The next step in corruption fighting in Thailand: the Customs Department
By Jon Fernquest
In
Thailand "the Customs Department ranks highest in
terms of complaints filed regarding
corruption."
People have been aware of problems and have been talking about reform for a long time time (Read article). Now finally something is being done about it.
One problem is "the considerable discretion wielded by customs officers in determining the taxes or procedures required for a given case."
The Finance Ministry is "in the process of scrapping a long-standing practice of paying special bonuses to staff for fines levied against the private sector, as the system actually encouraged distortions and contributed to corruption."
Today's article begins after the vocabulary below.
Also read a previous Bangkok Post article on the 10th anniversary of Thailand's National Counter-Corruption Commission (NAAC) (Read article).
customs - the
government agency that controls goods coming into and
going out of the country and collects taxes on them กรมศุลกากร
aware of - know about
reform - improvement, changes to correct a situation that is wrong or unfair การแก้ไข การปฏิรูป
National Counter-Corruption Commission (NAAC) - an independent agency of the Thai government "responsible for the ethical conduct, financially or otherwise of elected politicians and civil servants. The commission have both powers of investigation and prosecution." (From Wikipedia; see website) คณะกรรมการป้องกันและปราบปรามการทุจริตแห่งชา
anniversary - a day for remembering and celebrating some event that happened in the past
process - a series of actions taken in order to achieve a result แนวทางปฏิบัติ, กระบวน, วิธีการ
in the process of - doing a series of actions to achieve a result
scrapping - giving up; stopping ยอกเลิก ยุติ
practice - a way of doing something การปฏิบัติ
bonuses - money employees get for good performance เงินโบนัส
fines levied against Y - when Y pays money to government as a punishment for wrongdoing
sector - a part of a country's economic or business activity, (public sector = government, private sector = all businesses, household sector = families and consumers, banking sector,...) (See Wikipedia) ภาค (เศรษฐกิจ)
private sector - all the businesses and companies in an economy
encouraged - having more confidence or hope about something มีกำลังใจ
distortions - when things are not what they should be (example: prices of imported goods too high because customs officials are making money off of them)
contributed to - added to
aware of - know about
reform - improvement, changes to correct a situation that is wrong or unfair การแก้ไข การปฏิรูป
National Counter-Corruption Commission (NAAC) - an independent agency of the Thai government "responsible for the ethical conduct, financially or otherwise of elected politicians and civil servants. The commission have both powers of investigation and prosecution." (From Wikipedia; see website) คณะกรรมการป้องกันและปราบปรามการทุจริตแห่งชา
anniversary - a day for remembering and celebrating some event that happened in the past
process - a series of actions taken in order to achieve a result แนวทางปฏิบัติ, กระบวน, วิธีการ
in the process of - doing a series of actions to achieve a result
scrapping - giving up; stopping ยอกเลิก ยุติ
practice - a way of doing something การปฏิบัติ
bonuses - money employees get for good performance เงินโบนัส
fines levied against Y - when Y pays money to government as a punishment for wrongdoing
sector - a part of a country's economic or business activity, (public sector = government, private sector = all businesses, household sector = families and consumers, banking sector,...) (See Wikipedia) ภาค (เศรษฐกิจ)
private sector - all the businesses and companies in an economy
encouraged - having more confidence or hope about something มีกำลังใจ
distortions - when things are not what they should be (example: prices of imported goods too high because customs officials are making money off of them)
contributed to - added to
ECONOMY
Abhisit: Corruption root of problems
17/06/2010Wichit Chantanusornsiri
Corruption rests at the roots of Thailand's current political problems and public resentment about social and economic gaps within the country, says Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
"[Corruption] can destroy what is already good," he said. "It can destroy society and contribute to many other problems.
root of problems - the
main or first cause of the problems
current - of the present time ปัจจุบัน
resentment - a feeling of anger because you have been forced to accept someone or something that you do not like ความไม่พอใจ
economic gaps - situation in a society when some groups make a lot more money and are a lot more wealthier than others
contribute - to make a regular payment
current - of the present time ปัจจุบัน
resentment - a feeling of anger because you have been forced to accept someone or something that you do not like ความไม่พอใจ
economic gaps - situation in a society when some groups make a lot more money and are a lot more wealthier than others
contribute - to make a regular payment
Even though we have systems and laws and organisations dedicated to countering corruption, it remains a long-standing problem.
Speaking at a conference on anti-corruption efforts, Mr Abhisit said persistent corruption contributed to some parts of the society giving up hope of any solution at all, while imposing added costs throughout the economy.
dedicated
- used for only one kind of work or for one purpose
countering - going against and trying to stop or reduce something bad
corruption - (See Wikipedia on bribery, corporate corruption, and political corruption)
remains Y - continues to be Y without change, still is Y
long-standing - lasting or existing for a long time
efforts - people working and trying to accomplish something, achieve a goal ความพยายาม
persistent - continuing อย่างต่อเนื่อง
countering - going against and trying to stop or reduce something bad
corruption - (See Wikipedia on bribery, corporate corruption, and political corruption)
remains Y - continues to be Y without change, still is Y
long-standing - lasting or existing for a long time
efforts - people working and trying to accomplish something, achieve a goal ความพยายาม
persistent - continuing อย่างต่อเนื่อง
Public corruption resulted in added waste and the procurement and delivery of goods and services ill-matched for the country's needs at the expense of taxpayers.
Transparency International ranked Thailand 84th out of 180 countries in its 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index, tied with El Salvador, Guatemala, India and Panama. In contrast, Thailand ranked 84th out of 179 in 2007 and 63 out of 163 in 2006.
procurement
- buying supplies for a company or other organisation การจัดซื้อ
ill-matched - not a good match, does not provide benfits or serve very well
taxpayers - people who pay taxes (who don't want to see their hard-earned money wasted) ผู้เสียภาษี
Transparency International - an international organisation that fights corruption and tries to raise public awareness of corruption (See Wikipedia)
Transparency International's Global Corruption Perceptions Index - "Since 1995, Transparency International has published an annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ordering the countries of the world according to 'the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians'. The organization defines corruption as 'the abuse of entrusted power for private gain'." (See Wikipedia)
contrast - a difference between two things when you compare them ความแตกต่าง
ill-matched - not a good match, does not provide benfits or serve very well
taxpayers - people who pay taxes (who don't want to see their hard-earned money wasted) ผู้เสียภาษี
Transparency International - an international organisation that fights corruption and tries to raise public awareness of corruption (See Wikipedia)
Transparency International's Global Corruption Perceptions Index - "Since 1995, Transparency International has published an annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ordering the countries of the world according to 'the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians'. The organization defines corruption as 'the abuse of entrusted power for private gain'." (See Wikipedia)
contrast - a difference between two things when you compare them ความแตกต่าง
Mr Abhisit said corruption eroded the country's moral and ethical fibre, starting at the very top with the political system.
Corruption is a fundamental problem for our democracy. Every time there has been a coup, the coupmakers have used corruption as a justification," he said.
erode - reduce
slowly over a long period of time (like water eroding earth from the
side of a hill)
moral - about what is right and wrong, about how people should behave
ethical - morally acceptable, right action
moral and ethical fibre -
fundamental - very important and essential พื้นฐาน รากฐานที่สำคัญ
justification - a reason for doing something
moral - about what is right and wrong, about how people should behave
ethical - morally acceptable, right action
moral and ethical fibre -
fundamental - very important and essential พื้นฐาน รากฐานที่สำคัญ
justification - a reason for doing something
Corruption directly contributed to today's public discontent with the social, economic and political imbalances within the country, he said.
Addressing the problem means not only enforcing the laws more seriously but also ensuring sufficient salaries within the civil service, instilling morals and a sense of civic duty among staff, department heads and leaders, he said.
discontent
- the unhappy feeling that you have when you are not satisfied with
something ไม่พอใจ
imbalances - when things are not in balance, when one things gets too big and could cause failure
addressing the problem - taking steps tp solve the problem
ensuring - making sure that something exists or happens
sufficient - enough พอเพียง
civil service - government workers (who have to take special tests to get their jobs, wear special uniforms at work and have protection from being fired from their job)
morals - standards for good or bad character and behavior หลักความประพฤติ, หลักจรรยา, หลักปฏิบัติ, หลักศีลธรรม
instilling morals - taking steps to make sure that people have morals (act ethically and morally in their work, acting for the public benefit rather than personal benefit)
duty - something that you have to do because it is part of your job, or something that you feel is the right thing to do หน้าที่, ความรับผิดชอบ
civic duty - your duty as a member of a group (a citizen of a country or a member of a local community)
instilling a sense of civic duty - taking steps to make sure that people act as "good citizens" or as good members of a group
staff - workers, employees พนักงาน
imbalances - when things are not in balance, when one things gets too big and could cause failure
addressing the problem - taking steps tp solve the problem
ensuring - making sure that something exists or happens
sufficient - enough พอเพียง
civil service - government workers (who have to take special tests to get their jobs, wear special uniforms at work and have protection from being fired from their job)
morals - standards for good or bad character and behavior หลักความประพฤติ, หลักจรรยา, หลักปฏิบัติ, หลักศีลธรรม
instilling morals - taking steps to make sure that people have morals (act ethically and morally in their work, acting for the public benefit rather than personal benefit)
duty - something that you have to do because it is part of your job, or something that you feel is the right thing to do หน้าที่, ความรับผิดชอบ
civic duty - your duty as a member of a group (a citizen of a country or a member of a local community)
instilling a sense of civic duty - taking steps to make sure that people act as "good citizens" or as good members of a group
staff - workers, employees พนักงาน
Among government agencies, the Customs Department ranks highest in terms of complaints filed regarding corruption.
Mr Abhisit said one problem was the considerable discretion wielded by customs officers in determining the taxes or procedures required for a given case.
X in terms of Y - X
as measured by Y
complaints - when people say there is something wrong and they want it changed
filed - to take official action, e.g., to make a formal complaint ยื่นฟ้องร้อง
considerable - large amount จำนวนมาก
discretion - the right, authority or ability to make a decision or judgement
considerable discretion - having a lot of freedon (leeway) for making decisions
wielded by - power or influence used by
customs - the government agency that controls goods coming into and going out of the country and collects taxes on them กรมศุลกากร
officers - high ranking managers in a company or government
complaints - when people say there is something wrong and they want it changed
filed - to take official action, e.g., to make a formal complaint ยื่นฟ้องร้อง
considerable - large amount จำนวนมาก
discretion - the right, authority or ability to make a decision or judgement
considerable discretion - having a lot of freedon (leeway) for making decisions
wielded by - power or influence used by
customs - the government agency that controls goods coming into and going out of the country and collects taxes on them กรมศุลกากร
officers - high ranking managers in a company or government
In some cases, traders have been penalised despite the fact that they followed the recommendations made by customs officials themselves.
Mr Abhisit said the Finance Ministry was in the process of scrapping a long-standing practice of paying special bonuses to staff for fines levied against the private sector, as the system actually encouraged distortions and contributed to corruption.
traders
- people who buy and sell goods, often importing or exporting them
process - a series of actions taken in order to achieve a result แนวทางปฏิบัติ, กระบวน, วิธีการ
in the process of - doing a series of actions to achieve a result
scrapping - giving up; stopping ยอกเลิก ยุติ
practice - a way of doing something การปฏิบัติ
bonuses - money employees get for good performance เงินโบนัส
fines levied against Y - when Y pays money to government as a punishment for wrongdoing
sector - a part of a country's economic or business activity, (public sector = government, private sector = all businesses, household sector = families and consumers, banking sector,...) (See Wikipedia) ภาค (เศรษฐกิจ)
private sector - all the businesses and companies in an economy
encouraged - having more confidence or hope about something มีกำลังใจ
distortions - when things are not what they should be (example: prices of imported goods too high because customs officials are making money off of them)
contributed to - added to
process - a series of actions taken in order to achieve a result แนวทางปฏิบัติ, กระบวน, วิธีการ
in the process of - doing a series of actions to achieve a result
scrapping - giving up; stopping ยอกเลิก ยุติ
practice - a way of doing something การปฏิบัติ
bonuses - money employees get for good performance เงินโบนัส
fines levied against Y - when Y pays money to government as a punishment for wrongdoing
sector - a part of a country's economic or business activity, (public sector = government, private sector = all businesses, household sector = families and consumers, banking sector,...) (See Wikipedia) ภาค (เศรษฐกิจ)
private sector - all the businesses and companies in an economy
encouraged - having more confidence or hope about something มีกำลังใจ
distortions - when things are not what they should be (example: prices of imported goods too high because customs officials are making money off of them)
contributed to - added to
Somchai Sujjapongse, the director-general of the Customs Department, said he was committed to improving transparency within the department.
A high-level working group, comprised of industry leaders and outside experts, was set up last year by Dr Somchai to give advice on how to improve the efficiency and transparency within the Customs Department.
committed
- loyal and willing to give your time and energy to something that you
believe in
transparency - an honest way of doing things that allows other people to know exactly what you are doing ความโปร่งใส
working group - a group of people appointed to investigate and find a solution to a problem
X comprised of Y - group X includes as members Y
improve - to make better ทำให้ดีขึ้น
efficiency - waste little time, energy and resources in doing a task (minimize time, energy and resources in performing a task) (See glossary) การทำงานอย่างมีประสิทธิภาพ คุ้มค่าเวลาและใช้พลังงานหรือต้นทุนในการผลิตน้อย เพื่อให้ได้ผลผลิตมาก
transparency - an honest way of doing things that allows other people to know exactly what you are doing ความโปร่งใส
working group - a group of people appointed to investigate and find a solution to a problem
X comprised of Y - group X includes as members Y
improve - to make better ทำให้ดีขึ้น
efficiency - waste little time, energy and resources in doing a task (minimize time, energy and resources in performing a task) (See glossary) การทำงานอย่างมีประสิทธิภาพ คุ้มค่าเวลาและใช้พลังงานหรือต้นทุนในการผลิตน้อย เพื่อให้ได้ผลผลิตมาก
Department heads recently were made to sign pledges vouching for the actions of their staff and certifying their own responsibility over the actions of their subordinates.
The e-Customs system has also been expanded to improve transparency and reduce the discretion of customs officials in processing cases. Standard operations, such as container inspections, will also be benchmarked with the goal of completing work within 30 minutes, rather than one or two days.
pledges - promises
vouch for - say that something is correct or true (according to the knowledge and experience that you have)
certify - officially state that some fact is true, accurate or meets a standard
responsibility - 1. being blamed for something that goes wrong, 2. having to take care of some task as part of your job
subordinates - the employees working under a manager
reduce the discretion of customs officials in processing cases - change process so that customs officials make less decisions and therefore have less opportunity to profit from these decisions
container ships - cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size containers (See Wikipedia on container ship and containerization)
container - the truck size containers carried by a container ship
benchmarked - measured and compared (in order to determine a standard)
vouch for - say that something is correct or true (according to the knowledge and experience that you have)
certify - officially state that some fact is true, accurate or meets a standard
responsibility - 1. being blamed for something that goes wrong, 2. having to take care of some task as part of your job
subordinates - the employees working under a manager
reduce the discretion of customs officials in processing cases - change process so that customs officials make less decisions and therefore have less opportunity to profit from these decisions
container ships - cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size containers (See Wikipedia on container ship and containerization)
container - the truck size containers carried by a container ship
benchmarked - measured and compared (in order to determine a standard)
(Source: Abhisit: Corruption root of problems, 17/06/2010, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, link)
