Thailand’s corruption standing for 2022 improved nine places to 101st, from 110th out of 180 countries in 2021, according to the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International. Thailand is 4th among ASEAN countries.

Secretary-General of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), Niwatchai Kasemmongkol, said that Thailand scored 36 points, compared to 35 points in the 2021.

The world’s top performer was Denmark, which scored 90 points, followed by Finland and New Zealand, which scored 87 points. Top performer among Asian countries was Singapore, which was ranked the 4th place globally, with 83 points.

The assessment was based on information from nine sources and Thailand scored more points last year than a year earlier in assessments from the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, from 39 to 43, and the World Economic Forum, from 42 to 45 points, according to Niwatchai.

He said that, from foreign investors’ perception, the Thai Government has become more serious in dealing with the problem of bribery and has taken punitive action against corrupt officials.

The government has also reformed the system for approving projects, by cutting bureaucratic red tape and reducing the discretion available to officialss, said Niwatchai.

He said that, from the point of view of the people responsible for the performance assessment, the Thai Government is still unable to tackle corruption in government bureaucracy, with rampant graft among state officials in budget management, conflicts of interests and lax law enforcement.

As far as the NACC is concerned, Niwatchai said that the corruption watchdog has developed information technology and communication systems to support anti-corruption efforts, such as the agency case monitoring system.

He also said that the promotion of public participation will help boost efforts to deal with corruption in the bureaucracy.