This is just PR to show the military administration is doing something.

[Orac]

It would be interesting to know when the NACC started this investigation, and what transpired to identify these 45 persons as corrupt.

The list submitted at the beginning of April by the NACC had over 100 names on it according to reports so it begs the question of what happened to the others.

they are wearing the yellow invisibility cloak?

Name one. We'll wait.

How - the list was not released so we don't know who they are.

All they have made public is that a list of 'over a hundred' people who the NACC found evidence against of being involved in corruption was submitted to Prayuth at the beginning of April so either over half these people have been excluded from further investigation or the list has been split down for some reason. Either way the PMs office have been selective with the list they were given.

[Srikcir]

"axed" typically means "fired."

In a democratic system people who are charged with a crime are usually suspened with pay pending the outcome of prosecution. By use of DUE PROCESS OF LAW a person has the opportunity to face his accussers and defend himself.

Under Article 44 there is no due process of law. The Junta alone decides what your legal rights are and there is not even consistency or equality to such determinations. So if you're on the NAAC LIST for suspected crimes, you're fired. How is the sludgehammer of Article 44 part of the road to democracy when its use is more appropriate to totalitarian rule?

It's no coincidence that Article 44 can only operate under a Junta-created Charter as it would otherwise be illegal under the 1997, 2007, and draft 2015 constitutions! Use of Article 44 for any purpose, no matter how noble, is an affront to the sovereignty of the Thai peoples.

[craigt3365]

The list was released in the Royal Gazette yesterday. Some of the names and their positions are listed in an article on the Bangkok Post. Please, no links here.