So messing with the level of corruption in Thailand is a bit like sawing off a chair leg. Sitting in the chair offers an experience that is not what was intended. The chair becomes for the most part unusable and is replaced with another of any style.
So it becomes obvious some corruption must remain if the charm of Thailand is to survive. The bacteria that lives in the digestive tract as disgusting as it sounds is part of a symbiotic relationship that helps both to survive. Remove one and the other suffers no matter how good the intentions are. So very simply some corruption must remain if Thailand is to stay one of the top tourist destinations on the planet.
Thaksin is to thank for the big push to end corruption. In general Thais are laid back and it takes a lot to get them fired up on any one topic or issue. Once they are fired up on a task they become quite methodical in setting things straight. Other examples have to do with the increasing difficulties of getting some visas. In an effort to limit undesirables you now must leave Asia to get a 1 year multiple entry Non-B work visa. Jumping over the border to a neighboring country days are gone.
Fortunately for Prime Minister Abhisit he will never manage to clean up corruption completely. It will take more than a human lifetime to see that task complete because very simply corruption can be found everyplace you go. The further you are from the seat of power the more corruption there is. According to news reports it is the middle levels of government and the police that are the most corrupt at the moment.
So this comes with the task of deciding how much corruption to leave to keep Thailand attractive. There is no doubt answering that question leads to Hypocreaceae. Do you let the police remain corrupt on some issues but clean up others, or do you simply set a money limit on what is acceptable corruption seems to be the question. In truth nobody has the right to decide this on a partial basis. The only moral and ethical answer is it all must go.
So because no two people have exactly the same moral, ethical, political, and religious makeup, simply every persons opinion will be different. Some will base their decision on religion, and others on politics as to what is best. Remove corruption and you damage the charm of Thailand. Let it stay and you risk other social problems because the money will never make it down to the poor who need it most.
In reality the battle has started in earnest with the 2007 Constitution, but it targets politicians and does little if any for the rest of Thailand. The intent of the Constitution was to keep people like Thaksin from raping Thailand. For the most part that is a good start and will probably not go much past that.
To deal with other areas requires other methods, and going there is easier said than done. Poking in that area can cause some serious health risks as in getting killed. If there was ever a real time example of what that may look like, all you need do is look at what is going on in northern Mexico with the drug wars and multiple killings on a daily basis. The violet attacks by Thaksin supporters are testament to that.
