Police graft goes far beyond immigration

[lostoday]

Removing graft and corruption from Thai society will reduce the standard of living in Thailand to that of undeveloped African countries!

Only for the corrupt people. The rest of us profit as in any nation that is not corrupt. The standard of living rises in proportion to the demise of corruption.

[phoenixdoglover]

There are 2 simple questions that have to be answered truthfully:

1) Who polices the police?

2) Who polices the army?

Until the system of law enforcement in Thailand provides a clear answer, there will be no significant change.

[lostoday]

There are 2 simple questions that have to be answered truthfully:

1) Who polices the police?

2) Who polices the army?

Until the system of law enforcement in Thailand provides a clear answer, there will be no significant change.

It really makes no difference if the guy on top is not corrupt. In Russia the government is corrupt and the army reports to the government in Pakistan the army is corrupt and the government reports to the army.

[blackadder]

There is only on way to remove black money in a contry. All money you can not show tax bill of is not legal money. Simple like that. No value without tax bill. No car. No house. No gold. No summer house. No land.

I know Thai hide money in others family members name, but no tax bill to prove money is made legal,

No money.

Starting now, prove we're all your money, car, houses and land come into your and your family's hands. Can not, sorry the contry clean the table.

Nothing will change before control of wealth.

Start to clean the table.

But I know, TIT and it will never happend, you know, Falange not understand and thaines. Bla, Bla, Bla

I am happy my littel girl have my contrys passport also.

[seancbk]

If you fired all of the police here and brought in the army, you'd just get more criminals. Follow the path of Singapore.

Or do what Hong Kong did.

Very good article about it here if anyone is interested - http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/15/world/asia/china-hong-kong-corruption/

and more history here - http://www.icac.org.hk/en/about_icac/bh/

[DavisH]

Police graft goes far beyond immigration..........What a startling revelation.........who'd ever have guessed that!

Well it got to the point it's so ridiculous and so widely accepted by the public, that it can no ;longer be ignored. Personally I don't think Mr P has the gonads to do anything about it. and that will also be seen by the public. Another nail in the coupster's coffin.

I bet he's really glad he agreed to launch a coup, it'll be the end of him yet.

Have you ever met a high ranking military officer that DOESN'T have a benz (or three) and a big house? I haven't.....the mind boggles.

[Bernard Flint]

Nothing will change because corruption is a way of life - from the highest echelons to the noodle seller not paying their due taxes (yes, some of them earn enough to pay tax).

Not forgetting the non thais who love corruption, when it suits them.

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

Since the coup, many senior BKK and provincial senior RTP officers have already been replaced by those newly 'loyal' to the junta. The immigration police is just another tick box on the junta's list of 'useful' - to itself that is - reform.

Recent tragic events and the reality of people trafficking have served to expedite the upcoming purge and replacement by another bunch of sycophantic cronies.

Now, what would be really interesting is if the junta took a long hard look at its own and removed the notoriously corrupt military personnel therein.

Oh so then you are saying that they were all removed unjustly and not because they were corrupt? What a joke!!!

[Lunchbob]

Now that some of the truth about corruption is out in the open we can discuss it and little by little improve. Just speaking or writing the truth changes the direction of events and behavior. I am sure right now thousands of people who have been involved in corruption, even unknowingly, are now more conscious of what they are doing and why. It is wonderful. Do not let cynics slow this down. Be skeptical, but not cynical.

[soalbundy]

There is only on way to remove black money in a contry. All money you can not show tax bill of is not legal money. Simple like that. No value without tax bill. No car. No house. No gold. No summer house. No land.

I know Thai hide money in others family members name, but no tax bill to prove money is made legal,

No money.

Starting now, prove we're all your money, car, houses and land come into your and your family's hands. Can not, sorry the contry clean the table.

Nothing will change before control of wealth.

Start to clean the table.

But I know, TIT and it will never happend, you know, Falange not understand and thaines. Bla, Bla, Bla

I am happy my littel girl have my contrys passport also.

There is a funny story from Ephraim Kishon, the jewish writer, he wrote a story about an honest man who always paid his taxes and had only honest money, trouble was everybody else in Israel was dishonest and only wanted black money so he was unable to use his squeaky clean money to buy anything, perhaps, he was advised, maybe a backroom lawyer would take it and exchange it for black money.

[soalbundy]

Corruption doesn't just stem from greed, it can also be caused when the ordinary man in the street doesn't have enough to live on. Some children in England go to school hungry, many working people can't afford to live in London and have a two hour journey to work, in America you can have two jobs and still not be able to afford to rent an apartment, in Australia 20% of the over 60's live below the poverty line. I see corruption increasing in the western world as well, if the state doesn't make it possible for many working people to be able to live decently in their own country why the hell should they be bothered with morals.

[Jon Wetherall]

Now that some of the truth about corruption is out in the open we can discuss it and little by little improve. Just speaking or writing the truth changes the direction of events and behavior. I am sure right now thousands of people who have been involved in corruption, even unknowingly, are now more conscious of what they are doing and why. It is wonderful. Do not let cynics slow this down. Be skeptical, but not cynical.

Nah. It's like stirring porridge. You think you're making progress butafter the spoon has passed, the porridge just closes over the progress and it looks just like it did before.

The only way to resolve corruption in Thailand is to make Thais more honest. That will take at least 2 generations of better education than Thailand has now. And that's if they start now - which they won't.

I've lived in a few places over a long-ish life, and I've never lived in a country which (despite it's advantages) I have believed is truly beyond redemption. Until now.

It's not the country's fault, the people have not been cared for for decades, they've been almost completely without proper management (though not without fine words). The result is they don't know any different. The kleptocracy is responsible, pure and simple - take everything and give nothing back (old Thai proverb).

Thaksin knows that all it will take to resolve the problem is 200 bullets in the right 200 heads but has been very reluctant to set fire to the country. Rightly in my view. We'll see what happens.

Edited September 12, 2015 by Jon Wetherall

[maidee]

licence to collect protection money from businesses

licence to go free when cought red handed

[spidermike007]

I believe the government made a deal with the police decades ago. We will not pay you enough to survive on, and you have permission to collect it, any way you can. You will never be pursued for those acts. Nothing else makes sense. A policeman being paid 9,000 baht per month? Is this a serious attempt to establish a real police force?

[richard_smith237]

Without the bombs, how much longer would the immigration scams remain hidden under the rug?

Corruption in Thailand has never been hidden under the rug or anywhere else.

...... its not even discrete, the effects of corruption at all levels in Thailand is present for anyone who looks, see's and hears... and of course those who can smell its stench....

The reality is, many of those in positions of decision making power benefit from corruption - its only when something tragic occurs that we see knee-jerk reaction which is unfortunately short lived, we've seen it too many times before....

Only when the greater good (i.e. that of Thailand) is seen to outweigh the selfish needs of the few will we see any levels of improvement which could place Thailand in a direction heading towards what many class as a Developed Nation.

[soalbundy]

I believe the government made a deal with the police decades ago. We will not pay you enough to survive on, and you have permission to collect it, any way you can. You will never be pursued for those acts. Nothing else makes sense. A policeman being paid 9,000 baht per month? Is this a serious attempt to establish a real police force?

9,000 Baht a month would make anybody corrupt,either that or starve, on the other hand they know the salary before they start so why bother.

[ldiablo]

This is not anything new. Thai people have known this for decades, and tolerate it.

The Thai people have no choice, what are they going to do, protest ?

All the while laws that protect the elite from any form of criticism and keep the masses in their place are on the books, nothing will change, sure, people know that the system is rotten, but what can they do, that's why the top men who control the Guns, Army and Police Generals, are all stupidly rich on a paltry wage and are allowed to get away with it, there is nobody to stop them, who is above them in Thai society, the Elite.

And those people like things just the way they are, they are protected by the corrupt officials below them, things could change in Thailand but there is no desire for change from people of any consequence, keep the poor people poor and poorly educated, in the Internet age that's not so easy, so enact laws that forbid any criticism by the masses, you have to hand it to the Elite, they've got it pretty sewn up.

The Police Chief is harping on about Corruption, The PM is on about Corruption, are they both willing to set an example and allow a full investigation into their own enormous personal wealth and how it was gained ?

Of course not.

Well said!

Agreed