Thailand’s image as a corrupt country a serious problem, says expert, after recent survey

[rooster59]

Thailand’s image as a corrupt country a serious problem, says expert, after recent survey

By The Nation

 

CORRUPTION REMAINS a serious issue as revealed by a latest international survey, an expert said.

 

Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand secretary-general Mana Nimitmongkol said yesterday that corruption in Thailand is still widespread and difficult to tackle. However, he said awareness among people to fight it has also increased, which is a good sign. 

 

In the international community, Thailand’s image of a highly corrupt country is still an issue of concern, he said, and referred to the latest survey conducted by an international agency that monitors corruption around the world. 

 

Transparency International has published its 2017 report of global corruption barometer entitled “People and Corruption: Asia Pacific”. It estimates that more than 900 million people across 16 surveyed places had paid a bribe in the past year when trying to access basic services such as education or healthcare. Bribery rates for countries vary considerably across the region – from 0.2 per cent in Japan to 69 per cent in India. 

 

The bribery rate for Thailand is 41 per cent compared to Cambodia and Myanmar on 40 per cent. Vietnam’s rate is 65 per cent, while bribery rates for Indonesia and Malaysia are 32 per cent and 23 per cent respectively. The bribery rate for China is 26 per cent.

 

Thailand, however, does better than peers in terms of the level of corruption increasing last year. There is only 14 per cent sample of people who said that the level of corruption in the country had increased last year, compared to 35 per cent in Cambodia and 22 per cent in Myanmar. Around 65 per cent of people surveyed in Indonesia and 59 per cent in Malaysia said corruption in their countries increased last year.

 

Mana added that there are some encouraging signs as more and people and businesses organisations in Thailand participate in public campaigns against corruption. For example, recently local institutional investors teamed up to promote good governance among listed companies, saying they would not invest in companies listed on the stock market with less-than-transparent management. 

 

While the government may have tried to grill corrupt politicians it, however, has been criticised for turning a blind eye to its ministers and associates. “The role of the present government is a subject for criticism among the public,” said Mana. 

 

Transparency International interviewed nearly 22,000 people about their recent experience of corruption in 16 countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region. 

 

Police top the list of public services most often demanding a bribe. Just under a third of people who had come into contact with a police officer in the last 12 months said they paid a bribe, according to the report. 

 

Overall, 38 per cent of the poorest people surveyed said they paid a bribe, which is the highest proportion of any income group.

 

Interestingly, younger people are being squeezed harder. 

 

People aged under 35 are more likely to have to pay a bribe to access a public service, according to the report. 

 

Similar proportions of both men and women have paid a bribe in the last 12 months, or 30 per cent of men and 27 per cent of women. 

 

The agency also noted that what is clear is that public-sector graft is a crime that affects men and women, young and old, and rich and poor, and must be urgently addressed in order to further social progress in the region. 

 

The report suggests lawmakers across the region need do much more to support whistleblowers and that governments must keep promises to combat corruption. 

 

This report comes at a key moment when many governments in the region are preparing their agendas to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs set out development priorities for 2030, which include reducing corruption and bribery in all their forms.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30309534

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-03-19

[kannot]

so theyre  scrapping  all the defamation laws then to help  with the problem of corruption ?? until they do this  all it is  will be "lip service".....but  no more than id  expect , Thailand, land of lip service

Edited March 18, 2017 by kannot

[arthurboy]

Given two plus years of junta and A44 rule, anyone else perplexed as to why corruption is still as rampant as ever? I am.

 

You might be forgiven if you think that the junta actually allows corruption as payment in kind in return for 'supporting' it. I do.

[steven100]

Thailand corrupt  .....    geeeeze ....  I wouldn't have guessed 

 

Same as many other developed countries, just they are not as transparent ...

Australia, USA, UK, France, NZ ....

 

try and tell me these countries are not corrupt ...

[PatOngo]

....and Buddha said....take only what's offered. I guess something got hopelessly lost in the translation!

[ezzra]

Every country around the world has a sport that they're excel in and Thailand made

corruption it's national sport where every one is a precipitator on some

level, as Thais have been brought up to know that who you know is better

than what you know, so they go about it here in a gig time and in your face

like manner not afraid of the consequences knowing full well that the man

next to them is just as corrupt or can be made to be one,,,,

[kowpot]

After a recent survey????

 

So, no one suspected  this was going on before this survey was taken??

Edited March 18, 2017 by kowpot

[whatawonderfulday]

46 minutes ago, arthurboy said:

Given two plus years of junta and A44 rule, anyone else perplexed as to why corruption is still as rampant as ever? I am.

 

You might be forgiven if you think that the junta actually allows corruption as payment in kind in return for 'supporting' it. I do.

Yes and the biggest exponents of corruption are the Elite, RTP, RTA RTN etc and always have been since 1932.  That's why they hate Thaksin because he almost pushed their noses out of the trough which they consider their sole domain.

 

Under Thaksin corruption went down according to independent reports so he was doing something right and damn site more for the poor then anybody else did before and after his administrations.

[darksidedog]

I remember when the Junta took power, they said they were going to stamp corruption out.

Their efforts have been pitiful.

[clockman]

When Bangkok has the largest Chinese population of any city outside main land China. And any who is anybody is Sino Thai. What else can you expect?

[trogers]

Corruption is just prostitution of the soul. It is the selling of one's morals for money or privileges.

 

Perhaps a study on the correlation between the two among the same surveyed nations would bring some enlightenment.

[steven100]

47 minutes ago, whatawonderfulday said:

Yes and the biggest exponents of corruption are the Elite, RTP, RTA RTN etc and always have been since 1932.  That's why they hate Thaksin because he almost pushed their noses out of the trough which they consider their sole domain.

 

Under Thaksin corruption went down according to independent reports so he was doing something right and damn site more for the poor then anybody else did before and after his administrations.

so that's how the Shinawatra's built their billions of baht in off shore accounts ....

and not forgetting a failed and dubious rice scam that cost the thais million upon millions also ....

 

I think many like me are so relieved that Khun Prayuth Chan-O-Cha is in charge.

And he will keep going after the billions taken from thais .....

[Sphere]

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The bribery rate for Thailand is 41 per cent compared to Cambodia and Myanmar on 40 per cent. Vietnam’s rate is 65 per cent, while bribery rates for Indonesia and Malaysia are 32 per cent and 23 per cent respectively. The bribery rate for China is 26 per cent.

 

Still not numbah 1 in Asia. 

[mok199]

I see a slow shift in local thais attitudes towards this THAI privilege ,if you are not born into a wealthy or connected family ..you have o hope of success..unless working in big c is your goal...sawadee no crap

[yellowboat]

Thailand having had relative peace for over 70 years should be far better off than it is today.  It should be closer to where Malaysia is now, and Malaysia should be lower than they are now.  

 

The RTP makes Thailand look bad.  That organization has been in bad need of an overhaul for decades.   

[onemorechang]

My guess is Thailand will

proclaim this is,   Fake News. 

[ThaiBob]

27 minutes ago, steven100 said:

so that's how the Shinawatra's built their billions of baht in off shore accounts ....

and not forgetting a failed and dubious rice scam that cost the thais million upon millions also ....

 

I think many like me are so relieved that Khun Prayuth Chan-O-Cha is in charge.

And he will keep going after the billions taken from thais .....

Thank you for this General Prayuth..... please contact us, we have a public relations position waiting for you. 

[JAG]

Chance of becoming a "hub" then?

[djayz]

Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand : I honestly didn't know such an organization existed here. What do they do all day? 

 

"...Mana Nimitmongkol said yesterday that corruption in Thailand is still widespread and difficult to tackle" - where there's a will, there's a way. 

[chainarong]

2 hours ago, arthurboy said:

Given two plus years of junta and A44 rule, anyone else perplexed as to why corruption is still as rampant as ever? I am.

 

You might be forgiven if you think that the junta actually allows corruption as payment in kind in return for 'supporting' it. I do.

Well it is a junta and junta's of past have been run by heavies in military gear, not necessarily endowed with the talents of running a country  hence the Prayut transparency,  Government to Government agreements, , more to ruining lives..................................................

[whatawonderfulday]

1 hour ago, steven100 said:

so that's how the Shinawatra's built their billions of baht in off shore accounts ....

and not forgetting a failed and dubious rice scam that cost the thais million upon millions also ....

 

I think many like me are so relieved that Khun Prayuth Chan-O-Cha is in charge.

And he will keep going after the billions taken from thais .....

Yes and perhaps that's why corruption is now  worse,  that money is going into his and his accomplices offshore accounts rather than the Thai economy.

[chainarong]

58 minutes ago, steven100 said:

so that's how the Shinawatra's built their billions of baht in off shore accounts ....

and not forgetting a failed and dubious rice scam that cost the thais million upon millions also ....

 

I think many like me are so relieved that Khun Prayuth Chan-O-Cha is in charge.

And he will keep going after the billions taken from thais .....

I'm not a fan of Thaksin Shinawattra but just to set the record straight , Thaksin Shinawattra had a massive electronics'  company Shin Corp, even the government of Oz and other nations used there teleco satellites and communication gear, the Shins are old Chinese family that go way back , Thaksin had made his money long before he entered politics', he sold Shin Corp to a Singapore company associated with the Singapore Government. The failed rice scam didn't go into anyone's pockets, generally something that has failed doesn't produce much money. You may think that Prayut will solve Thailand's problems, it only shows, you don't have a clue about Thailand and have never lived under a Junta.

[shanesox]

Thailand corrupt  .....    geeeeze ....  I wouldn't have guessed 
 
Same as many other developed countries, just they are not as transparent ...
Australia, USA, UK, France, NZ ....
 
try and tell me these countries are not corrupt ...

Yeah I'll tell you they do not have corruption running through society like blood in the veins


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[mercman24]

ha ha lets start with double pricing for farang which is common knowledge, (where does the extra money go)?then the cops. or maybe the cops first , nah, nothing is going to change in my lifetime

[steven100]

8 minutes ago, chainarong said:

I'm not a fan of Thaksin Shinawattra but just to set the record straight , Thaksin Shinawattra had a massive electronics'  company Shin Corp, even the government of Oz and other nations used there teleco satellites and communication gear, the Shins are old Chinese family that go way back , Thaksin had made his money long before he entered politics', he sold Shin Corp to a Singapore company associated with the Singapore Government. The failed rice scam didn't go into anyone's pockets, generally something that has failed doesn't produce much money. You may think that Prayut will solve Thailand's problems, it only shows, you don't have a clue about Thailand and have never lived under a Junta.

just to set the record straight ....  I have lived in Thailand for 20+ years,  i have many close friends in very high influential places.  When Thaksin sold his Shin Corp to the Singaporean company ... I believe there was an issue with unpaid taxes or similar ...

cannot comment on the exact occurrence ... but there was some ...  underhandedness ,

so ...  you don't know everything  ...   lol ..  

[Jeremy50]

1 hour ago, darksidedog said:

I remember when the Junta took power, they said they were going to stamp corruption out.

Their efforts have been pitiful.

They said a lot of  things: 'There will be elections by 2017 at the latest', 'We will reduce the road death toll by 70% in a year'. Have they really even done anything? More catastrophic cash handouts to rice farmers, because they couldn't bear to devalue the Baht, making Thai rice competitive again. Lots of places of entertainment closed down or harassed, because they are so out of touch with why most tourists come to Thailand. It's all going to end in tears, either way, the country is stuck with this bunch of incompetents for a long long time.

[steven100]

2 minutes ago, Jeremy50 said:

They said a lot of  things: 'There will be elections by 2017 at the latest', 'We will reduce the road death toll by 70% in a year'. Have they really even done anything? More catastrophic cash handouts to rice farmers, because they couldn't bear to devalue the Baht, making Thai rice competitive again. Lots of places of entertainment closed down or harassed, because they are so out of touch with why most tourists come to Thailand. It's all going to end in tears, either way, the country is stuck with this bunch of incompetents for a long long time.

I respect your opinion ,  but I believe things are better with Khun Prayuth in charge.

He stopped the wasted rice scam .. he is going after the corrupt Thaksins that ripped millions off the thai economy, the China-Thai railway will go ahead , roads and the CM to Bangkok freeway upgrade is going ahead, he is reviewing education, the ferry to Hau Hin is now in operation ... and many other things.

Your opinion is good and this is just mine .....

[whatawonderfulday]

2 minutes ago, Jeremy50 said:

They said a lot of  things: 'There will be elections by 2017 at the latest', 'We will reduce the road death toll by 70% in a year'. Have they really even done anything? More catastrophic cash handouts to rice farmers, because they couldn't bear to devalue the Baht, making Thai rice competitive again. Lots of places of entertainment closed down or harassed, because they are so out of touch with why most tourists come to Thailand. It's all going to end in tears, either way, the country is stuck with this bunch of incompetents for a long long time.

Agree with your post ad I would add that the only thing they do do is what they didn't say they would do

1) Stop corruption -   Fact; Corruption has increased

2)Abuse of human rights - Fact; military courts, some held in secret, people disappear of the streets

3) Allow free reign to those who acted illegally but in support of the General - Fact; Suthep and others running round again

4) Allow the good name of Thailand to be ridiculed due to incompetence - Fact; Corrupt Monks allowed to undertake extortion, money laundering etc with apparent impunity and then allowed to "vanish"

5) Build the economy - Fact; Foreign reserves at their lowest with the economical outlook drifting for moderate to poor

 

The list is endless.

[Oziex1]

3 hours ago, steven100 said:

Thailand corrupt  .....    geeeeze ....  I wouldn't have guessed 

 

Same as many other developed countries, just they are not as transparent ...

Australia, USA, UK, France, NZ ....

 

try and tell me these countries are not corrupt ...

Yes of course, the difference being the justice systems in the above mentioned countries are a little less dysfunctional than what Thailand claims as their justice system.

[garyk]

Well I never would of guessed it? I'm shocked!