Serious lessons from an official’s small-scale theft

[webfact]

Serious lessons from an official’s small-scale theft
By Chularat Saengpassa
 

Suphat

 

BANGKOK: -- Thai society has never run out of campaigns to promote good morality. But how many people are really there to protect morality and crack down on bad examples?

 

Since Intellectual Property Department deputy director-general Suphat Saquandeekul was arrested in Japan for stealing paintings from a hotel during his working visit last month, top government figures have not even issued rebukes to the official. 

 

“Please don’t add salt to his wound … A theft is not a grave disciplinary offence,” Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said. 

 

Commerce Ministry permanent secretary Viboonlak Ruamrak said Suphat deserved help and understanding – not outright condemnation – from the public after his crime. 

 

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30305819

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-02-07

[Get Real]

Maybe it´s not the time to look at morality here. Just think about the intelligence of a person stealing wirthless art and putting himself at big risk doing that.
What risks are involved in giving that kind of people high positions without the proper intelligence in the bag?

[ezzra]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

“Please don’t add salt to his wound … A theft is not a grave disciplinary offence,” Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said. 

 

So where do you draw the line on what is morally OK to steal and when not?

the size and worth of the item in question? the circumstances perhaps?

 

Theft is a theft is a theft, no distinctions, specially when you're high ranking official

representing your country.....

[colinneil]

Theft is theft, no ifs no buts, stealing is stealing.

I am a hi-so government official i can do what i want, i am above the law.

That is the attitude of most of them,

[The man from udon]

Drunken thief and a member of the serious idiot squad who run this country.made thailand look shamed for his actions.

[Oziex1]

Theft or any sort by a government official is not small scale.

[thhMan]

He should be helped and nurtured through his troubling time....

and instead let this country remain a joke to the outside world....

 

reputations are easily lost and harder to get back.... perhaps they should teach that in schools... if they actually taught anything in schools...

[asiaexpat]

The major issue here is not that an official took paintings but the belief he had the right to do so and the Deputy PM believes the offense is of no consequence. This continued cultural belief that persons of high status can do as they please without consequences is the major hurdle that Thailand must overcome. 

[outsider]

The answer to this question "... But how many people are really there to protect morality and crack down on bad examples?" - NONE.

 

And responses from people like the deputy PM and commerce minister underlines that fact.

[robblok]

Yes its crazy that the government does not come down on this harder, sure its a low value theft but the guy has a example function. The punishment is enough but they should not have protected him as much as they did. They would have to say he shamed the country and made a bad example.

 

If I steal ( i don't) some stuff from 711 do i deserve to lose my job.. i would say that is far to harsh (unless i worked in the store then its a breach of trust). But if i stole people should have condemned it not protected me. So I feel the punishment he got is about right the response was totally wrong. 

[smutcakes]

5 minutes ago, robblok said:

Yes its crazy that the government does not come down on this harder, sure its a low value theft but the guy has a example function. The punishment is enough but they should not have protected him as much as they did. They would have to say he shamed the country and made a bad example.

 

If I steal ( i don't) some stuff from 711 do i deserve to lose my job.. i would say that is far to harsh (unless i worked in the store then its a breach of trust). But if i stole people should have condemned it not protected me. So I feel the punishment he got is about right the response was totally wrong. 

What punishment? He has resigned 8 months before his retirement with full ongoing retirement benefits and zero disciplinary action. Which punishment is enough?

 

 

[robblok]

1 minute ago, smutcakes said:

What punishment? He has resigned 8 months before his retirement with full ongoing retirement benefits and zero disciplinary action. Which punishment is enough?

 

 

I feel that its enough.. the theft was real small 5000 bt or something like that. He is losing 8 months of pay.. What would you want for a 5.000 bt theft ? I am sure the loses a salary of 20 times that for 8 months... There are few fines that high. So the punishment is good, how they handled this is just bad. They should not have protected him, should have said he had shamed Thailand and should not have acted like that as he had an example position. 

 

 

[mtls2005]

The "serious lesson" is obvious to any Thai, and foreign observer:

 

it's not "wrong" if the "right" person does something.

 

it's never "right" if the "wrong" person does the exact same thing.

 

 

 

 

 

[smutcakes]

1 minute ago, robblok said:

I feel that its enough.. the theft was real small 5000 bt or something like that. He is losing 8 months of pay.. What would you want for a 5.000 bt theft ? I am sure the loses a salary of 20 times that for 8 months... There are few fines that high. So the punishment is good, how they handled this is just bad. They should not have protected him, should have said he had shamed Thailand and should not have acted like that as he had an example position. 

 

 

It says a horrendous example. Its basically saying anyone can steal 'low' value items from anywhere they feel and if caught resigning is sufficient. Perhaps to clear it up the Government should set a threshold of what is 'low value' to avoid misunderstandings.

 

It is symptomatic of everything that is wrong here. High level official, paid jolly, stealing, public money spent on lawyers etc trying to extricate him. No doubt concessions made to avoid prosecution. Repatriated and resign, no negative comments, full retirement benefits. No problem. He should be made an example of when caught so red handed, there is not even ambiguity.

[robblok]

4 minutes ago, smutcakes said:

It says a horrendous example. Its basically saying anyone can steal 'low' value items from anywhere they feel and if caught resigning is sufficient. Perhaps to clear it up the Government should set a threshold of what is 'low value' to avoid misunderstandings.

 

It is symptomatic of everything that is wrong here. High level official, paid jolly, stealing, public money spent on lawyers etc trying to extricate him. No doubt concessions made to avoid prosecution. Repatriated and resign, no negative comments, full retirement benefits. No problem. He should be made an example of when caught so red handed, there is not even ambiguity.

I would say resigning for such a low value item is enough.. but the way they handled it is as you are saying horrendous. They handled it (and are handling it) still totally wrong. They still don't accept that they did anything wrong, the response of  deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam is totally wrong.

 

They should have all condemned it not protected him.. but as far as punishment goes loosing 800.000 (cautious estimate) in salary over an 5.000 bt theft i feel its more then sufficient. 

[klauskunkel]

Quote

“Please don’t add salt to his wound … A theft is not a grave disciplinary offence,” Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said. 

Quote

Thai treasury reserves down 85% since coup

Two of today's statements... not juxtaposed nor diametrically opposed..., I think they rather complement each other.

[leeneeds]

 Was it just a brain snap?  

 

 

[Lupatria]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

A theft is not a grave disciplinary offence,” Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said.

That coming from a Deputy Prime Minister explains a lot in a country where everyone is constantly drunk of Thainess and superior moral standards. One can only hope he did not gain the insight from personal experience.

[timewilltell]

It just rather shows how lying cheating and stealing are not very important in this society and why the rest of the world view Thais as a bunch of Asians who are all like that. They aren't of course - not ALL of them.

 

Governmental edicos that theft isn't so important and huge bribes paid to police chiefs isn't either just goes to explain the depth of corruption and lack of morality in a society with no role models.

[Gandtee]

5 hours ago, Get Real said:

Maybe it´s not the time to look at morality here. Just think about the intelligence of a person stealing wirthless art and putting himself at big risk doing that.
What risks are involved in giving that kind of people high positions without the proper intelligence in the bag?

I would imagine he was intoxicated, a Japanese pastime, when he did this. While working in Japan a group of my gaijin workers who had been hitting the amber nectar, planned as a prank, to kidnap a Colonel Saunders statue from outside a KFC. Fortunately they didn't. British humour doesn't travel very well. Especially to Japan.

[Bangkok Barry]

3 hours ago, robblok said:

Yes its crazy that the government does not come down on this harder, sure its a low value theft but the guy has a example function. The punishment is enough but they should not have protected him as much as they did. They would have to say he shamed the country and made a bad example.

 

If I steal ( i don't) some stuff from 711 do i deserve to lose my job.. i would say that is far to harsh (unless i worked in the store then its a breach of trust). But if i stole people should have condemned it not protected me. So I feel the punishment he got is about right the response was totally wrong. 

 

I agree about keeping things in proportion. I used to manage a record store in London and caught a man stealing a cassette (long, long time ago!). Turns out he was the manager of a foreign bank in the city. If I'd have prosecuted he'd have lost his job, so I didn't. He sure was shaken up at what could have happened though and I bet he didn't do it again.

[robblok]

10 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

I agree about keeping things in proportion. I used to manage a record store in London and caught a man stealing a cassette (long, long time ago!). Turns out he was the manager of a foreign bank in the city. If I'd have prosecuted he'd have lost his job, so I didn't. He sure was shaken up at what could have happened though and I bet he didn't do it again.

Yes things have to be in proportion, the punishment is heavy enough.. about 800.000 bt in lost earnings probably more for a 5.000 bt theft. So punishment enough. However the way they handled it is crazy. The should have condemned it more and said it was bad and put Thailand to shame instead of downplaying it. So I am ok with the punishment.. not with how it was handled. 

[pookiki]

This public servant violated the public's trust by engaging in a theft while on a trip to a foreign country.  He has been publicly humiliated and admitted his crime. Resignation in lieu of being disciplined is an act that confirms his admission. However, he clearly engaged in theft and no one should be asking to give him sympathy or understanding -- government officials in particular.

[Get Real]

4 hours ago, Gandtee said:

I would imagine he was intoxicated, a Japanese pastime, when he did this. While working in Japan a group of my gaijin workers who had been hitting the amber nectar, planned as a prank, to kidnap a Colonel Saunders statue from outside a KFC. Fortunately they didn't. British humour doesn't travel very well. Especially to Japan.

British humour? How can something that doesn´t exist travel?

[Gandtee]

Perhaps you could give me an example a humour that does exist?

[Bangkok Barry]

3 hours ago, Get Real said:

British humour? How can something that doesn´t exist travel?

 

Pointless and stupid comment.

[Get Real]

7 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

Pointless and stupid comment.

Ooopss! You must be from England. Just a good point using a muppet for the profile. Isn´t it? Quite cute actually.