Chadchart plans online building permit process to curb corruption

The Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand (ACT) and its network partners held Anti-Corruption Day 2026 at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce under the theme “When corruption occurs, it can be tackled”, seeking to turn despair into a nationwide force and demonstrate the power of people who refuse to tolerate or ignore corruption or become accustomed to it.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) faced numerous corruption problems. In his view, corruption should not be allowed, but any corruption that occurred had to be addressed.

Chadchart compared corruption to an elephant that went unmentioned while people chose to discuss only its smaller parts.

The corruption ecosystem within agencies exercising authority and controlling budgets extended from organisational leaders and executives to middle-ranking officials and operational staff, he said.

Beyond agency personnel, the ecosystem also included powerful figures who could reward, penalise and make appointments despite having no direct responsibility within the organisation, along with private-sector actors, those responsible for oversight and independent organisations.

The public ultimately suffered the greatest impact.

Chadchart identified several forms of corruption.

The most basic was direct budget fraud, exemplified by purchases of exercise equipment that the governor said had been made at inflated prices.

More complex forms included accepting benefits, corruption intended to evade scrutiny and interpretations of the law that favoured particular interests.

Other examples involved policy-level corruption that deprived the public of long-term benefits, the appointment of associates to posts and conflicts of interest.

Chadchart links vote-selling to an ineffective bureaucracy

“Appointments lie at the root of corruption. If corrupt people are appointed or positions are bought and sold, the system will fail from the outset because dishonest people will enter office. In the civil service, the problems include transfers, appointments, the buying and selling of positions, and cheating in civil-service entrance examinations. Among political office-holders, vote buying is especially serious because it brings dishonest people into office and they then seek to recoup what they spent,” Chadchart said.

The governor added, “I believe everyone can play a part in tackling this. But if we ask why votes are bought and why people allow their votes to be bought, I believe the answer lies in an ineffective bureaucracy. If public services were good enough, people would not be tempted by THB500 to THB3,000 because the benefits delivered by an honest government would be greater than the money offered for their votes. Every sector must work together.”

Chadchart said tackling corruption required looking beyond individuals to the system.

Listing the problems would allow everyone to participate in resolving them.

Any system that left room for corruption because it allowed official discretion, did not disclose information, was difficult to scrutinise or required direct contact with officials had to be eliminated.

Technology should be used to increase transparency.

Legal and regulatory changes were also needed to limit official discretion.

Public participation should include providing tip-offs, while independent organisations needed capable personnel who would carry out rigorous scrutiny.

Procedural rules slow agencies investigating themselves

“Relying on agencies to investigate themselves is not easy because the rules do not allow such work to proceed quickly. External scrutiny will be more rigorous and more effective at uncovering corruption,” Chadchart said.

The governor continued, “The principle, however, is that everyone must fulfil their own role, with fighting corruption as the main objective. Individual efforts can then come together as a larger force. Do not expect others to act. Do your own part as well as you can. If there is a problem, report it and tell those responsible to resolve it.”

Chadchart targets permit corruption with an online process

Chadchart identified construction permit applications as the most serious corruption problem within the BMA.

As with tax filing, applications would be submitted online.

All activities requiring BMA permission should move online, replacing official discretion with data and technology.

Traffy Fondue expanded to accept corruption complaints

Over the past four years, more than 1.5 million reports about general problems had been filed through Traffy Fondue, Chadchart said.

The platform had also begun accepting corruption complaints through a channel called Transparent Bangkok, with information submitted kept confidential.

The latest total was 16,000 reports, including complaints alleging that city law-enforcement officers had demanded money.

Such reporting not only helped resolve problems but also helped prevent problems caused by officials, providing a channel for the public to participate in tackling corruption in their areas.

Public trust and alliances seen as key to tackling corruption

“Corruption cannot be tackled when the public lacks trust or faith in the system. Giving people the power to report problems through Traffy Fondue can restore hope that corruption can be tackled,” Chadchart said.

The governor added, “A day like this is needed now because the public does not believe corruption can truly be tackled. Using technology and listening to citizens will give people hope and a chance to resolve problems, bringing them in as our allies.”