"Anutin" chairs the Anti-Corruption Coordination Committee meeting, declares he is unconcerned by sentiment-based polls, dismisses criticism used to gauge corruption, cites empirical evidence of over 40 billion baht in asset seizures, and pushes technology to reduce discretion, elevating anti-corruption efforts across the entire system toward sustainability.
At 10:00 a.m. on 23 July, at the Phakdi Bodin Building, Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, presided over a meeting of the Anti-Corruption Coordination Committee (ACCC). In attendance were Pharadorn Prisananantakul, Minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office; Ms. Nan Buntida Somchai, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy and Society; and committee members. In opening the meeting, Anutin stated that Thailand has gained confidence and trust on the international stage. The heart of reform is not merely preventing corruption, but upholding the rule of law, transparency, accountability, and auditability. We must acknowledge that the system has gaps — not as failures, but as starting points for reform. The government's goal is not simply to raise scores or improve rankings. Rankings that reflect public sentiment he does not count, because if you ask someone who dislikes the government they will say it is corrupt, and if you ask someone who supports the government they will say it is not — you get no substance and no evidentiary basis from that. Therefore, we must hold firm to reference points backed by evidence so that our goals are correct. If we go and ask how people inside and outside the country feel about corruption and get the answer that it has worsened, that only damages the country's image further.
We must focus on prevention and prosecution — pursuing cases with the utmost rigor. This is what the government has been doing consistently. We have declared ourselves enemies of corruption in all its forms, drug trafficking, suppression of scammers, human trafficking, and the crackdown on various legal violations, including money laundering. Large-scale asset seizures have been carried out, and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) has continually reported that since this government took office, assets seized from offenders have totalled approximately 40 billion baht. This is tangible and supported by clear evidence. There is also the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), the State Audit Commission (SAC), the Ombudsman, and the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), all of which carry out investigations, file charges, and punish wrongdoers.
Anutin said that Thailand has numerous agencies responsible in this area. To give an example regarding the cheating scandal in the local government civil service examinations — some say the Department of Local Administration (DLA), as the party involved, should conduct the investigation itself, which would be like putting the defendant in charge of their own inquiry. That is not the case, because there are already agencies at work, such as the NACC, AMLO, PACC, and police officers, as well as a committee he appointed with Pakorn Nilprapunt, Deputy Prime Minister, as chair, which has conducted investigations, expanded the probe, and coordinated all relevant agencies to maximise the effectiveness of prosecution and anti-corruption action. In fact, it is almost as if they are competing with one another to get the work done. He believes there is no agency or individual who might try to pull strings to escape a case and succeed in doing so, because parallel agencies are working at full capacity. This demonstrates the government's clear resolve to build systems and credibility in accelerating the prevention and suppression of corruption in all its forms. He also called on this ACCC, currently in session, to serve as the principal mechanism for linking and coordinating government agencies, the private sector, civil society, and academia, to work on a shared data foundation with a shared goal, and to drive improvements to laws, regulations, and processes, as well as to apply technology to reduce the use of discretion for the sake of transparency and to elevate anti-corruption efforts from addressing immediate problems to sustainable, systemic prevention.
Anutin said that this government is ready to fully support the ACCC's operations and asks that all agencies work together with determination, the courage to adapt, the courage to reform, and a commitment to establishing new standards for the Thai public sector — so that Thailand becomes a country with good governance and transparency, trusted by its people, investors, and the international community. He said he is very pleased to be working together with everyone present.
