The TDRI chairman proposes four measures to enhance transparency, urging the government to pave the way for OECD membership by focusing on data disclosure and preventing lawsuits that silence the public.
On 20 May 2026 at the Government House, Mr. Somkiat Tangkitvanich, chairman of the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), said after attending a public-private cooperation meeting to strengthen anti-corruption efforts, chaired by Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, that he proposed four urgent measures for the government to raise Thailand's transparency to meet international standards. First, the government should disclose 25 data sets that help combat corruption, as specified by the World Bank, clearly indicating which information should be made public. Second, the government should implement a legal 'guillotine' to review and repeal regulations that obstruct processes, especially unnecessary licensing and approval procedures that create opportunities for discretion and corruption.
Mr. Somkiat stated the third measure: the government should apply integrity pacts in large-scale public procurement projects by allowing external observers to participate in oversight. This measure has been implemented before but lacked consistency during some past governments, so it should be seriously reinstated.
Fourth, the government must emphasize policies protecting citizens who provide whistleblower information. It should set guidelines preventing government agencies from suing citizens who report corruption. If officials or directors take personal offense, they should pursue lawsuits in their own name, not using government agencies or departments. Additionally, the burden of proof should be raised to standards used in the UK and the US to prevent lawsuits intended to silence citizens easily.
Mr. Somkiat said efforts should focus more on prevention than suppression, since the volume of corruption is too large to be fully prosecuted. Preventative measures like data disclosure, integrity pacts, and legal guillotine reforms will better reduce problems. However, this requires cooperation among the government, private sector, and civil society.
Mr. Somkiat added that successfully implementing these four measures will increase Thailand's chances of joining the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) more quickly, as it aligns with internationally recognized standards accepted worldwide.