Whistle-blowers need protection, not punishment

As he says, corruption has been deeply entrenched in Thai society for a long time and the problem has worsened, causing social division and disparity.

To fight graft, we must hold the powerful accountable, and to reach that goal, protecting, rather than prosecuting and persecuting, whistle-blowers is essential, for they often hold the hard evidence we need to go after the corrupt, 

Thus, Yingluck was wrong to abruptly transfer then-deputy permanent secretary of finance Supa Piyajitti and then-permanent secretary of finance Areepong Bhooch-oom for revealing that her much-vaunted rice scheme risked causing massive losses to the country. Likewise, General Prayuth should thank and protect whoever uploaded the clip of a Koh Lan tourist being harassed to rent a beach chair, for supplying evidence needed to help curb the local Mafia, at great risk to himself, and encourage other whistle-blowers.

The local cops are loath to act against harassers and their big bosses, and use the excuse that the tourist hasn’t filed charges. But if your pocket was picked, say, while visiting New York, you’d want to be on your way rather than wait days, maybe weeks, for your case to come up in court, wouldn’t you? Those harassing our foreign guests are causing serious damage to our country and must be stopped. Such cases could perhaps be tried within 24 hours, with suspects found guilty forced to pay the victim’s added accommodation costs plus triple damages for trouble caused. 

Burin Kantabutra