Corruption situation in Thailand improving with less kickbacks paid this year

[Jimlove]

I was a bit dubious about this claim so instead of a simple minded one sentence quip on TVF denouncing it from an agenda driven angle with noon facts to back up the statement I decided to look up some statistics to allow me to have a better understanding of the situation and to offer input based on facts.

I found that in 2014 Thailand moved up the corruption index (less corruption) from 102nd place to 85th as shown here. This is from an entity that have no affiliation with the Junta and have no agenda driven bias. Of course this is of no surprise considering that corruption was endemic as witnessed by the rice scheme and there is only one thing it can do when a new govt come in and that is to improve. It could not go down further.

It will be nice to see it further improve when the new figures come out this December.

Good for you - its always nice to read from someone thats smarter than the rest ...

[Colabamumbai]

Most definitely, have not had to give a cop a kickback/tea money for nothing, other than the fact they extorted it from me on the bike or in the car.

It has been about a year now.

Just how many are reporting kickbacks?

[Eric Loh]

That's half a report by the UTCC. Where is the other half on which ministries are still asking for kickbacks. Percentage down is not good enough. Those corrupt ministries or government departments have to be identified and criminal justice process for graft initiated or this report is just another piece of paper and meaningless. The UTCC has the information and has the duty to do more than praising the government.

[heybruce]

before Thaksin it was a 0-10 % kickback...so maybe average 5%.

That went up to average 30%....considering that there are still honest people how much kickback did the corrupt put into their pockets?

Where does your 0-10% figure come from?

[mango66]

So, Corruption have improved - and not decreased ??

what a wording !!

By the way _ corruption money would be used instantly to cover any trace,

saved money in the gvt will go only in compensation for the rice sheme !!

[heybruce]

Please read comment 14. I'd give te same advice to the first 8 or so shoot-from--the-hip commentors.

It's unfortunate that TV commentors include so many cynics.

Now, who paid for this survey...

Yes, as indicated in the 2014 Corruption Perception Index, which is based almost entirely upon 2013 data, corruption dropped during Yingluck's last year in office.

How does that pertain to this topic?

[sawadee1947]

these figures we should believe...! Where is the proof if any?

[Lorn]

I was a bit dubious about this claim so instead of a simple minded one sentence quip on TVF denouncing it from an agenda driven angle with noon facts to back up the statement I decided to look up some statistics to allow me to have a better understanding of the situation and to offer input based on facts.

I found that in 2014 Thailand moved up the corruption index (less corruption) from 102nd place to 85th as shown here. This is from an entity that have no affiliation with the Junta and have no agenda driven bias. Of course this is of no surprise considering that corruption was endemic as witnessed by the rice scheme and there is only one thing it can do when a new govt come in and that is to improve. It could not go down further.

It will be nice to see it further improve when the new figures come out this December.

Haha. Nice try saying it is down to the Junta. As stated in the website

The sources of information used for the 2014 CPI are based on data gathered in the past 24 months.

Considering how long it takes to compile data it's likely very little was taken from the 5 months after the coup (May-December). So you are congratulating Yingluck's government for improving the corruption score.

Interestingly if you look back, the score was 3.8 in 2005 and 3.6 in 2006. This is a massive improvement from 3.1 when Thaksin took over in 2001. Then it was down to 3.3 in 2007. So using your analysis this would mean that the Thaksin government had been far less corrupt than what came before and after. Then there was very slow improvement back up to 3.6 in 2010. If the Democrats were so squeaky clean why at the end of their reign had they not even got things back to where they had peaked under Thaksin in 4 years free of his influence?

[Baerboxer]

I was a bit dubious about this claim so instead of a simple minded one sentence quip on TVF denouncing it from an agenda driven angle with noon facts to back up the statement I decided to look up some statistics to allow me to have a better understanding of the situation and to offer input based on facts.

I found that in 2014 Thailand moved up the corruption index (less corruption) from 102nd place to 85th as shown here. This is from an entity that have no affiliation with the Junta and have no agenda driven bias. Of course this is of no surprise considering that corruption was endemic as witnessed by the rice scheme and there is only one thing it can do when a new govt come in and that is to improve. It could not go down further.

It will be nice to see it further improve when the new figures come out this December.

As usual, more misinformation. If you bothered to look at the facts that you love to spout, you would see that of the 12 data sources used in the 2014 evaluation, all data was collected in 2013 or early 2014 (before the coup), except for one data source that was from Jan 2014 to Aug 2014, and one until July 2014.

So actually Yingluck gets the credit for the improvement, but thank you for supplying the facts.

How strange. Yingluck said, more than once, there was No Corruption in her administration. Now your're suggesting she was responsible for reducing it, but not eliminating it.

So, do you think she lied?

[brucec64]

I was a bit dubious about this claim so instead of a simple minded one sentence quip on TVF denouncing it from an agenda driven angle with noon facts to back up the statement I decided to look up some statistics to allow me to have a better understanding of the situation and to offer input based on facts.

I found that in 2014 Thailand moved up the corruption index (less corruption) from 102nd place to 85th as shown here. This is from an entity that have no affiliation with the Junta and have no agenda driven bias. Of course this is of no surprise considering that corruption was endemic as witnessed by the rice scheme and there is only one thing it can do when a new govt come in and that is to improve. It could not go down further.

It will be nice to see it further improve when the new figures come out this December.

As usual, more misinformation. If you bothered to look at the facts that you love to spout, you would see that of the 12 data sources used in the 2014 evaluation, all data was collected in 2013 or early 2014 (before the coup), except for one data source that was from Jan 2014 to Aug 2014, and one until July 2014.

So actually Yingluck gets the credit for the improvement, but thank you for supplying the facts.

How strange. Yingluck said, more than once, there was No Corruption in her administration. Now your're suggesting she was responsible for reducing it, but not eliminating it.

So, do you think she lied?

You will have to get your buddy djjamie to answer that one. I was just clarifying his misleading post.

[Baerboxer]

Because everyone admits to acts of corruption so it can be documented like ?

Corruption is a way of life here, it only gets highlighted AFTER people get caught, if they don't get caught, how do you register it?

Good question Fatty - and I don't the answer either.

But I do know that when I did some work with the ADB, they reckoned the projects in Thailand were all subject to 20-30% skimming i,e, that amount went in various payments to various people, pre, during, and post project.

That figure was the same before Thaksin, during Thaksin's years, during the Dems brief time, and during the Thaksin puppet years.

The amount doesn't seem to change. Where it goes most certainly does.

[Baerboxer]

I was a bit dubious about this claim so instead of a simple minded one sentence quip on TVF denouncing it from an agenda driven angle with noon facts to back up the statement I decided to look up some statistics to allow me to have a better understanding of the situation and to offer input based on facts.

I found that in 2014 Thailand moved up the corruption index (less corruption) from 102nd place to 85th as shown here. This is from an entity that have no affiliation with the Junta and have no agenda driven bias. Of course this is of no surprise considering that corruption was endemic as witnessed by the rice scheme and there is only one thing it can do when a new govt come in and that is to improve. It could not go down further.

It will be nice to see it further improve when the new figures come out this December.

As usual, more misinformation. If you bothered to look at the facts that you love to spout, you would see that of the 12 data sources used in the 2014 evaluation, all data was collected in 2013 or early 2014 (before the coup), except for one data source that was from Jan 2014 to Aug 2014, and one until July 2014.

So actually Yingluck gets the credit for the improvement, but thank you for supplying the facts.

How strange. Yingluck said, more than once, there was No Corruption in her administration. Now your're suggesting she was responsible for reducing it, but not eliminating it.

So, do you think she lied?

You will have to get your buddy djjamie to answer that one. I was just clarifying his misleading post.

Never met the gent, so can't say he's a buddy; or you for that matter.

But, don't you find it strange she said "No" rather than claiming credit for reducing which seemingly can be verified independently?

[MyFriend You]

I'm here to tell the Thailand government that graft is still alive and kicking in our land office in Kalasin and most likely every single land office in Thailand. If there is one government office that needs reform and set prices it is land offices.

We had to pay 26,000 just to get a reasonably timely measuring of the land so 3 new Chanotes could be made from one Chanote of 7 rai, just so we could have our own Chanote for our 1.5 rai. This was more than 50% of our land cost. The wife was blatantly told it was that much because it had to be divided between too many people. If we were not heading to the US for a long time we would have just waited the ridiculous 8 months they gave us before the land could be measured. Now we still have to wait 3 more months to actually get the Chanote.

Thats only $750 50% of your land cost - are you telling us 7 Rai of land oly cost you $1500?? I like them prices. Where do I sign up.

[elgordo38]

More fictional propaganda.........paybacks will never stop.....it's just part of the business plan!

If you do not grease the wheel you know what happens. Bearing that in mind how is the maintaince factor here?

[elgordo38]

I feel so much better knowing that they can track the amount of corruption is down They must have a lot of people viewing it in the backrooms

of Thailand . GIVE ME A BREAK

Are Thais that stupid that they will believe this kind of propaganda

Just following China's war on corruption. The difference is that heads actually roll there. That is why the Chinese are rushing to get their yuans out of range of the government. The party is over now the cleanup begins. I think in China they are just catching the small to medium size players in corruption while the top levels are raking it in. When it comes to corruption its like politics if you eliminate the opposition there is more for you.

[FangFerang]

If there was ever a survey that proved the relentless and pristine intentions of this magnanimous coup, these fantastic numbers prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. It is incredible. It is wonderful, and happiness is just around the corner. It is a harbinger of the second coming. It is at last the time to beat swords into plow shares.

Prayuth is the Messiah.

Amen and amen.

[Nobb]

What they mean to say is less kickback caught this year because there are so many waiting to go to court that they want the new government to look like there are doing a great job. Who measured the kickbacks then compared to now. 1,000,000 in Bangkok then and only 999,000 now!

[Graham8888]

I believe everything I read.

Or is it a bad translation ( again) and should read corruption in Thailand improving with more kickbacks paid this year?

With the amount of Chinese now doing business in LOS I find it even hard to believe this headline.

[Doc46]

What is this bullshit of having a survey to see the state of corruption,Why not put all the money into the eradication of the corruption,,,,That would make more sense than stupid money wasting,,,,,

[Fat Haggis]

Measuring corruption is like trying to measure how much a dogs turd smells, as in most people don't notice it till they stand in it !!

[brucec64]

As usual, more misinformation. If you bothered to look at the facts that you love to spout, you would see that of the 12 data sources used in the 2014 evaluation, all data was collected in 2013 or early 2014 (before the coup), except for one data source that was from Jan 2014 to Aug 2014, and one until July 2014.

So actually Yingluck gets the credit for the improvement, but thank you for supplying the facts.

How strange. Yingluck said, more than once, there was No Corruption in her administration. Now your're suggesting she was responsible for reducing it, but not eliminating it.

So, do you think she lied?

You will have to get your buddy djjamie to answer that one. I was just clarifying his misleading post.

Never met the gent, so can't say he's a buddy; or you for that matter.

But, don't you find it strange she said "No" rather than claiming credit for reducing which seemingly can be verified independently?

All politicians lie - that is a fact regardless of the country. My favorite is the junta's line back in 2014 - "democracy will be restored in 2015"...

The original point made by djjamie was that we should look at independent facts rather than what is reported by the government, or government affiliated organizations. This holds true for the last government, and even more for the current one, and is the reason that the claims about reduced corruption made in the OP should be taken with a mountain of salt.

[biplanebluey]

It's written in the OP that they surveyed government officials. Did they ask them how much they take? Ex. "This year we only take 10% instead of 30% last year"

What a load of BULL--------- how on earth can you do statistics about people that take illegal kick backs and honestly expect them to actually tell you how much they swindled people !!!!!!!!!!