Thai politics: Outgunned graft busters look to reform from the top

[webfact]

BURNING ISSUE
Outgunned graft busters look to reform from the top
PIYAPORN WONGRUANG

BANGKOK: -- IN ITS FIGHT against corruption, Thailand has long placed high hopes on a principal organisation like the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and the recently established Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC).

=But the latest performance records of the two agencies may have prompted those interested in anti-corruption issues to raise their eyebrows with disbelief: why have they been so sluggish in tackling the problem - often dubbed "a cancer" in the country?

The most updated 2013 performance report of the NACC shows that the commission accumulated 10,692 corruption cases during that budget year. At the end of year, it managed to wrap up investigations against 2,200 cases. But it succeeded in ruling on crimes against a mere 96 cases.

Looking at the PACC's performance records, the number of successful cases is no less unimpressive.

The PACC said since it was established in 2008 to chase after low-ranking state officials, over 19,000 corruption cases have flooded its office. Over the years, the PACC has managed to complete investigations into 9,000 cases - and yet 200 is the number the commission has managed to pinpoint for lawbreaking.

If these performance figures were enough to raise eyebrows, there's more to come: the PACC has confirmed that only four cases so far have reached the inside of a courtroom.

During a recent interview with The Nation, PACC secretary- general Prayong Preeyachitt conceded the problem might be way beyond officials' power to deal with it.

"My officers have been working non-stop, but with only four cases sent to court, you can see that it hardly affects - or changes - anything for the better," said Prayong.

Prayong is so right to say that corruption has spurred ahead and grown more complex nowadays, and it is time for concerned agencies to adjust themselves to the new challenges.

In fact, his agency has been trying hard and doing better thanks to back-up from the military government, which helped strengthen its power to chase after the heads of state agencies who failed to suppress corruption.

The NACC itself seems to have realised the situation as well, coming up with a critical amendment to its anti-corruption law. From now on it will demand the utmost penalties be given to high-ranking state officials as well as political office holders found guilty of serious corruption. The law has also been extended to foreign state officials or personnel of foreign organisations, as well as bribers - the first time in the country's anti-corruption history.

But as the chiefs of the two principal anti-corruption agencies have realised, corruption may have been way beyond their power; indeed, to fight against corruption, a major reform may not yet be enough for just these two agencies.

The latest version of the draft charter provides a ray of hope that corruption can be tackled more seriously by political office holders, one of the most problematic figures in the country's corruption challenge as they have direct influence over state offices.

The charter bans politicians who have committed serious corruption from entering politics for a lifetime, a punishment that has become controversial and heatedly debated so far and is yet to see a happy ending for any concerned party.

Still, all these efforts are falling apart despite the concerned parties' efforts to close all the loopholes. At the recent seminar held by the anti-corruption committee of the National Reform Council (NRC), it was agreed that probably the two agencies needed to integrate their work - as well as working along with other agencies to suppress corruption more effectively.

But to be able to do so, what we probably need most is a new compass that can help guide us in the same direction. We need a comprehensive, national strategy where all efforts of prevention and suppression against corruption are put together to fight against this growing cancer, something that is still lacking regardless of all attempts.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Outgunned-graft-busters-look-to-reform-from-the-to-30265122.html

-- The Nation 2015-07-24

[robblok]

I really hope they go for the lifetime ban, that really means punishment for those caught.. banished from politics.. no longer able to skim money. I understand the PTP being against it as they have the most corrupt politicians. (been in power the longest so my statement of most corrupt politicians is true)

It just shows that the PTP is pro corruption, YL demonstrated as much by including 26.000 corruption cases in her amnesty. The few democrat politicians against this are idiots too and people we can better do without. Also it was YL who slashed the budget of the NACC with 50%.. so they had less capacity to go after her corrupt government. (fact)

Also they have to look at ways to get the money they stole back, because that is punishment too.

Furthermore its a big shame that the NACC and PAC are so ineffictive.. changes need to be made. But at least Prayut is stepping in the right way unlike the PTP who stepped back with the slashing of funds of the anti corruption agency by 50% and wanting to put 26.000 corruption cases in the amnesty.

Too bad the red cheerleaders wont admit this.

[bamnutsak]

The most updated 2013 performance report of the NACC shows that the commission accumulated 10,692 corruption cases during that budget year. At the end of year, it managed to wrap up investigations against 2,200 cases. But it succeeded in ruling on crimes against a mere 96 cases.

The PACC said since it was established in 2008 to chase after low-ranking state officials, over 19,000 corruption cases have flooded its office. Over the years, the PACC has managed to complete investigations into 9,000 cases - and yet 200 is the number the commission has managed to pinpoint for lawbreaking.

Given the figures maybe they should just disband these organizations? Just use Article 44 to jail the targeted Reds and be done with it.

Or maybe form yet another Commission, or seven, via the new Charter?

[englishoak]

Were 93 of those cases les majeste ones or against actual criminals for a change ?

[halloween]

The most updated 2013 performance report of the NACC shows that the commission accumulated 10,692 corruption cases during that budget year. At the end of year, it managed to wrap up investigations against 2,200 cases. But it succeeded in ruling on crimes against a mere 96 cases.

The PACC said since it was established in 2008 to chase after low-ranking state officials, over 19,000 corruption cases have flooded its office. Over the years, the PACC has managed to complete investigations into 9,000 cases - and yet 200 is the number the commission has managed to pinpoint for lawbreaking.

Given the figures maybe they should just disband these organizations? Just use Article 44 to jail the targeted Reds and be done with it.

Or maybe form yet another Commission, or seven, via the new Charter?

Or increase their funding. Too logical?

It sure beats launching a huge campaign to STOP Corruption with parades and TV appearances while reducing the agencies ability to perform. But about right for PM that had the definition of perjury changed to protect the guilty.

[bamnutsak]

Or increase their funding.

I didn't see anything in the OP article indicating a need for more funds?

I suspect that more funds, and more organizations/commissions/laws would merely increase the numbers entering the funnel, and any trickle out of the funnel (convictions) could be matched by simply invoking Article 44, trying the Reds in Military courts, finding them guilty and jailing them. What's the point of having such great powers and just using them to scare street racers and lottery vendors?

[robblok]

Or increase their funding.

I didn't see anything in the OP article indicating a need for more funds?

I suspect that more funds, and more organizations/commissions/laws would merely increase the numbers entering the funnel, and any trickle out of the funnel (convictions) could be matched by simply invoking Article 44, trying the Reds in Military courts, finding them guilty and jailing them. What's the point of having such great powers and just using them to scare street racers and lottery vendors?

Under YL their funding was slashed with 50%, now that affected their performance, but when the junta came in power they got funds again. So now they don't need that much more and can function again.

YL effectively crippled the NACC by cutting funding by such a huge percentage, no wonder they did not function good. Strange for a PM who said she was against corruption.. wink wink

Anyway even with the 50% less funding they should have performed better, but now with the new laws and new funding at least something is changing for the better instead of for the worse under YL.

[bamnutsak]

Under YL their funding was slashed with 50%, now that affected their performance, but when the junta came in power they got funds again. So now they don't need that much more and can function again.

So we should infer that pre-YL the NACC and PACC had a greatly improved performance? Please feel free to share both annual funding figures, and annual results so we can further understand your "opinion".

[halloween]

Under YL their funding was slashed with 50%, now that affected their performance, but when the junta came in power they got funds again. So now they don't need that much more and can function again.

So we should infer that pre-YL the NACC and PACC had a greatly improved performance? Please feel free to share both annual funding figures, and annual results so we can further understand your "opinion".

"...the recently established Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC)."

[Down the rabbit hole]

Setting aside the polemic of the rabid, leg-biting Thaksin-haters (of which there are a few), any sane person must concede that corruption in Thailand is out of control.

Corruption extends from the pooyai-baan right to the very top, they're all at it, and to single out politicians or shirt-colour is juvenile and - well, frankly stupid.

The most corrupt organisations in Thailand, by popular acclaim, evidence and personal experience, are

1. The Royal Thai Armed Forces (money graft)

2. The Royal Thai Police Force (money graft)

3. The Civil Service (money graft)

4. The Judiciary (Policy and judgement graft)

5. Government administration at all levels (money and policy graft)

If it is not already, Thailand is now perilously close to being an actual (if not internationally recognised - yet) failed state.

For as long as the Armed forces are allowed (encouraged even) to engage in trafficking and attacking the Thai people, for as long as the Police are allowed to accept money from the Thai people to do a job, and then accept bribes not to do that job, for as long as Judges apply judicial decisions on the basis of what they or someone else thinks they ought to do rather than what the evidence requires them to do, for as long as corruption extends from the very bottom to the very top of Thai society, this farce will not improve. And make no mistake, the outside world has begun to understand what the Thais think is a secret. The propaganda failure (that Thais are honest, hardworking and well-educated Buddhist angels) is now evident to many, and will become more and more evident as time passes and ridiculous soldiers continue to feel they have the right to oust democratically elected governments who pay them on behalf of the Thai people to defend the country from outside threat and peril.

Prayuth must do what his fanbois say he is already doing and imprison corrupt people, not transfer them on full pay. He must tackle corruption wherever it is present, not wherever it is convenient for him to see it (vide the A/V system at Parliament House and his brother claiming army bank accounts as his own property). Perhaps he should start by investigatting his brother and undergoing a test himself of being unusually wealthy - that would at least start the process of establishing his believability, because right now he is widely seen outside royalist circles, as a muppet of limited intelligence and almost zero ability, whose mission is merely to retain control and leverage for the armed forces - allegedly on behalf of someone else.

It really is a shame. Thailand could easily be a good place, I understand it used to be a good place but it seems not to be any more. Of course the idiocracy who blame Thaiksin for all things will do so again, but this has nothing to do wih Thaksin, it is a failure of the educational, judicial and law-enforcement systems country-wide, and who you vote for is irrelevant because (as I said before) they're all at it - especially the welthy and the various mafias, who almost to a person never ever voted for a Shinawatra, nor would ever do so).

One might well ask who is ultimately responsible for the shape of Thailand today. In my view, it isn't Thaksin or even any one person. and it isn't the red shirts. All Thais are corrupt with the exception of a very, very few and most of even they are borderline dishonest. It's fast becoming a national characteristic if it isn't already - it's certainly becoming clear to outsiders just what Thailand is and why, and just what Thais are and why.

The chickens *will* come home to roost. In fact if you listen carefully, even now, you can hear the gentle flutter of feathered wings. They're on their way, and the rest of the world will make a pariah of Thailand if it does not change its ideas and direction. Thailand badly needs to climb off the North Korea and Burma models very quickly, because the international community will not stand for it, and that matters despite all the anti-foreigner bluster and BS that comes out of the mouths of the kleptocracy.

My opinion.

Edited July 24, 2015 by Down the rabbit hole

[bamnutsak]

Under YL their funding was slashed with 50%, now that affected their performance, but when the junta came in power they got funds again. So now they don't need that much more and can function again.

So we should infer that pre-YL the NACC and PACC had a greatly improved performance? Please feel free to share both annual funding figures, and annual results so we can further understand your "opinion".

"...the recently established Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC)."

From the article...

"The PACC said since it was established in 2008..."

[EnglishJohn]

The most corrupt organisations in Thailand, by popular acclaim, evidence and personal experience, are

1. The Royal Thai Armed Forces (money graft)

2. The Royal Thai Police Force (money graft)

3. The Civil Service (money graft)

4. The Judiciary (Policy and judgement graft)

5. Government administration at all levels (money and policy graft)

My opinion.

So please give us your evidence and personal experience of the corruption in the Armed Forces. Or is that one just 'popular acclaim' with your red-shirt friends ?.

I DO have personal experience of the Armed Forces and for sure everything they do is laced with corruption like most of Thai society.

But do not put them on a pedestal above that last lot of dirty cronies who voted 310:0 to pass a disgraceful amnesty bill, threw away billions to their supporters in the rice scheme despite repeated warnings about the corruption and tried to take MASSIVE loans off-budget to be syphoned away.

I sincerely hope you just put that list as typical red-shirt hypocrisy, because if you really believe it then the ignorance of the Pheu-Thai supporter is worse than I thought.

[Bob12345]

The most corrupt organisations in Thailand, by popular acclaim, evidence and personal experience, are

1. The Royal Thai Armed Forces (money graft)

2. The Royal Thai Police Force (money graft)

3. The Civil Service (money graft)

4. The Judiciary (Policy and judgement graft)

5. Government administration at all levels (money and policy graft)

My opinion.

So please give us your evidence and personal experience of the corruption in the Armed Forces. Or is that one just 'popular acclaim' with your red-shirt friends ?.

I DO have personal experience of the Armed Forces and for sure everything they do is laced with corruption like most of Thai society.

But do not put them on a pedestal above that last lot of dirty cronies who voted 310:0 to pass a disgraceful amnesty bill, threw away billions to their supporters in the rice scheme despite repeated warnings about the corruption and tried to take MASSIVE loans off-budget to be syphoned away.

I sincerely hope you just put that list as typical red-shirt hypocrisy, because if you really believe it then the ignorance of the Pheu-Thai supporter is worse than I thought.

Yes, Downtherabbithole, please give us evidence of how large corruption actually is for each group, preferably split out per person with accompanying proof.

And once you have done that all by yourself, something 2 government institutions with hundreds of employees and a full mandate can not even handle to make a decent start with, then we will listen to what more you have to say. Until then, its all "red-shirt hypocacry".

/sarcasm & stupidity

[heybruce]

"We need a comprehensive, national strategy where all efforts of prevention and suppression against corruption are put together to fight against this growing cancer, something that is still lacking regardless of all attempts."

Are there any efforts to prevent corruption? All I read about are efforts to catch and punish people after the fact. That is akin to trying to prevent bank robberies by leaving bank doors unlocked and money in plain sight, then attempting to catch people after they steal it.

Preventing corruption requires transparency in government, conflict of interest rules so strict they ban even the appearance of conflict of interest, regular financial disclosure by all government employees in a position to influence spending or policy, and strict enforcement of these rules. The current and past governments have shown no interest in this kind of effective corruption prevention.

[Down the rabbit hole]

So please give us your evidence and personal experience of the corruption in the Armed Forces. Or is that one just 'popular acclaim' with your red-shirt friends ?.

OK. So. you insult me by saying I have red-shirt friends (which you don't know) and that I didn't provide specific evidence of what anyone with a brain, 2 eyes to read and 2 ears to l;isten already knows. OK. I think I got that.

I DO have personal experience of the Armed Forces and for sure everything they do is laced with corruption like most of Thai society.

Then why the hell are you asking me for more?

But do not put them on a pedestal above that last lot of dirty cronies who voted 310:0 to pass a disgraceful amnesty bill, threw away billions to their supporters in the rice scheme despite repeated warnings about the corruption and tried to take MASSIVE loans off-budget to be syphoned away.

So the elected Thai parliament considers a bill which is democratically submitted but which you personally don't like. And that's corruption is it? Has any corruption been proved relating to the rice subsidy scheme or is that just something else you personally did not like? Forgive me for asking, but are you an elected Thai MP? If not, perhaps you should leave running of the country to them. For good or ill.

I sincerely hope you just put that list as typical red-shirt hypocrisy, because if you really believe it then the ignorance of the Pheu-Thai supporter is worse than I thought.

There you go with the leg-biting again. I do not support Phuea Thai - I never did. I just don't support treason and the stupid people that think itreason can ever be justified. You and I are clearly not the same.

Forgive the observation but your whole post is just stupid enough for you to be an American. One problem with a lot of Thais is starting their mouth up before engaging brain. Perhaps it's catching - can you get it from bar-girls maybe?

Edited July 24, 2015 by Down the rabbit hole

[Down the rabbit hole]

The most corrupt organisations in Thailand, by popular acclaim, evidence and personal experience, are

1. The Royal Thai Armed Forces (money graft)

2. The Royal Thai Police Force (money graft)

3. The Civil Service (money graft)

4. The Judiciary (Policy and judgement graft)

5. Government administration at all levels (money and policy graft)

My opinion.

So please give us your evidence and personal experience of the corruption in the Armed Forces. Or is that one just 'popular acclaim' with your red-shirt friends ?.

I DO have personal experience of the Armed Forces and for sure everything they do is laced with corruption like most of Thai society.

But do not put them on a pedestal above that last lot of dirty cronies who voted 310:0 to pass a disgraceful amnesty bill, threw away billions to their supporters in the rice scheme despite repeated warnings about the corruption and tried to take MASSIVE loans off-budget to be syphoned away.

I sincerely hope you just put that list as typical red-shirt hypocrisy, because if you really believe it then the ignorance of the Pheu-Thai supporter is worse than I thought.

Yes, Downtherabbithole, please give us evidence of how large corruption actually is for each group, preferably split out per person with accompanying proof.

And once you have done that all by yourself, something 2 government institutions with hundreds of employees and a full mandate can not even handle to make a decent start with, then we will listen to what more you have to say. Until then, its all "red-shirt hypocacry".

/sarcasm & stupidity

Indeed.

[Down the rabbit hole]

"We need a comprehensive, national strategy where all efforts of prevention and suppression against corruption are put together to fight against this growing cancer, something that is still lacking regardless of all attempts."

Are there any efforts to prevent corruption? All I read about are efforts to catch and punish people after the fact. That is akin to trying to prevent bank robberies by leaving bank doors unlocked and money in plain sight, then attempting to catch people after they steal it.

Preventing corruption requires transparency in government, conflict of interest rules so strict they ban even the appearance of conflict of interest, regular financial disclosure by all government employees in a position to influence spending or policy, and strict enforcement of these rules. The current and past governments have shown no interest in this kind of effective corruption prevention.

I believe there are no and will be no serious efforts to stamp out corruption in Thailand - for 2 reasons.

1. Corruption is a part of the Thai psyche and has been for at least a century.

2. Those tasked with the thankless and low paid job of combatting corruuption know where all corruption leads to and what is the most corrupt organisation in Thailand.

So nothing will be done until Thailand is declared a failed state. Then they'll blame someone else. Probably the Americans, though that would be at least partly justified imho.

Edited July 24, 2015 by Down the rabbit hole

[IMA_FARANG]

There are latterly thousands of ordinary people who don't want "graft" but are perfectly happy to use a little "tea money" to get favors done for them in dealings with the government.

They don't see that "tea money" as corruption.

In the same way there are many men and women who wouldn't "cheat" on the marriage but would never consider a little "harmless flirting' to be "cheating".

As the saying goes deep denial is not just a river that flows through the desert in Egypt.

[MZurf]

Setting aside the polemic of the rabid, leg-biting Thaksin-haters (of which there are a few), any sane person must concede that corruption in Thailand is out of control.

Corruption extends from the pooyai-baan right to the very top, they're all at it, and to single out politicians or shirt-colour is juvenile and - well, frankly stupid.

The most corrupt organisations in Thailand, by popular acclaim, evidence and personal experience, are

1. The Royal Thai Armed Forces (money graft)

2. The Royal Thai Police Force (money graft)

3. The Civil Service (money graft)

4. The Judiciary (Policy and judgement graft)

5. Government administration at all levels (money and policy graft)

If it is not already, Thailand is now perilously close to being an actual (if not internationally recognised - yet) failed state.

For as long as the Armed forces are allowed (encouraged even) to engage in trafficking and attacking the Thai people, for as long as the Police are allowed to accept money from the Thai people to do a job, and then accept bribes not to do that job, for as long as Judges apply judicial decisions on the basis of what they or someone else thinks they ought to do rather than what the evidence requires them to do, for as long as corruption extends from the very bottom to the very top of Thai society, this farce will not improve. And make no mistake, the outside world has begun to understand what the Thais think is a secret. The propaganda failure (that Thais are honest, hardworking and well-educated Buddhist angels) is now evident to many, and will become more and more evident as time passes and ridiculous soldiers continue to feel they have the right to oust democratically elected governments who pay them on behalf of the Thai people to defend the country from outside threat and peril.

Prayuth must do what his fanbois say he is already doing and imprison corrupt people, not transfer them on full pay. He must tackle corruption wherever it is present, not wherever it is convenient for him to see it (vide the A/V system at Parliament House and his brother claiming army bank accounts as his own property). Perhaps he should start by investigatting his brother and undergoing a test himself of being unusually wealthy - that would at least start the process of establishing his believability, because right now he is widely seen outside royalist circles, as a muppet of limited intelligence and almost zero ability, whose mission is merely to retain control and leverage for the armed forces - allegedly on behalf of someone else.

It really is a shame. Thailand could easily be a good place, I understand it used to be a good place but it seems not to be any more. Of course the idiocracy who blame Thaiksin for all things will do so again, but this has nothing to do wih Thaksin, it is a failure of the educational, judicial and law-enforcement systems country-wide, and who you vote for is irrelevant because (as I said before) they're all at it - especially the welthy and the various mafias, who almost to a person never ever voted for a Shinawatra, nor would ever do so).

One might well ask who is ultimately responsible for the shape of Thailand today. In my view, it isn't Thaksin or even any one person. and it isn't the red shirts. All Thais are corrupt with the exception of a very, very few and most of even they are borderline dishonest. It's fast becoming a national characteristic if it isn't already - it's certainly becoming clear to outsiders just what Thailand is and why, and just what Thais are and why.

The chickens *will* come home to roost. In fact if you listen carefully, even now, you can hear the gentle flutter of feathered wings. They're on their way, and the rest of the world will make a pariah of Thailand if it does not change its ideas and direction. Thailand badly needs to climb off the North Korea and Burma models very quickly, because the international community will not stand for it, and that matters despite all the anti-foreigner bluster and BS that comes out of the mouths of the kleptocracy.

My opinion.

Very well put. Anything that Uncle Too says about fighting corruption is just so much BS since for this to have any chance of success it must start from the top (and we all know that's not going to happen).

[Emster23]

If they are looking to the top for reform, I hope they have something similar to Hubble telescope.

Much easier to hide corruption in armed forces, as they don't get money by ripping off public. Submarine section with no submarines, more generals in Thailand than in USA, the human trafficking, the bomb detectors scam.... ghost armies.... how do these guys accumulate such vast wealth on such a low salary?