4 P. joins with the State Audit Office to declare a nationwide war against corruption. The first big day is the construction project in the Northeast worth hundreds of millions. Pol. Lt. Gen. Jiraphop Phuridet, Commander of the Central Investigation Bureau, revealed the results of a joint discussion meeting with the Office of the Auditor General (OAG), the Office of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) to integrate cooperation in preventing and suppressing corruption and misconduct in finance and government procurement. He said that the Central Investigation Bureau, by the Anti-Corruption Division (ACD), has raised the level of proactive prevention and suppression of corruption in the government sector by working with relevant agencies (3 Ps) and having expertise in sting operation and arrest. This time, cooperation has been expanded to the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) to increase efficiency in examining data on economic crimes or suppressing corruption or misconduct related to procurement or finance, which is a major issue in Thailand at all levels. This is to make those who commit crimes fearful. Although it may take time, if it can be solved, it is expected that it will help improve Thailand. Mr. Montien Charoenphol, the Auditor General of Thailand (OAG), said that the OAG will join in controlling and inspecting government spending to create efficiency by sending experts to join the inspection process from the beginning of the wrongdoing, financial trail, if it is found that government officials are involved in using government money or budget for personal use. This cooperation between the 5 agencies will make the inspection process and taking action against the wrongdoers faster. Previously, it took time because when the OAG found corruption, it would send information to the NACC, which took time to process. Currently, there is information on dozens of projects that are being prepared to operat e together, one of which is corruption worth tens of millions of baht or a public utility construction project in the Northeast region that integrates several agencies. Each agency uses a budget of 100 million baht or more. Currently, there is a process of collecting sufficient information for all 5 agencies to consider and proceed with the operation, worth hundreds of millions of baht. In the past, the Office of the Auditor General received approximately 3,000 complaints per year, more than 80 percent of which were about corruption in procurement. Therefore, it is hoped that corruption will be prevented and reduced so that the country's economy can continue to develop. Pol. Lt. Col. Charoonkiat Pankaew, deputy commander of the Central Investigation Bureau, said that the Office of the Auditor General is an agency responsible for inspecting budget spending by agencies nationwide. It is an important source of information about corruption. It has been screened, so when officials obtain information, they can qu ickly take action. Once it is opened, arrest warrants can be issued. Every project that affects the public, even if it is not worth much, can be called a declaration of war on corrupt government officials. He confirmed that this is not a fantasy. Although corruption will not disappear, it will improve. It is an attempt to make every baht of the people's taxes be used for the public good as much as possible. Mr. Thepsu Bowornchotidara, Secretary-General of the Anti-Money Laundering Office, said that today is the starting point of integrating cooperation between each other, which will make the action against officials who commit offenses faster. Government officials who commit offenses against their positions regarding improper procurement will be subject to both criminal and disciplinary offenses, including having their assets seized under the basic money laundering offense. Likewise, Mr. Phumiwisal Kasemsukh, Secretary-General of the NACC, added that this cooperation will help increase the efficiency of arr est and law enforcement. Citizens can report any information about state officials who have committed offenses to the NACC at 1206. Everything will be kept confidential and the process will be expedited with speed, transparency, decisiveness, and fairness to bring the perpetrators to justice. Meanwhile, Mr. Niwatchai Kasem Mongkol, Secretary-General of the NACC, said that the NACC has developed an investigation system by assigning at least two more investigators from another province to increase the efficiency of investigating information about influential groups and important groups within the province that may benefit each other in order to support the work of investigators to be faster. -412-Thai News Agency Source: Thai News Agency