Aree, the Interior Minister, has resigned, after ITMinister and the Deputy Commerce Minister (read here and here).
As usual, he didn’t see nothing, he didn’t know nothing. “I would have rectified the cap violations if I knew about the rule“.
Furthermore, we learned that one of the company in which he owns shares… was working with the government (supply of food) (Nation)… Even until january of this year.
And furthermore… Aree was minister before the Coup, in Thaksin’s government…
Therefore, as he said : “he had consistently declared his shares on three occasions without being aware of the equity cap. He disclosed his assets when appointed to be permanent secretary at the Interior Ministry, deputy Education minister and Interior minister“.
The burning question now : why the NCCC didn’t react 2 years ago ? Why the NCCC is disclosing the story now ?
Like all essential questions in Thailand… we’ll never have an answer.
The political manipulation is obvious.
The NCCC did not report the fact. Either because it was in fear of Thaksin or because it knew it would never be held accountable.
The lack of accountability is a real problem in Thailand, in small ways and large. For some reason, people people are able to simply ignore the law, and for some reason nobody actually holds them accountable. Both act with impunity which is a mockery of democracy.
In corruption cases, the party who enjoys the benefits of corruption is guilty, but the heavier guilt lies with those who are paid to act but take no action.
“Mockery”, the word is well choosen.
Thailand has all the laws, all the legal framework to fight, to curb corruption.
But too often, the facts don’t match thoses “paper laws”…
This is the real issue.
And it goes way beyond a “political side” problem : the idea that one “side” would be bad, and the other would be good is simply… entertaining.