STATEMENT BY DR. SORAJAK KASEMSUVAN
VICE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF
HEAD OF THE THAI DELEGATION
Mr. President,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the
Royal Thai Government, I wish, first of all, to extend my heartfelt congratulations
to Your Excellency Mr. Luis Ernesto Derbez, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Mexico, upon your election to the President of this High-Level Political
Conference for the Purpose of Signing the United Nations Convention against
Corruption. I am confident that, under your exemplary guidance and leadership,
the Conference will be led to a remarkable success. I also wish to take this
opportunity to express our deep appreciation to the Government of the United
Mexican States for the warm hospitality and for hosting this Conference in this
colorful and culturally diverse city of
Mr. President,
Upon assuming office
in February 2001, the present Thai Government under Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra has declared war on 3 fronts: the war on narcotic drugs, the war on
poverty and the war on corruption. Realizing that drugs, poverty and corruption
are the major impediments to genuine development and well-being of the people,
the present Thai Government is resolute and determined to set
Bureaucratic echelon with
enthusiastic support of the Thai people.
On the war on
corruption, the Thai Government attaches great importance to both the prevention
and suppression of corruption both in the public and the private sectors. The
present Constitution of 1997 has also provided a number of new agencies and
mechanisms which have been either established during the present government or
given a full-fledged support by this government, being the first government
having been elected under the new electoral arrangements of the 1997
Constitution.
The independent
National Committee on Counter Corruption is the foremost agency in this regard.
Elected by the non-partisan Senate, the National Committee on Counter
Corruption is guaranteed of its political independence. To date, it has
investigated and taken cases against a great number of politicians of various
portfolios and high level government officials. A special division of the
Supreme Court has been set up to deal specifically with corruption cases of
high ranking politicians. It has passed several important judgments against
corrupt well-known politicians. These independent agencies must be seen truly effective
in administering their constitutional power. Furthermore, the Government is in
the process of setting up a new agency within the Ministry of Justice to
complement the work of the Counter Corruption Committee to investigate
corruption cases of lower ranking government officials.
Several pieces of
legislation have been passed to guarantee transparency in the government. The
Freedom of Information Act guarantees the public access to government documents
and papers. The Administrative Court Act sets up administrative courts to
guarantee transparency in administrative decisions The Act against collusion in
public procurement guarantees transparency in Government procurement
procedures. These are but a few measures the Thai Government has implemented to
fight against corruption. In addition, a lot of efforts have been exerted at
all levels to raise public awareness among Thai people and civil societies
apart from the existing measures. The Transparent Thailand Campaign has been
launched involving all levels of the national and local administrations and the
public in general.
With that in mind,
the present Thai Government fully appreciates the serious efforts by all to
cooperate against corruption. We fully appreciate the fact that in the era of globalization,
to fight against corruption is never an isolated effort confined to territory
of any single State. Rather, to succeed against corruption, it is both the
exclusive duty of each individual as well as the collective efforts of all.
That is the reason why the Thai Government has actively participated in the
process of negotiations of this Convention from the beginning and today it is
ready to become its signatory.
Mr. President,
Corruption affects a
government's ability to provide basic services and encourage sustainable
economic, social and political development. Too often, corruption leaves its
mark on the most vulnerable part of a country's population - the poor.
Therefore, this Convention should make a real difference in term of improving
the quality of life of people around the world. It is the first global
anti-corruption instrument that addresses the issue in a comprehensive manner.
In particular, it includes provisions concerning private sector corruption and
repatriation of illicit funds and provides framework for greater cooperation
among States.
Of particular
importance at this Conference are the so-called "side events" or
round table discussion.
This historic
undertaking in this beautiful city of
Mr. President,
Despite some
criticisms against some of the provisions of the Convention,
Thank you.