Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has urged all sectors of Thai society not to tolerate corruption and said he expects the country's position on the corruption perception index (CPI) to improve this year.
Speaking at an event to mark International Anti-Corruption Day on Saturday, the prime minister called on all parties to join forces in the fight against corruption. He also emphasised the importance of raising public awareness of the issue and the need to foster an anti-corruption culture among citizens.
"Thai people must reject and no longer tolerate any kind of corruption. Corruption is not an easy problem to solve, but if all parties help one another to fight against it, I believe we can do it," Gen Prayut said.
He claimed that his government had taken many steps to fight corruption, including improving laws and setting up anti-corruption networks at ministerial and provincial levels.
"With all these efforts, we expect Thailand's CPI score for 2017 to improve," he said.
Last year, Thailand scored only 35 on a scale of 0-100 points in the CPI rankings. Its ranking plummeted from 76th in 2015 to 101st place in the 176 countries in the 2016 assessment.
Transparency International is scheduled to release its latest findings at the end of this month.
The prime minister also insisted that he was not susceptible to corrupting influences.
"If any public or private organisation meets people who claim to know me personally and demand benefit for favours, you can report them to me or the Prime Minister's Office directly. I can assure you that I never befriended corrupt people or received any benefit from them," Gen Prayut said.
Former prime minister and Democrat Party executive Chuan Leekpai said at a separate event that putting effective policies into practice along with better law enforcement are the most important ways to tackle corruption.
Meanwhile, a seminar was told that the judicial system's biggest obstacle to bringing influential people to trial is financial wealth as it allows them the opportunity to bribe their way out of trouble.
Those who hold senior positions in a number of legal sectors including in civil, appeal and constitutional courts continue to abuse their power and are the most difficult felons to bring to justice, according to Constitutional Court judge Jarun Pukditanakul.
"There are also people in the government who are sponsored by illegal businesses with huge wealth, with a web of connections so deep and sophisticated it is almost impossible to identify them," Mr Jarun said.
Existing laws continue to create opportunities for high-profile fugitives to escape, according to Niwat Kaewluan, former secretary-general of the Lawyers Council of Thailand.
"Rich and powerful people often find ways to reduce their punishment," he said.
He added that it was imperative for Thailand to figure out ways to remove such undue interference from the judiciary system.
