Phuket Governor Sopon Suwannarat presided over the event, held under the theme ‘Against Corruption: Fight to the End, Stop Cheating’, joined by senior officials and representatives from various government and anti-corruption agencies to reaffirm their commitment to ethical governance and transparency.
Key participants included Vice Governor Ronnarong Tipsiri, Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Pol Col Jirasak Siemsak, Deputy Chief of the Public Prosecutor’s Office Kanit Kongthong and NACC Phuket Chief Suwat Saowarat.
The event highlighted the achievements of local government bodies in their ethics and transparency assessments (ITA) for fiscal year 2024, as reviewed and graded by NACC Phuket.
Four agencies were recognised with ‘Excellent’ ratings:
- Koh Kaew Tambon Administrative Organisation (OrBorTor)
- Patong Municipality
- Thepkrasattri OrBorTor
- Karon Municipality
Additionally, 14 agencies received ‘Good’ ratings”
- Pa Khlok Municipality
- Rasada Municipality
- Phuket City Municipality
- Chalong Municipality
- Kathu Municipality
- Kamala OrBorTor
- Cherng Talay Municipality
- Wichit Municipality
- Phuket Provincial Office
- Thepkrasattri Municipality
- Mai Khao OrBorTor
- Srisoonthorn Municipality
- Sakhu OrBorTor
- Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation (PPAO)
Rawai Municipality stood out as the only local government agency on the island to receive a lowly ‘Pass’ grade.
Regardless, certificates of honour were presented by the Phuket NACC office to commend all the agencies for their efforts.
NACC Phuket Chief Mr Suwat provided an overview of Phuket’s ITA performance. In 2024, 20 agencies participated, achieving an “impressive” average score of 95.43 points, up from 94.19 in 2023.
The aim is to elevate all agencies to ‘Excellent’ status in the next assessment, he said.
Governor Sophon emphasised the importance of integrity and called on government officials to perform their duties with honesty.
He urged all sectors to actively combat corruption, stressing that transparency is essential for the benefit of the people and the nation.
According to Transparency International’s much respected ‘Corruption Perceptions Index’, Thailand currently ranks 108 in the world, on par with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Nepal, Panama and Sierra Leone.
As such, Thailand ranks immediately above Ecuador, Indonesia, Malwai and the Philippines, but immediately below Ukraine, Serbia, Brazil and Argentina.
Denmark is currently considered the least corrupt country on the planet, followed by Finland, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore and Sweden.