You have raised a thought-provoking issue. Like you I am also groping for a clue to this puzzle. I am merely a 'student' of Thai culture, and far from being an authority on the subject. However, my GUESS is that this has something to do with the way we prioritize our values within a value system. As you may know, sometimes our values come in conflict with one another, but the one on a higher level in our hierarchy of values will reign supreme. A simplified example would be, if providing for the family is more important than being honest, when pushed to certain limits a father would justify scamming others to be able to earn a living and feed his family. You mentioned about a very strong Thai value-'maintaning face' - which is not based on honesty, personal honor, and integrity-contrary to how it is thought of in Japan and in other cultures. I think Thais have their own practices to save face. (Maybe you can help me identify them.) And if these means could sometimes run counter to honesty, personal honor, and integrity, I think it is probably because Thais give more premium to saving face within the Thai context than to these abovementioned virtues. I hope I did not confuse you more. Haha.