Gen Prem urges Thais to stop admiring, respecting corrupted people



BANGKOK: -- Privy Council chairman Gen Prem Tinsulanonda says corruption has embarrassed the country and obstructed its growth.

It is an incurable disease that all Thais should not ignore but should join together to eliminate it.

In a statement delivered at the 60th anniversary of the Faculty of Public Administration of the National Institute of Development Administration today, the statesman recalled that 60 years ago Thailand had 17 million population.

But today, it has over 67 million population, thus prompting the need for the country to have efficient public administration when problems grow with increased population.

He said Thailand had been a regional leader, but numerous problems it faced had obstructed its growth, and even made it go backward, and therefore needed state officials to help bring the country back to the forefront.

He identified several factors that hindered the country’s growth, significantly populist policy and corruption.

Populist policy has spoil some people to do nothing but just waiting to take. It has weakened the people and changed the people’s attitudes.

Young generation youths and some adults now had an idea that corruption is not a damaging thing if they are benefitted.

This was totally wrong and misleading as people would think corruption is alright if they get from it, he said.

He said those who spoke and had such idea is selfish and all Thais must reject it.

Instead, Gen Prem said, corruption is a serious problem of the country and it seriously embarrassed the country among the eyes of international communities.

Even the country has a graft buster, but its power is limited, he said.

Therefore it needed to teach the Thai people that corruption is a very serious problem that everyone must not ignore and is intolerable.

He said they must be taught that corruption is a serious incurable disease.

They must be taught to stop admiring or respecting corrupted officials and to distant themselves from these people, Gen Prem said.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/gen-prem-urges-thais-to-stop-admiring-respecting-corrupted-people


-- Thai PBS 2015-09-02

About time!

Very valid comments.

But ....................

Make penalties for getting caught extremely severe.

Why does he not just come out and name the people he has in mind? We all know anyway...

"Populist policy has spoil some people to do nothing but just waiting to take. It has weakened the people and changed the people’s attitudes."

How very true, so different to attitudes when I came first time in '91.

Yes, indeed! Emulate the army and it's leadership. Bow to military rule. Now you are good Thai citizen.

Why does he not just come out and name the people he has in mind? We all know anyway...

Um, everyone? In every level of government? For the past few decades? The entire bureaucracy, military, and police force?

I better be careful I don't get accused of "anti-Thai sentiment" again. That tends to happen when you love your adopted country, but hate seeing what it has become at the hands of self-serving incompetents, and want desperately for someone like Gen Prem to stand up and say 'enough is enough!'

"Populist policy has spoil some people to do nothing but just waiting to take. It has weakened the people and changed the people’s attitudes."

How very true, so different to attitudes when I came first time in '91.

Indeed. Then populism extended to providing dodgy loans for massive property construction.

Thai military bank anyone?

Thais are taught from the day they are born to subjugate themselves to people of higher authority, or are richer than them. Failure to do so can bring some nasty consequences - it is part of Thai culture, especialy krieng jai, to wai supposed superiors or they lose face. While General Prem is absolutely right, this very deep cultural issue needs to be overcome first. People who are more influential than you, or are richer than you, demand obeisance. Not wise to deny them, if you are Thai.

Why does he not just come out and name the people he has in mind? We all know anyway...

Um, everyone? In every level of government? For the past few decades? The entire bureaucracy, military, and police force?

I better be careful I don't get accused of "anti-Thai sentiment" again. That tends to happen when you love your adopted country, but hate seeing what it has become at the hands of self-serving incompetents, and want desperately for someone like Gen Prem to stand up and say 'enough is enough!'

Not anti Thai at all. I love this country and it's people, the people that rule and govern it on BOTH sides and the 'authorities' are deserving of hate (most Thais I know loathe them, even ones that choose a certain colour even know that the leaders of their sides aren't perfect)

Look at this Erawan bombing case, they don't know their a$$ from their elbow. Pointing that out is not anti Thai at all.

Does he mean corrupt people like those who use weapons to grant themselves power over other humans?

Typical moralising guff.

If he wishes to report anybody to the relevant authorities, I am sure as head of the Privy Council, he need have nothing to fear in terms of reprisals.

Why does he not just come out and name the people he has in mind? We all know anyway...

Well that should keep your post count up.

Is this shit actually supposed to be English? Maybe now that the people that started this site have sold it, the English and overall reporting will get better. Right now it's a joke.

Is this shit actually supposed to be English? Maybe now that the people that started this site have sold it, the English and overall reporting will get better. Right now it's a joke.

Thai Visa does not write the articles posted, perhaps you should contact the source and criticize them? You can contact them here: http://www2.thaipbs.or.th/contact.php

The change in the level of corruption will change when, among other things, the defamation laws are changed. You need to be able to expose a rat!

In Suratthani, they practically worship Suthep, and he has proven to be one of the most corrupt of all time. Take the land scams for example amongst others.

Is this shit actually supposed to be English? Maybe now that the people that started this site have sold it, the English and overall reporting will get better. Right now it's a joke.

Hey Tom , take a look at the bottom of the OP.

I think you will see that it came from THAI PBS not Thai Visa, and has obviously been directly copied into TVN , but what any of this would have to do with K. Prem slamming down corruption, for whatever reasons he has, is way beyond me.

WOW, talk about commenting off post

General Prem really needs to give us his definition of a corrupt person.

Not many left to admire and respect, then!

A couple of deeply thought gems there.

...and therefore needed state officials to help bring the country back to the forefront.

It's the state officials that are the biggest proponents of graft, not the people.

He said they must be taught that corruption is a serious incurable disease.

If it is incurable, why bother?

Trusting that the old duffer didn't actually say all that and it's just another crap translation. Otherwise, he may have actually said...

Reform the police.

Empower the judiciary.

Reform defamation law.

Abolish lese majeste.

Name bloody names.

it are not the corrupt people who are admired...it is the amount of money they could put their hands on

Does he mean corrupt people like those who use weapons to grant themselves power over other humans?

You mean the same people that have accumulated vast fortunes on the basis of paltry military salaries?

Am I allowed to reply and point out a couple of massive corruption (and plain criminal) XL cases by the army or is that forbidden under current constellation?

Does he mean corrupt people like those who use weapons to grant themselves power over other humans?

You mean the same people that have accumulated vast fortunes on the basis of paltry military salaries?

opium... timber...

Does he mean corrupt people like those who use weapons to grant themselves power over other humans?

No he doesn,t, Mathias ! If these what you call corrupted people had NOT stepped in and taken over, there would have surely been civil war and unimagineable numbers of deaths, all because of the greed of the people that you consider democratic and uncorrupt !

When you think about the Kho Tao murder case and think of all the people involved, the human trafficking cases, the Red Bull heir, etc.. do I need to say more? And then sit back and think? Who can we trust? Who can we admire? Are there any left?

Who you gonna call?

It's endemic. Lucrative positions are manned by corrupted folks, red and yellow. My buddies say they hate corruption (envious as they are not in a lucrative position themselves) but at the same time they are the first to give some baht under the table to get a certain law bent in their advantage when needed. It will take ages to change this mentality. When I pay 1900 for visa extension I get a 500 thb receipt. You think i'm gonna call the ombudsman?

Police bosses with massive fortunes.......Military leaders all $ millionaires.....scams within BMA...Immigration......it's endless......right down to the village puyais.....so are Thais expected to not respect all these people?......

Good luck!