Anti-corruption measures will be elevated to encourage civil society participation in helping monitor the operations of state agencies, said Bhumivisan Kasemsook, secretary-general of the Office of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC).
Mr Bhumivisan revealed the move at an event outlining guidelines to tackle corruption in the public sector, presided over by Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai yesterday.
The event was held to commemorate the 17th anniversary of the founding of the PACC under the concept of "Power of Faith, Power Against Corruption".
Mr Bhumivisan said the event's purpose was to highlight the importance of establishing the PACC, the country's primary agency enforcing anti-corruption laws over the past 17 years. The PACC, he said, is committed to creating a society that will not tolerate corruption and develop proactive measures to prevent it.
Between 2008 and 2024, he said PACC received 40,645 complaints, completed fact-checking on 40,104 cases, and found grounds for claims in 5,973.
From June 22, 2020, until Dec 31 last year, the PACC also served as the anti-corruption administration centre's secretariat, handling 5,021 complaints. Of these, 4,878 cases were probed, with corruption discovered in 3,115.
In terms of corruption prevention, he said the public sector will be promoted as a mechanism to monitor corruption through the White Space Network, a participation model to prevent and monitor graft and proactively prevent corruption in government agencies nationwide.
Mr Bhumivisan said the PACC also worked with certain agencies to create an action plan to improve the country's standing in the Corruption Perceptions Index of Transparency International. The kingdom had a score of 35 in 2023 and ranked 108th out of 180 countries. The PACC also initiated a pilot project to increase private sector participation in solving corruption problems in collaboration with the UN Global Compact Network Thailand, the Institute of Directors and Collective Action Against Corruption.
Mr Bhumivisan said a law revision is underway to ensure effective prevention and suppression of corruption and misconduct among state agencies.
In addition, the PACC has joined the United Nations Global Network, representing 118 countries, which will help boost Thailand's anti-corruption efforts on the global stage.
