Ex-ASEAN chief calls on serious enforcement of anti-corruption laws in Thailand

BANGKOK, October 12 (TNA) - Former ASEAN secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan has suggested that Thailand seriously enforce anti-corruption legistation, while people change their attitudes toward corruption practices. Surin, who is a former Thai foreign minister, acknowledged on Saturday that Thailand is now a “black hole of corruption” in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) because of prevailing malpractices. Surin, who now heads the Future Innovative Thailand Institute (FITI), pointed out that Thailand’s economy now ranks second largest in the 10-member ASEAN bloc, after Indonesia. Surin, however, cautioned that Thailand is losing economic opportunities and other forms of national development because international investors have switched their investment to such neighbouring countries as Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar, costing Thailand about 120 billion US dollars annually on the transfer of foreign investment to those countries. Therefore, the ex-ASEAN chief advised, ridding corruption ought to be considered as national agenda, in which everybody cooperate on eradicating it, while anti-corruption laws should also be seriously enforced. (TNA)