Corruption[edit]
A long history of corruption exists in Thailand, with extortion, bribery and the use of insider information to buy land among the types regularly observed.[citation needed] Corruption is deeply embedded in Thai society for numerous reasons, including: traditionally, officials were entitled to 10 to 30 per cent of expenditures for rendering their services, rather than a salary; a tradition of giving gifts to high officials also persists and, while these practices are not directly corrupting, the continuation of gift-giving during a period when officials receive salaries is a major basis of corruption.[citation needed] Corruption has also been identified in the Thai energy sector. In addition to the misallocation of finances, large bribes are received by the officials (or their families) who are responsible for choosing contractors for jobs.[citation needed]
In the 2013 Global Corruption Barometer study, conducted by Transparency International, 71 per cent of Thai respondents perceived the police to be corrupt/extremely corrupt, 68 per cent expressed a feeling that political parties were corrupt/extremely corrupt and 45 per cent identified corruption in the parliament/legislature. Additionally, 37 per cent reported paying a bribe to police, while this figure is 14 per cent in regard to the judiciary.[