The government should raise the salaries of low-paid state workers to reduce bribery, according to a research body on corruption in the Asia-Pacific public sector.
"Low-paid state workers will likely take bribes to complement their income," Serena Lillywhite, the chief executive officer of Transparency International Australia (TIA), said at a seminar entitled "The Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum" held at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) in Bangkok.
According to research commissioned by the TIA, corruption is rife in the construction, infrastructure, telecom and transport industries.
"It corresponds with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's study. Almost 60% of bribery cases appear in these sectors," she told the conference.
Ms Lillywhite suggested that governments in the region improve wages and other benefits for state workers to reduce graft.
"They should earn enough income to live with dignity. I think it would be a solution to graft. We will not be able to ensure ethical business conduct unless we tackle corruption," she said.
Ms Lillywhite suggested each country share the names of companies involved in corruption and issue laws to protect whistle-blowers. "When they come forward with information, they should feel secure to do so. This will allow the crackdown on corruption to catch fire," she said.
However, corruption is not limited to low-paid state workers, according to Mana Nimitmongkol, the secretary-general of the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand.
"It is true some government officials accept bribes due to their financial circumstances. However, those who are highly paid also take bribes because they have connections," he told the Bangkok Post.
He warned that the number of state personnel aware of corruption prevention is not enough to deal with the rise in megaprojects and public-private partnerships.
The government's policy to rush these projects through could also lead to graft, he said.