corruption
- Thailand News
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announces 20 year plan to take action against corruption
Action against corruption in Thailand is now a “national agenda” and a 20-year plan, backed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, is set to be rolled out to promote transparency in the Thai government, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced today. On a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 being “highly corrupt” and 100 being “very clean,” Thailand’s score is 36, according…
- Politics News
Confirmation of Deputy Minister Thammanat, despite drug conviction, draws derision
Though not unexpected, the decision on Tuesday to allow Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompow to keep his status in spite of an Australian drug conviction in the 1990s still drew plenty of outrage and backlash. In what some called Thailand’s lowest point, allowing the minister to keep his post may set a damning precedent regarding Thailand’s international obligations such as…
- Thailand News
Deputy transport minister investigated by anti-corruption commission
Thailand’s deputy transport minister and his wife are being investigated after a debt of 10 billion baht was somehow written off. The National Anti-Corruption Commission, or NACC, is reviewing documents related to the debt, according to the commission’s Secretary General Worawit Sukboon. If the commission finds that Weerasak and Yolanda Wangsuphakijkosol attempted to conceal their wealth, the case could go to the…
- Covid-19 News
2 police officers transferred over Covid cluster linked to Bangkok nightlife
2 senior police officers in Bangkok’s fashionable Thonglor district have been transferred pending an investigation into a Covid-19 cluster linked to pubs and clubs in the area. According to Thai PBS World, the superintendent of Thonglor police station, Duangchote Suwancharas, and the inspector for suppression affairs, Thanakorn Ngamyen, were re-assigned to the operations centre of the Metropolitan Police Bureau’s 5th…
- Thailand News
Police announce return of drink driving checkpoints, just in time for Songkran
Thailand’s deputy police chief says drink-driving checkpoints will return from tomorrow, following a 6-month hiatus to weed out corrupt practices. Last October, national police chief Suwat Jangyodsuk put a stop to all police checkpoints, including those checking for drink driving offences, after several complaints of corruption among officers. Following an overhaul, his deputy, Damrongsak Kittiprapas, says the checks will return…
- Northern Thailand News
Senior official arrested in north-east Thailand on 2 million baht bribery charges
A senior Thai official in the north-eastern province of Mukdahan has been arrested, along with his assistant, on bribery charges. The provincial chief of the natural resources and environment office, Suradet Akkarach, and Ms Pan Saengviroon, are accused of receiving 2 million baht for facilitating the return of confiscated Siamese Rosewood timber to a merchant from Laos. The timber, housed…
- Politics News
Thai activist to submit petition against charter amendment bill voters
An activist says he is lodging a petition next week against those who voted in favour of Thailand’s charter amendment bill. Srisuwan Janya says he will submit the petition to the National Anti-Corruption Commission against a total of 206 MPs and 2 senators who voted in favour of the bill, despite the votes not being enough to make the bill…
- Politics News
UK now advising its citizens to leave Myanmar in wake of escalating coup violence
After increasing violence in Myanmar, Britain is now advising its citizens to get out of the country virtually at the same time an UN expert is saying that the military is likely committing “crimes against humanity.” Military authorities are allegedly resorting to murdering protesters, even targetting rescue workers in the process. UN expert, Thomas Andrews, says at least 70 people…
- Thailand Protest News
Pro-democracy activists rally against corrupt police promotion system
The pro-democracy group, Ratsadon, held a rally in Bangkok yesterday, this time with their sights set on Thailand’s police force and the corrupt practices involved in promotion. The system in which officers have to pay bribes to senior figures, allegedly including senior politicians, was highlighted in a debate in parliament last week. Activists met at the Ratchaprasong intersection in the…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Bars, pubs and restaurants ‘sort of’ back to normal | Feb 23
Bars and pubs throughout Thailand will be able to open from March 1 in every province except Samut Sakhon, the recent epicentre of new Covid-19 infections. With Thailand’s number of coronavirus infections now on a downward trajectory, many provinces with little to no cases have been reclassified by the CCSA. The majority of Thailand’s 77 provinces are now classified as…
- Crime News
2 senior officers investigated over alleged drug trafficking involvement
The chief of Thailand’s national police, Suwat Jangyodsuk, has called an investigation into allegations that 2 senior officers were involved in a 2019 drug smuggling operation. The claims were made during last week’s censure debate, when opposition politicians alleged that a police colonel and a lieutenant general played a role in the trafficking of 1.5 tonnes of crystal methamphetamine discovered…
- Crime News
Arrest warrants sought for 8 civilians suspected of smuggling migrant workers
Deputy national police chief Damrongsak Kittiprapas has confirmed that arrest warrants are being sought for 8 civilians implicated in the illegal smuggling of migrant workers. The Bangkok Post reports that the 8 face charges of aiding and abetting illegal immigration. The workers were trafficked from Myanmar to the central Thai province of Samut Sakhon, where the latest outbreak of Covid-19…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Covid update, Bangkok restrictions, Gold rush | December 29
All the latest updates about the Covid-19 situation in Thailand. 155 new Covid-19 infections were reported today in the daily briefing by the CCSA. The total count of confirmed cases in Thailand raised to 6,440 while the national death toll raised to 61 after a 45 year old man in Rayong, infected with Covid-19, died. Thailand currently has 2,195 active…
- Bangkok News
190 Bangkok clinics and hospitals accused of corruption
190 clinics and hospitals in Bangkok are accused of falsely billing the National Health Security Office, or NHSO, for medical treatment that never happened. Back in July, NHSO filed a complaint against 18 clinics in Bangkok for 72 million baht in fraudulent claims under the government’s “Gold Card” universal healthcare scheme. The NHSO found that clinics and hospitals falsely billed…
- World News
Officials on the hunt for corrupt border guards blamed for Covid spread
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has put the Deputy Defence Minister in charge of hunting down crooked border officials whose corruption is thought to be behind the latest Covid-19 outbreak. With most of the new infections detected in Burmese migrant workers in the central province of Samut Sakhon, it’s believed many have been smuggled into Thailand illegally, bypassing mandatory quarantine.…
- Crime News
Police charge 4 with swindling co-payment scheme, investigate over 700 others
The deputy national police chief, Damrongsak Kittiprapat, says 4 people have been charged with de-frauding the government’s co-payment stimulus scheme. He adds that around 700 others are also suspected of swindling the scheme. It’s understood the 4 people charged allegedly persuaded co-payers to carry out fake transactions so that money could be redeemed under the campaign. The Bangkok Post reports…
- Tourism News
Phase 2 of travel stimulus may be cancelled due to fraud, as PM said to be “furious”
Officials are considering cancelling the next phase of the government’s domestic tourism stimulus campaign, after multiple cases of fraud emerged. To date, over 200 people have been prosecuted for corruption in the domestic travel campaign, as well as in other government stimulus schemes. The Tourism Authority of Thailand says that, in conjunction with the Tourism and Sports Ministry, it has…
- Tourism News
New Year bookings slow amid delay in tourism subsidy
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says the delay in extending the domestic travel stimulus scheme is hurting bookings over the western New Year period. The addition of 1 million room nights has been postponed while officials look into multiple claims of fraud. TAT and the Tourism and Sports Ministry have filed a police report against more than 500 hotels and…
- Tourism News
Addition of 1 million hotel nights delayed as fraud detected in domestic travel scheme
The government’s plan to add 1 million hotel nights to its domestic tourism stimulus campaign has hit a snag, amid reports of fraud. Officials say irregularities have been detected in the transactions of around 514 hotels and other businesses registered with the scheme. The revelation comes as officials investigate allegations of fraud in the government’s co-payment scheme, “Let’s Go Halves”…
- Economy News
Ministry investigating multiple cases of corruption in government’s co-payment scheme
The government’s “Let’s Go Halves” (Khon La Khrueng) co-payment stimulus campaign has fallen foul of 100s of incidents of fraud, according to the Finance Ministry. Under the scheme, the government subsidises 50% of the cost of food, drink, and other products, up to a maximum of 150 baht per person per day, capped at 3,000 baht per person for the…
- Crime News
Police to question Thanathorn’s brother over role in 2019 bribery case
The younger brother of politician Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit has been summonsed to face police over his role in a bribery case in which 2 people were jailed last year. In November 2019, Prasit Aphaiphoncharn, from the Crown Property Bureau, and Surakit Tangwithoowanich, were both sentenced to 3 years in jail for taking bribes from Sakulthorn Juangroongruangkit and forging documents as part…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Thai Airways corruption, Southern floods, Border Covid outbreak | Dec 3
Thursday’s edition of Thailand News Today, including the latest in the local cases popping up in Northern Thailand. Thailand’s most watched English language news. 20 more people suspected of being involved in corruption at Thai Airways 20 people are now under suspicion of corruption and mismanagement within Thai Airways as accountants unravel the massive losses for the airline, spanning a…
- Thailand News
20 more people suspected of being involved in corruption at Thai Airways
20 people are suspected of corruption and mismanagement within the national airline that led to massive losses for Thai Airways International. The news, announced by police and deputy head of the commission investigating the airline, Saroj Nimaroen, comes as little surprise to anyone who has been following the demise of Thailand’s legacy airline over the past decade. The airline is…
- Thailand News
Ex-Thai Airways official gets fat prison sentence for failing to pay excess baggage fees
You’ll never complain about excess baggage charges after reading this… The former chairperson for Thai Airways has been sentenced to 2 years in jail because he didn’t pay for 300 kilograms of excess baggage back in 2009. The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases says Wallop Bhukkanasut abused his authority as chairperson by ordering airline staff to change…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Shorter quarantine, STV update, THAI jets for sale | November 6
Last day of the week and a day full of news about the STV, Chinese travel bubbles and the PM saying he’ll step aside if there’s someone better to take his job. Thailand News Today, with Tim Newton. Retired Thai official with Covid-19 dies after returning to Thailand A 66 year old retired Thai official, diagnosed with Covid-19, died yesterday…
- Tourism News
Nearly 5,000 Thai Airways staff to deplane in voluntary resignations
Officially, 4,977 staff at Thai Airways have applied for different stages of its Mutual Separation Plan for the survival of the airline. In other words they’ve been politely asked to resign. The airline employs about 20,000 people. The beleaguered national carrier has endured a decade of substantial losses, endless headlines about systemic corruption, padded senior staff contracts and executive perks.…
- Crime News
Thai police to verify “Boss” whereabouts with UAE embassy
Following recent reports that the elusive Red Bull heir, Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, is living in Dubai, Thai police say they’re writing to the UAE embassy to verify the claims (the embassy is in Witthayu road… we can send you the address if you need so you can ‘drop in’ and have a chat). Boss is wanted in relation to a…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Army v Twitter, Tourism interrupted, Thailand World’s #6 | October 9
Clerk calls out Thai Army for alleged corruption An army clerk is calling out the Thai Army for alleged corruption, saying he was forced to withdraw money under his name which was then falsely documented as a travel expense. The clerk at the army’s Ordnance Material Rebuild Centre posted photos of documents on Facebook, showing the withdrawal listed as a…
- Crime News
Anti-corruption commission to re-investigate handling of “Boss” hit-and-run case
The “Boss” hit-and-run saga drags on, with the National Anti-Corruption Commission saying it’s received a copy of an independent report on the handling of the case and plans to compare it with its own findings. The Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission has submitted its report to the NACC, with Niwatchai Kasemmongkol from the NACC saying it will be compared to the…
- Thailand News
New police chief stops drink-driving checkpoints over corruption issues
Thailand’s new police chief has temporarily placed a stop on drink-driving checkpoints over alleged corruption issues in the police department. Gen Suwat Jangyodsuk made the announcement at a meeting yesterday, just a day after starting his new position. “There must not be roadside examination. It must be done at a hospital. Above all so that people can have confidence that…
