25 June 2020 – President of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, Pol. Gen. Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit, welcomed United State Ambassador to Thailand, His Excellency Mr. Michael George DeSombre, who paid a courtesy visit at the NACC headquarters on the occasion of his assumption of duty.
The President of the NACC and the US Ambassador emphasized their commitment to the longstanding diplomatic and law enforcement relations between Thailand and United States,and discussed ways to further enhance anti-corruption cooperation in various areas including capacity building, integrity education and improvement of Corruption Perception Index scores.
Pol. Gen. Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit disclosed during the bilateral meeting that the NACC plans to significantly expand its training programmes and facilities to cater to the growing capacity building needs of local and ASEAN anti-corruption practitioners. He expressed his strong interest in partnering with the International Law Enforcement Academy of Bangkok (ILEA) to develop and conduct specialized training programmes on such topics including financial forensics, investigative interviewing techniques, and intelligence gathering and analysis.
Both sides also exchanged views and best practices on how Thailand can further improve its attractiveness as an investment destination through the effective tackling of bribery and corruption risks. The NACC has been working closely with relevant public agencies and representatives of the private sector in mainstreaming business integrity practices in accordance with the eight anti-bribery principles for juristic persons issued by the agency in 2017. Similarly, the Comptroller-General’s Department has collaborated with the private sector in rolling out the two notable tools – IP (Integrity Pact) and CoST (Construction Sector Transparency Initiative) – which are aimed at enhancing the transparency of public procurement process.
On the prevention front, the President of the NACC also shared that the agency has developed five anti-corruption and integrity learning modules which were subsequently approved by the Cabinet in 2018. The NACC is presently collaborating with key ministries and public offices including the Ministry of Education to incorporate the modules into the public school curriculum.