Media can’t risk exposing depth of corruption in Thai officialdom, but novels can (and do)
The question that headlined yesterday’s editorial, “Why is Thailand still such a dangerous place?”, could easily be answered by most long-term farangs and all young Thais – if it wasn’t for their fear of being arrested and jailed.
Instead we could consult the series of novels set in Thailand by John Burdett, which perfectly describe the country’s problems in a way I feel is more accurate and honest than most newspapers or magazines can risk.
Burdett suggests that certain paid government employees facilitate rather than fight crime. And that the smuggling of drugs, oil, timber, illegal immigrants, rare wildlife, plus the operation of gambling dens and prostitution produce an income for these people that they feel very satisfied with and will fight to protect. If it was possible to investigate all the unexplained wealth held by certain government officials, there might be a chance we could eliminate much of this crime. But the way things are at the moment, there is no chance of this happening.
Lungstib
Chiang Mai
