in the bureaucracy. The modern code of conduct for public officials refers to corruption using the traditional phrase chor rat bang luang era cheating the citizens and hiding from the king) and defines it to include extortion, acceptance of bribes, and use of official position for private gain on the part of the official himself o people This definition explicitly outlaws gifts taken in return services or activities which th official has the duty to perform, and the use of official position to grant favours to friends and relatives. li In 1975 the government kluma kammakan pongkan ap pram kan thutjarit lae praplauet mi chop nai wong ratehakiin (the Corruption Commission or ccc for populariy known as po po as a watchdog on corrupt practices by public The law empowered the Commission to monitor two kinds of undesirable activity. In the first type, government officials abuse their position or neglect their duty in ways which result in direct benefits accruing to themselves or others. In the second type, government officials use their position, neglect their duty or bypass official orders with the intention to create misuse of public funds, and can be found guilty whether or not they or a third party can be proved to have benefited. This second type is termed "improper behaviour" (praph mi chot),15 Despite the existence of this legal framework, there is still a very high degree of public acceptance of activities on the part o government officials which are legally defined as corrupt (see below, chapter 50. First, there is large acceptance of the practice of presenting gifts to officials for services rendered, or expected to be rendered, in the course of the official's normal duty. This kind of gift is perceived to be made legitimate in several ways. In part it is a way in which the petitioner can demonstrate his respect for the official's position. In part it can be rationalized as a fee which the official may levy to augment his paltry official salary up to level which befits the dignity of his office. B these types o justification have clear elements of a carry-over from the pre- modern system of administration Second, there is also some degree of acceptance of activities which enable government servants to profit from the ways in which public funds are distributed or spent. Such profits