Journal of Thai Ombudsman

A Comparative Analysis of Ombudsman Systems between Thailand and Other Countries : Lessons for Development

2025-02-07T11:34:19+07:00

This article presents a comparative analysis of ombudsman systems between Thailand and other countries during 2017-2022, focusing on Sweden as a model country, East Asian countries including South Korea and Japan, and Southeast Asian countries with similar contexts to Thailand such as Malaysia and the Philippines. The analysis compares four key dimensions: organizational structure, authority, power enforcement, and technological implementation. The study finds that countries with complaint resolution success rates above 80% share three common characteristics: strong law enforcement powers, adoption of modern technology in operations, and effective cooperation from relevant agencies. Meanwhile, Thailand has a complaint resolution success rate of only 65% with an average processing time of 6 months, which is below the average of the studied countries. The article proposes three approaches to develop Thailand's ombudsman system: strengthening law enforcement mechanisms for greater effectiveness, developing information technology systems for complaint handling and monitoring, and building strong cooperative networks with relevant agencies and civil society.

The Concepts and Theories of Public Administration and New Dimensions of Public Sector ManagementCase Study : Office of the Ombudsman

2025-02-19T13:39:30+07:00

Reforming the public administration presents a huge challenge to modern governments striving to achieve effective national development. This article examines the significance of public sector reform and how it aligns with key public administration concepts and theories by studying domestic and international academic literature and research reports. Furthermore, it seeks to raise public awareness of the importance of active citizenship and provide recommendations for the practical application of the Ombudsman's case study. The research indicates that contemporary governance models, such as democratic administration, participatory management, the New Democratic Governance Paradigm, and active citizen engagement, are crucial for modernizing government operations in the 21st century. However, in order for the administration to drive the mission of morality and transparency of the Office of the Ombudsman to be efficient and in accordance with the guidelines for public administration in a new dimension. If the Ombudsman, as an independent organization, adopts modern management principles that emphasize good governance, performance, fairness, transparency, people participation and accountability, it will be able to significantly improve its effectiveness, align with new dimensions of public administration, and ultimately benefit the public.

The Role of the Ombudsman in Problem Management for Sustainability : A Case Study of the Climate Change Act

2025-02-21T10:35:05+07:00

This article aims to provide an overview of the Draft Climate Change Act in relation to the role of the Ombudsman, a crucial legal framework for mitigating the impacts of climate change in Thailand. The study analyzes the role of the Ombudsman in overseeing compliance with climate change legislation, protecting citizens' rights, promoting transparency, and ensuring environmental protection. It identifies potential challenges in the enforcement of the law, such as complexity in understanding legal provisions, coordination among stakeholders, readiness of responsible agencies, private sector adaptation, and public engagement.

To address these issues, the article proposes solutions focused on enhancing specialized knowledge, improving inter-agency coordination mechanisms, and allocating necessary resources to ensure effective and sustainable implementation of the law. The findings contribute to the development of the Ombudsman’s role in environmental governance and provide insights into strengthening its capacity to support climate action and long-term sustainability.

The Ombudsman and Its Role as a Compass of Justice for Thai Society

2025-02-17T07:34:20+07:00

This article presents the role of the Ombudsman over the past 25 years, with a proposal on the Ombudsman's role in leading and driving justice for Thai society. According to the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, B.E. 2540 (1997), the Ombudsman of the Parliament, who first established the organization in B.E. 2542 (1999), was responsible for receiving public complaints, addressing issues, and reporting to the Parliament. In B.E. 2550 (2007), the Constitution underwent a major amendment, leading to the transformation of the Ombudsman of the Parliament into the Ombudsman of Thailand. As a result, additional responsibilities included handling ethical matters and conducting activities related to monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand. In B.E. 2557 (2014), there was a political change, and in B.E. 2560 (2017), a new constitution was promulgated, which altered the powers and duties of the Thai Ombudsman again. The Ombudsman’s responsibilities now include receiving complaints from the public, submitting issues and opinions to the Constitutional Court, the Administrative Court, or independent organizations under the Constitution, as well as overseeing the performance of government agencies in accordance with Chapter 5 of the Constitution, the Duties of the State. The prominent role of the Thai Ombudsman as a compass is to ensure justice for the public in resolving complaints and issues that have a wide impact on society. For the past 25 years, the Ombudsman of Thailand has trustworthily held these responsibilities. In addition, Thailand’s Ombudsman serves as a compass for ethical conduct, overseeing the performance of government agencies in accordance with Chapter 5 of the Constitution, the Duties of the State, and submitting issues along with opinions to the Constitutional Court, the Administrative Court, or independent organizations under the Constitution with relevant duties and powers. The Thai Ombudsman’s next step is to advance the creation of a sustainable society based on good governance, serving as a firm refuge and a guiding compass for Thai society.

Ombudsman : an alternative organization to redress of people’s injustice

2025-02-17T13:11:27+07:00

This article aims to study and present the mechanisms, duties and powers of the Ombudsman, with the hope that the readers of the article will understand the specific duties and powers of the Ombudsman more, so that they can use the Ombudsman’s services to solve problems and protect their rights and freedoms more effectively. At present, there are several governmental units that function to receive complaints and investigate to redress the problems that happened to people. There are the government agencies, the central units, and constitutional independent organization, where each intends to help alleviating problems and suffering that resulted from the operation by the governmental units and government officers by relying on the mechanism of action following duties and powers provided by the law. The Ombudsman is an independent organization under the Constitution, a channel provided by the Constitution for the people to solve problems of suffering or injustice received from actions by the government. It has a unique power mechanism that cannot be found in other channels or methods of the government. It can also be used to solve specific problems of each case while protecting public interests. At the end of this article, suggestions are presented to help increase the efficiency of the existing power mechanism of the Ombudsman so that it can be operated more effectively.

WORK MOTIVATION : A KEY DRIVER FOR ENHANCING GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS’ WORK PERFORMANCE IN THE ROLE OF THE OMBUDSMAN

2025-02-17T07:51:36+07:00

This article aims to present an understanding of work motivation, the significance and enhancing work motivation in supporting the work performance of government personnel within the Ombudsman's role. Work motivation is considered one of the crucial personal characteristics that can lead to efficient performance, promote work value recognition, and serve as a driving force that encourages workers to willingly perform their duties to their full potential. Strengthening intrinsic work motivation is thus comparable to the upstream prevention of corruption and misconduct in duty performance, while also promoting capability development and job satisfaction among personnel at all levels. Understanding the processes and enhancement of work motivation, particularly promoting intrinsic motivation for personnel to work with determination and commitment, leads to desired outcomes and fosters awareness of organizational value and responsibility. Furthermore, the article presents the Ombudsman's role in enhancing work motivation through exemplifying selfless public service, driven by the motivation to address public grievances and injustices without expecting returns. Additionally, it discusses the Ombudsman's participation in encouraging and supporting best practices for enhancing work motivation across various sector organizations.