Corruption Is the Art of Deception
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Corruption is the art of deception Journal of The Thai Statistical Association Executive Editor Surin Khanabsakdi Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Muang District, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 50200 Dear Mr. Khanabsakdi, My name is Brian Barber I am an Australian married to a Thai National, my home is in the Provence of UdonThani. What I have uncovered is a system of endemic; community organised electoral corruption that stretches from the very bottom to the very top. What has happened here should be of concern to every 'defender of standards' in Thailand. I would appreciate it greatly if you could send a 'link' to this 'Submission' to your 'Editors' listed at the end of this document and relevant 'Board members'. This 'Submission' to you is published under the 'side menu' heading-Public Campaign Dec 2013/Letters to Editor/12.Journal of The Thai Statistical Assoc. Surin Khanabsakdi Exe Editor In January of 2013 my stepson ran as a candidate for Mayor in the local elections of Ban That in the province of UdonThani, with my support. This support was meant to be 'above board' and follow the rules of democracy and decency as laid out on the Electoral Commission Thailand's web site for all to see and study. I have spent many years educating my stepson to a high university level, all the time teaching him to appreciate and value the gift of living in a democracy and of his responsibilities to the 'democratic process'. PART 1 lists the four documents in which I set out and established the 'ground rules' with my stepson and my family for our entry into the 'Mayoral election', including a pre-emptive letter to the ECT, document No 4a 'Democratic process in local Mayoral election' to ECT Chairman Mr. Apichart Sukhagganond (in English and Thai) dated 30th May 2012. PART 2 gives a summary of the more poignant correspondence I have made to the Government of Thailand and to the non-government 'safeguard' institutions over the last twelve months trying to get a resolution to this 'electoral corruption' event. For a full and complete list of all documents see website http://www.ecesolutions.info (All 'Submissions' and accompanying documents are now published online as of the 12th October 2013 and are available for viewing and download. PART 1 Document No: - 1. - 'Politics is the art of persuasion' - 12th Feb 2012 (in Thai and English) 2. - 'This is our Platform' - 9th May 2012 (in Thai and English) 3. - 'The Pictorial Plan' (pdf English) 4. - 'Democratic process in local Mayoral election' - 30May 2012 (in Thai and English) To ECT Chairman Mr. Apichart Sukhagganond. Page 1 of 27 Democracy is not about who rules it is about how they rule Corruption is the art of deception PART 2 Document No: - 13a. - Submission to ECT Chairman Mr Apichart Sukhagganond 3rd August 2013. 15a. - Submission to NACC President Mr Panthip Klanarongran 11th Sept 2013. 18a. - Submission to Mr Wasan Soypisudh President of the 'Constitutional Court' 16th October 2013. ( see also Document No 18e ) 20a. - Submission to the 'National Assembly of Thailand' 24th October 2013 addressed to: - (1) Mr Somsak Kiatsuranont Speaker of the 'House of Representatives of Thailand'' and President of the' National Assembly of Thailand' (2) Mr Nikom Wairatpanij President of the 'Senate of Thailand' SUBMISSION TO THE PUBLIC parts - A to Z A. Public Campaign Because I have had no meaningful response from the Government of Thailand or any of Thailand's non-government 'safeguard' institutions, I am now forced to make my campaign public. I have written to the King to bring His Royal Highness up to date on the progress of events and inform His Royal Highness of my decision to take my campaign for 'honesty and fairness' to the public and to inform him of my reasons for doing so. (see document No 21a - '2nd Correspondence to HRH King of Thailand' sent 6th December 2013 http://www.ecesolutions.info ) I have also written to the Secretary of the 'Election Commission' to also inform the ECT of my decision to take my campaign public and to be up front about the stance that I will be taking in that campaign. (see document No 23a - '2nd Submission to the Election Commission of Thailand' sent 12th December 2013 http://www.ecesolutions.info ) Writing to all the Newspapers and media organisations and to all the Universities and institutes of learning in Thailand is the start of my public campaign to find 'justice' and 'fairness'. B. No Response As you can see, all this correspondence to government and all these 'Submissions' to all the non- government 'safeguard' institutions in Thailand have produced not one meaningful response, except for the meeting with the Governor of UdonThani Seni Chittakase on Fri 31st May 2013. See documents No :- 9a. - 'Correspondence to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra' 6th May 2013. 10. - 'Correspondence from Governor UdonThani Seni Chittakase 31st May 2013 after meeting in response to my correspondence to the Prime Minister'. 11a. - 'Reply correspondence to Seni Chittakase Governor UdonThani' 2nd July 2013. Page 2 of 27 Democracy is not about who rules it is about how they rule Corruption is the art of deception Registered mail All correspondence and 'Submissions' have been sent by 'Registered Mail' and all senior officials in each recipient institution received copies of the 'Submission'. (see List of Documents http://www.ecesolutions.info) In the case of the 'Submission' to the President of the 'Constitutional Court' dated 16th October 2013 (document No 18), copies were sent to all seven (7) Justices. In all, up to this present point in time, I have sent fifty one (51) registered mail documents to the various government officials and non-government institutions in Thailand (see Registered Post Tracker Table http://www.ecesolutions.info) C. How does one interpret this non-response How does one interpret this non-response and avoidance by the Government of Thailand to deal with this most serious of issue of 'Electoral Corruption' in the province of UdonThani. Remained silent Every senior official in every one of your 'safeguard' institutions and every politician I have sent a correspondence too has remained silent, including the Speaker of the 'House of Representatives of Thailand and the President of the 'Senate of Thailand'? (See document No 20a - 'Submission to the National Assembly of Thailand' 24th October 2013) What do you think the outside world thinks of all this? I'll let you be the judge. Good men cannot win in Thailand Is the Mayor of BanThat right when he said "Good men cannot win in Thailand" (See Closing Statement, document No 15a - 'Submission to NACC President Mr.Panthip Klanarongran 11th Sept 2013') Is this what my stepson is to learn from his first encounter with the 'Democratic System' in Thailand, that 'good men just cannot win in Thailand' My stepson sent me an email My stepson sent me an Email just prior to the polling date telling me that he had done a 'survey' asking people in the twenty villages of the electorate ''Would they vote for him on 'policy' alone with no money given?" He said that only one in one hundred said that they would. I wrote back to him saying that I did not believe his figures. "We had many such 'Email points of discussion' in the year long lead up to the election and I assumed the same was happening in the many meetings that my stepson had with the senior official in the UdonThani administration Dr Natthayot Phaguang in UdonThani and at our house in Nakhom, but sadly this was not the case (see document No 15a - Submission to NACC President Mr.Panthip Klanarongran 11th Sept 2013. Part (2) 'My stepson was mentored into electoral corruption'. Page 3 of 27 Democracy is not about who rules it is about how they rule Corruption is the art of deception D. Education System in Thailand How did my stepson whom I have raised and educated to high university standard for 10 years in preparation for his adult life, let himself be drawn to a corrupt mindset in such a complete way. Not only did he blindly follow down this 'dark trail' those who led him to him to his own destruction, but in doing so he took so blatantly and completely from his stepfather. My stepson was educated in your Thailand University system, he participated in a 'Post Graduate' course in "local government administration' which the government granted and paid for. What values did his university professors impart? What guidance did he receive to evaluate right from wrong? Not one young person stood up for the principals of democracy or the rule of law My stepson is not alone in this abyss, not one young person in the villages, many of whom are also university educated, at great sacrifice by their parents, stood up for the 'principles of democracy' or the 'rule of law'. Every one of these young people put their hand out the same as everybody else and sold their vote, and their souls, for a pittance of money. Is this going to be the 'National trait' of Thailand's people that we can except in the future? Who is responsible for this moral morass? What reasonability does the 'safeguard' organisation such as the ECT, the NACC and the PACC take unto themselves for this sad state of affairs of 'moral morass'? What role do these 'National organs' of authority play in the 'moral conscience' of the nation? And if these organisation do not have the responsibility, then who does have this responsibility and duty? Clearly the universities are failing and the international image of Thailand is continually being downgraded as a result.