Trade-related bribery may affect exports.

(From The Nation (Thailand))

Byline: The Nation.

Export and import companies paid Bt404 million in bribes last year for faster service at trade checkpoints around the country, reported a university survey.

Although the amount plunged from an estimated Bt10 billion paid in 2004, the surveyor urged the government to tackle the "tea money" problem if Thailand's export competitiveness was to be improved.

Last year's fall in bribes paid was attributed by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce's Centre for International Trade Studies to the government's stringent measures to crack down on internal corruption and provide more …