For a government that occasionally pledges openness and accountability, the actions of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his subordinates in two recent cases must raise eyebrows. The premier seems fully conversant with the report into possible corruption at the Public Health Ministry by Dr Banlu Siripanich. Members of his government also seem highly knowledgeable about "baggage-gate", the Thai Airways International probe into the case of a now-former senior executive who apparently used his influence to fly 398kg overweight. But the government has shut the public out of both cases, and in the most unfair way.
Mr Abhisit, ministers and THAI executives have used what they insist are facts from both cases to cause shakeups at the very top of the government and airline. The actual reports on the two incidents, however, remain secret. This has already caused the disputes to shoot into the public sector, as those who are close to the two scandals dispute those facts which the government has allowed to emerge. On Monday, doctors from the Public Health Ministry took out full-page newspaper advertisements to dispute some accounts of the Banlu commission report. This may make good public entertainment, but it makes very poor government policy.
Mr Abhisit correctly took a hard line on the health ministry scandal. Two ministers were essentially forced to leave the cabinet, one to show responsibility and the other finally forced out. This was so that Mr Abhisit could say that he has a zero-tolerance policy about corruption by his government. But as the doctors' advertisement emphasised, the Banlu committee report is only one version of what happened when the Public Health Ministry was charged with spending billions of baht in stimulus money under the Thai Khem Khaeng project.
Meanwhile, the board of directors at THAI either accepted or forced the resignation of its executive chairman Wallop Bhukkanasut - depending on who is telling the story. Mr Wallop actually quit the airline, ending a 30-year career, just before the board received the report of his flight from Tokyo to Bangkok late last year. Like the dismissal of the two public health ministers, the departure of Mr Wallop appeared to send a message that even the appearance of corruption is unacceptable.
This is a good message to send. But the parallel, important message that the premier is sending is dead wrong. By keeping the twin reports secret, Mr Abhisit has actually switched sides. When the scandals broke into the news a few weeks ago, the premier stood on the side of swift action against wrongdoers. Now, he seems to be keeping facts from the public. Rightly or wrongly, he has already been accused of blindly following the Banlu commission report and smearing important members of society - in this case, doctors.
The unusual case of the full-page advertisements by protesting doctors can only harm the ministry and government. Such protests are likely to escalate, and Mr Abhisit must know that secrecy is the enemy of accountability. The public has the right to see both reports, in full, not least of all because taxpayers footed the bill for the probes.
Mr Abhisit should order their public release, and should also make members of the Banlu commission and the airline's investigating committee available for close media questioning. These are rapidly becoming cases where justice may seem to have been done. But without full access to the reports Mr Abhisit used as the basis for punishment, no one can know if justice is actually being done.
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