PM Prayut awards students in anti-corruption media campaign

[webfact]

PM awards students in anti-corruption media campaign

 

  

BANGKOK, 2 September 2016 (NNT) – The Prime Minister has passed out commemorative items to communication arts from Rajabhat University and Rajamongkol University students from across the nation who took part in a campaign to create anti-corruption media. 

President of the Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand (ACT) Pramon Sutheewong led the students who took part in the “New Gen New Media” program to receive awards for their media productions. The students had created short documentaries and infographics urging the public to avoid and punish corruption. 

Prime Minister Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha lauded and thanked the students for their participation and remarked he was happy to see members of the new generation joining in the government’s push to create a safer nation. 

The New Gen New Media campaign was established to generate awareness among students towards the problem of corruption in Thailand and to encourage them to rid the country of the issue through the use of mass media. 

The Prime Minister followed up the award ceremony by chairing a meeting of the Public Anti-Corruption Commission, addressing the gathering by stating that all sides must work together to eradicate Thailand of corruption. 

 

-- nnt 2016-09-02

[Eligius]

Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!!! Hand me a shopping-mall full of sick-bags!

Can it get any more disgusting, hypocritical and delusional than this.

Answer: in Thailand, it probably can!

[jamesbrock]

Congratulations on your good work, krub, please don’t ask me about this.

[clockman]

Please do not ask how i became so rich!

[sharecropper]

"and to encourage them to rid the country of [corruption] through the use of mass media. "

 

I hoped they asked about the airship blimp, the bomb detectors and his and his cronies' unusual wealth then sent his replies to all the news media.

[rkidlad]

If they were even in the slightest bit interested in coming down on corruption, they'd advertise a hotline during ads asking citizens to report corruption. 

 

This actually makes me feel sick. 

[Eligius]

46 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

If they were even in the slightest bit interested in coming down on corruption, they'd advertise a hotline during ads asking citizens to report corruption. 

 

This actually makes me feel sick. 

Makes us feel sick - you are so right. But it is even worse than you suggest: not only do they not praise and celebrate genuinely brave young people who are proactive and go out to investigate cases of manifest corruption - but they throw them off trains and 'attitude-adjust' them and potentially ruin their future careers. Shameful!

[Thechook]

Meanwhile the other non handpicked prayuth youth students are rotting in prison.

[jamesbrock]

52 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

If they were even in the slightest bit interested in coming down on corruption, they'd advertise a hotline during ads asking citizens to report corruption. 

 

 

“We don’t know. We don’t remember, we are not businessmen. Please don’t ask us about this. Trust us, we're Thai.”

[Plutojames88]

Why these outragous situations are actually good...is it becomes over time more and more , sheer North Korean Style propaganda .....Polls , smiles ...soon tears of joy.....attitude adjustment people Thanking him.?

[clockman]

48 minutes ago, jamesbrock said:

 

 

“We don’t know. We don’t remember, we are not businessmen. Please don’t ask us about this. Trust us, we're Thai.”

Lucky at cards?

[jamesbrock]

Just now, clockman said:

Lucky at cards?

 

Doesn't look like poor Admiral Narong Pipatanasai is very lucky at cards! Or, ahem, "investments".

[Winniedapu]

It's one of those 'Dracula in charge of the blood bank' moments folx...

 

Winnie

[brucec64]

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2014/11/04/1415098178/

 

 

Edited September 2, 2016 by brucec64

[Reigntax]

And who better to hand out anti corruption awards than someone whos life is based on self promotion, nepotism, corrupt dealings, dodgy military procurement issues and treason. Yes, a qualified master of the subject ....and practitioner.

[Eligius]

5 minutes ago, Reigntax said:

And who better to hand out anti corruption awards than someone whos life is based on self promotion, nepotism, corrupt dealings, dodgy military procurement issues and treason. Yes, a qualified master of the subject ....and practitioner.

I completely agree with you, my friend. But we should add - for safety's sake - that we are not in fact talking about the Prime Minister here. No, no, no - most definitely not!

[Caveat Emptor]

If these awards were made on merit I take it no one cheated   !

[metisdead]

An inflammatory post has been removed:

 

7) You will respect fellow members and post in a civil manner. No personal attacks, hateful or insulting towards other members, (flaming) Stalking of members on either the forum or via PM will not be allowed.

[dcpo]

I've noticed in Thailand people would much rather have a ceremony or event in honour of doing a thing than actually do the thing they're talking about doing.  

[Eligius]

47 minutes ago, dcpo said:

I've noticed in Thailand people would much rather have a ceremony or event in honour of doing a thing than actually do the thing they're talking about doing.  

So, so true. I see this all the time at work. Writing something on a pretty scroll of paper - beautiful-sounding words all about high ethics and morality and professionalism - and pasting it up on the wall: job done! No need for further action after that. The ceremony or special event is the action.

It's a bizarre and delusional thing that one never quite gets used to as a Westerner  - at least, not if one is in touch with reality and has clear moral vision ...

[billd766]

18 hours ago, jamesbrock said:

 

 

“We don’t know. We don’t remember, we are not businessmen. Please don’t ask us about this. Trust us, we're Thai.”

 

 

Very good. Now can you do another one showing the wealth of ALL the members of the UDD and of the PTP. I am sure that would be interesting as well.

 

Purely in the interest of fairness, equality, not being biased or adopting a double standard of course.

[yellowboat]

It is getting easier and easier to compare the new Thai government rational with that of the Chinese speaking country to the north.  

[jamesbrock]

11 minutes ago, billd766 said:

Very good. Now can you do another one showing the wealth of ALL the members of the UDD and of the PTP. I am sure that would be interesting as well.

 

Purely in the interest of fairness, equality, not being biased or adopting a double standard of course.

 

Oh I'm sure you're right, and any declarations by them would certainly show equally large sums of unexplained wealth - but they aren't the ones currently in power proudly boasting about how tough they're being on corruption.

 

But let's get one thing clear: even when they aren't in power the fact is that the Thai Military—according to a wide range of reports—is one of the most deeply corrupt militaries in Asia, if not the world.

 

Let me quote a passage (from a site that may not be accessible without a VPN) that pretty much sums up the general feelings about the Thai military:

 

Quote

So what is the purpose of the Thai military?

 

The short answer is that it has two main functions.

 

The first function is to protect ruling class rule from challenges by mass movements to expand the democratic space. All the weapons, tanks and other military equipment used by the military have been used in anger against citizens. In Bangkok they shot down demonstrators in 1973, 1976, 1992 and 2010. They have waged a civil war against the communists who sought a more egalitarian society and they are currently engaged in a vicious war in the Patani to prevent Malay Muslim self-determination. They have also occasionally staged military coups in order to “hold the line” against civilian political threats. But more often than not military coups have been about military self-interest, which brings me to the military’s second purpose.

 

The second purpose of the Thai military is to satisfy the sheer greed of the officer corps. Even when not in political power, the military provides rich and corrupt pickings for those in the top ranks. Corruption from weapons purchases, excess state funds for military activities and the chance to sit on the executive boards of state enterprises, all go to lining their pockets. Add to this the illegal trade in narcotics, human trafficking and other mafia type activities. And when they are in political power like now, the opportunities for enrichment are unlimited.

 

The effect of this nasty parasitic organisation is to act as a barrier to political progress and to divert important resources from the health, education and general well-being of most citizens.

 

[Eligius]

22 minutes ago, jamesbrock said:

 

Oh I'm sure you're right, and any declarations by them would certainly show equally large sums of unexplained wealth - but they aren't the ones currently in power proudly boasting about how tough they're being on corruption.

 

But let's get one thing clear: even when they aren't in power the fact is that the Thai Military—according to a wide range of reports—is one of the most deeply corrupt militaries in Asia, if not the world.

 

Let me quote a passage (from a site that may not be accessible without a VPN) that pretty much sums up the general feelings about the Thai military:

 

 

Very interesting quote. But of course that was all in the past: now is a glorious new era of morality, integrity and altruism. If I were a Thai, I would feel so proud of my military - who have done so much to make this country great, prosperous, wise, well-educated, and respected throughout the world. I would feel proud indeed, I would, I WOULD! Please don't doubt me ...!

Edited September 3, 2016 by Eligius

[jamesbrock]

37 minutes ago, Eligius said:

Very interesting quote. But of course that was all in the past: now is a glorious new era of morality, integrity and altruism. If I were a Thai, I would feel so proud of my military - who have done so much to make this country prosperous, wise, well-educated, and respected throughout the world. I would feel proud indeed, I would, I WOULD! Please don't doubt me ...!

 

In the past, sure... 

 

The Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index (GI) assesses the existence, effectiveness and enforcement of institutional and informal controls to manage the risk of corruption in defence and security institutions.

 

Their team of experts draws together evidence from a wide variety of sources and interviewees across 77 indicators to provide a detailed assessment of the integrity of national defence institutions, and awarded a score for each country from A to F.

 

In the 2015 Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index (GI), Thailand scored an 'E'.

 

Quote

Thailand’s GI ranking in Band E places it in the “very high” risk category for corruption in the defence and security sector.   

 

Since the May 2014 military coup, there has been no independent scrutiny of defence policy by the legislature, a lack of budget transparency, and insufficient institutional measures concerning most aspects of the procurement cycle. While pre-coup anti-corruption organisations like the National Anti-Corruption Commission still enjoy a quasi-legal status, they lack sufficient influence to curtail military involvement with the proliferation of organized crime in southern Thailand or ghost soldiers. Taken together, these corruption risks not only pose a serious threat to the stability of the state but fundamentally undermine its accountability to the people of Thailand.

 

The 2014 military takeover in Thailand voided the 2007 constitution, which had established legislative scrutiny of Thai Defence Policy. As a result, civil society has a limited ability to affect debate or solicit information regarding the defence budget or procurement decisions. While pre-coup institutions like the National Anti-corruption Commission (NAAC) still exist in a quasi-legal fashion, evidence suggests that their authority to scrutinize corruption issues is minimal.

 

Since the 2014 military coup, the National Legislative Assembly has yet to publish a budget for 2015, it seems likely that a large portion of it will be classified. Since the 2014 coup, there have been no legislative committees tasked with external auditing of military defence expenditure.  It’s unclear what role internal audit is playing.

 

While there are wide-ranging examples of Thai military units or individuals involved or complicit on organised crime, there is no concrete evidence to suggest that the government or the military see this connection as a serious problem or working actively to alleviate it. There is extensive evidence of the military's involvement in criminal networks associated with narcotics, prostitution, human trafficking, and illegal casinos. Military and paramilitary officers have been involved individually, at senior and lower ranking levels. Evidence suggests that security officials are illegally paid "protection" money to ensure that illegal mafia operations are allowed to continue. Tackling this issue is difficult given that those responsible for enforcing the law may also be implicated in illicit activities.

 

Little information exists regarding the selection criteria for senior personnel within defence and security institutions. We recommend that legislation be tightened and implemented with formal written procedures establishing an independent, transparent, and objective appointment system for the selection of military personnel at middle and top management level. This system should be published, and accompanied by the use of objective job descriptions, assessment processes for appointments, and independent oversight.

 

The overall procurement process could be improved. In practice, there is evidence that brokers have often already been involved in the procurement process, before the requirement is even communicated to the Ministry of Defence. A legal framework that addresses brokerage, and the position of the government is essential, given that our assessment points to a significant increase in cost [since the 2014 coup] to the procurement process of up to 30-40%.

 

source: http://government.defenceindex.org/countries/thailand/

Edited September 3, 2016 by jamesbrock
Formatting issues

[brucec64]

1 hour ago, billd766 said:

 

 

Very good. Now can you do another one showing the wealth of ALL the members of the UDD and of the PTP. I am sure that would be interesting as well.

 

Purely in the interest of fairness, equality, not being biased or adopting a double standard of course.

But wait a second. Wasn't the whole coup about that these guys would be better than the last? Or are you saying the premise of the coup was a sham? 

[performance]

The old chestnut using his brain washing technique again on impressionable students. They should see the reverse of the situation. It's like a vampire in front of you. A wooden stake scenario is played out in the movies.

[jamesbrock]

Or, if one still thinks I'm spewing baseless allegations, there is this article, written by a Thai associate professor at Kyoto University’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies.

 

http://thediplomat.com/2014/10/thai-junta-beset-by-corruption-scandals/

[berybert]

19 hours ago, jamesbrock said:

 

Doesn't look like poor Admiral Narong Pipatanasai is very lucky at cards! Or, ahem, "investments".

He is the education minister. You wouldn't expect him to be very good at anything.