Despite new methods of corruption, persistent calls for money among government officials and doubts surrounding some of those in power, Mana Nimitmongkol, secretary-general of the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand (ACT), says the environment for fighting corruption in Thailand has improved.
Nowadays Thais are active against corruption, will push for probes and call on agencies to do their jobs more effectively, he said, citing the recent case of Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon's shiny ring and luxury watch as an example.
Mr Mana referred to the Global Corruption Barometer released by Transparency International in mid-2017 which reported that 72% of Thais believe in the power of the people to make change, with the same proportion saying they agreed with what the government was doing on the issue.
He also cited another survey by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce which found that 86% of people said they were ready to join the fight against corruption.
Inquirylines, published bi-weekly on Mondays is a Bangkok Post column to present in-depth details of a range of issues from politics and social interest to eye-catching everyday lives.
"Nowadays, I see the phenomenon of people growing more alert and doing whatever they can to fight corruption. We see the exposure of corruption play out in novels, movies, pocket books and newspaper columns," he said.
There are campaigns on corporate social responsibility and good governance among private and listed companies.
There are corporate governance funds that invest in companies with good governance, he added.
At the same time, Mr Mana said his organisation, an independent network, has gained more cooperation from foreigners, including businesses and embassies, in reporting corruption, which they believe is more endemic in Thailand than in many other countries.
"What foreign business people often say is the extortion never ends, there is no rule, there is no promise. They have to pay every government agency they contact, and if the head of the agency is reshuffled, they have to pay the new person too," he said.
Speaking at an event to mark International Anti-Corruption Day on Saturday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said his government had taken many steps to combat corruption, and he expected the country's position on the corruption perception index (CPI) to improve this year.
Mr Mana said he did not doubt the good intentions of the premier.
However, the government's actions have not yet had the hoped-for results.
"Unless the hands and legs of the government work, nothing can be achieved," he said adding that a lack of understanding of the new laws is often why government officials are reluctant to take action.
Moreover, Mr Mana said people's perception of corruption had not changed much since the military coup in 2014.
At the same time, businessmen and the people who have to contact government agencies reported that they have still had to pay "tea money", sometimes even in higher amounts than before, as they claimed the military had to be paid too, he said. He suggested a new pattern of corruption in government projects at the local level has also emerged.
A member of the national reform committee fighting corruption, he said as he attended public hearings in different parts of the country, many people complained about corruption in the Agriculture Ministry's 22-billion baht 9101 economic stimulus scheme.
The complaints were filed with the agencies in charge.
However, the investigation found that there was no corruption among government officials, but that it was actually cheating among villagers.
According to the scheme, farmers in communities nationwide submit proposals for agriculture-related businesses to receive funding.
"I believe that there was cheating in this project, but information was withheld at the local level, which prevented the civic sector from carrying out its examination," Mr Mana said.
He explained the 9101 project was proposed as a grassroots initiative.
Although the money was to be paid out to local people, it is believed local officials found ways to bribe those higher up in the chain to benefit unfairly, Mr Mana said. It is unclear how much money fell victim to corruption.
The outline of the case is partly why he agreed with the reform committee that the people needed more protection, via the laws and other measures, so that they can blow the whistle when necessary.
Mr Mana proposes an Anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) law for Thailand, which prohibits those accused of corruption from filing a defamation suit to silence the accusers.
Nevertheless, the anti-corruption organic law, which is now in the National Legislative Assembly's deliberation process, remains a concern.
The bill requires the National Anti-Corruption Commission to publish only a summary of the asset declarations of those in power, to protect their privacy.
Many have called for the full asset report to be disclosed to the public just as before.
However, Mr Mana said, as long as the bill is still in the deliberation process and not passed into law yet, he cannot be certain how it will come out.