Crime
Thailand’s Deputy Police Chief Vows to Stamp Out Police Corruption
Thailand’s deputy national police chief, has vowed to end the corruption roiling the Immigration Bureau (IB) and prosecute any dishonest employees. Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn statement comes after 110 immigration officers allegedly helped Chinese investors obtain student visa’s unlawfully.
Pol Gen Surachate said that the officers, which included three police generals and other officers of various grades, will face criminal charges.
“They will be accused of misbehaviour and of requesting and accepting rewards in exchange for providing illicit services. This month, they will be called to appear in court to answer the charges,he said. He claimed that two of the three generals are ex-classmates from the Royal Police Cadet School and the third is a senior.
Thailand is a well-liked holiday destination for people from all over the world, but it is also a haven for international criminals, notably those from China, according to Pol Gen Surachate, who spoke to the Bangkok Post.
He claimed that the trend started after Beijing started to tighten down on illegal activities, like as drug use and internet gambling.
Many of these criminals prefer to operate in nations with lax bureaucracies, and Pol Gen Surachate, a former IB commissioner, claimed that Thailand was on their radar.
He said that they were able to enter Thailand and run dubious enterprises like opening the Jinling pub on Charoen Rat Road in Yannawa district, which catered to Chinese tourists.
Student Visa’s Issued by Immigration Officers
On October 26 of last year, when the bar was searched by the police, 104 customers tested positive for drugs, 99 of whom were Chinese nationals. According to Pol Gen Surachate, Chinese criminals apply for volunteer visas to work for Thai foundations while others use student visas to enter the country.
They do not personally report for visa extensions; instead, they pay an agent to manage the situation. He claimed that they covertly pay some immigration agents to speed up the process or remain silent.
Many did this by submitting paperwork from volunteer organizations or language schools, he claimed.
“Despite what they claim, they do not actually attend classes or perform voluntary work. Some people who are 60 years old might still seek for student visa extensions since immigration officers did not do their duties properly.
He claimed that immigration authorities have a responsibility to confirm the existence of those charities and schools but instead do not.
According to Pol Gen Surachate, “certain police inspectors serve as chairman of those illegal foundations set up as a cover to facilitate those Chinese criminals.”
He went on to say that the 110 Immigration officers were accused of engaging in a criminal conspiracy by establishing companies that handle visa applications for foreigners, particularly Chinese nationals who enter Thailand on tourist visas but later obtain non-immigrant visas without fulfilling the necessary business or volunteer requirements.
Pol Gen Surachate claimed that despite the legislation requiring applicants to report in person, these police officers had falsified the signatures of province governors and allowed picture identification for visa applicants during the pandemic.
Retaliation from Immigration Officers
Thousands of visa overstayers, many of them were criminals, were detained and deported while I was the Immigration director. With the aid of dishonest immigration officials, they are currently returning and attempting to obtain student or volunteer visas for a prolonged stay of up to one year, Pol Gen Surachate stated.
He claimed that Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas, the head of the national police, had given him the order to investigate the Immigration officer involved and bring the to justice. He said the officers had made complaints against him saying they had been handled unfairly and that the investigation into their actions was not legal. The 110 immigration officers are the subject of an investigation that the national police chief ordered.
To better manage the spike in tourist arrivals as the country reopens, Pol Gen Surachate recommended that biometric identification systems and artificial intelligence be fully implemented.
Individuals’ distinctive fundamental physical traits, such as fingerprints or hand prints, face patterns, voices, vein patterns, irises, or even brain waves, can be used by biometric identification systems to confirm their identity. Using this technology will also contribute in reducing corruption. He also added that leasing these devices eliminates the need to purchase them.
Central Investigation Bureau Police Corruption
Authorities are already looking into 150 people and 60 organizations for connections to “Inspector Sua,” a top official accused of taking part in a multi-billion baht gambling network. The Central Investigation Bureau’s (CIB) head, Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, disclosed the information after receiving a progress report on Thursday from the investigators looking into Pol Lt Col Wasawat Makurasakul, also known as “Inspector Sua.”
Due to excessive absences, Pol Lt Col Wasawat, a member of the Royal Thai Police’s Office of Logistics’ public works section, has been placed on administrative leave. This action is being taken while the inquiry is ongoing.
A preliminary inquiry revealed that 150 people, 60 organizations, cooperatives, and foundations may have connections to or involvement with the accused inspector through acting as nominees, according to Pol Col Siriwat Deephor, a spokeswoman for the CIB. Authorities intend to carefully examine all connections, including those made via money flows, tax payments, and asset ownership.
The spokesperson claimed that some of the 60 organizations had been forcibly founded and had offices both domestically and abroad.
There were some well-known personalities among the 150 people, but Pol Col Siriwat said he couldn’t say at this point whether police personnel were among them. The investigating team is under orders from the CIB chief to do every effort to uncover the truth.
Pol Col Siriwat denied to provide more information regarding “Inspector Sua’s” involvement with the gambling network. He stated that more time is required for the investigative team to fully examine the accusations.
The official indicated that if the suspected inspector was discovered to have been involved, he would not be exempt from prosecution.
Chuvit Kamolvisit, a former massage parlour magnate and politician, claims that Pol Lt Col Wasawat amassed billions of baht through online gambling and operating a massage parlour through a proxy.
One of several high-profile incidents of alleged misbehaviour that have shaken the force is the “Inspector Sua” affair.
On Tuesday, Damrongsak Kittiprapas, the head of the national police, set a 15-day deadline for the conclusion of an inquiry into claims that “General Jor,” a police general, is involved in illegal gambling and the oil trade.
Police in Northern Thailand have arrested a fellow officer as he was being ordained at a temple in Ngao district of neighbouring Lampang province.
Pol Lt Col Bandit Khonkan chief inspector from the Hang Dong police station was disrobed and taken to the Chang Puak station in Chiang Mai. He was arrested on charges of running a call centre scam gang in Chiang Mai Province.
According to Thai Media Chiang Mai Provincial Police Region 5 obtained an arrest warrant for Pol Lt Col Bandit on Friday from the Chiang Mai Provincial Court for procuring illegal telecom equipment, setting up a station and using public airwaves to run a telecommunications business without permission.
Pol Lt Col Bandit reportedly told investigators that he was not the ringleader and was only a member of the gang with Chinese partners.
His arrest followed the apprehension of his 26-year-old daughter, Miss Wanuchapond, 26, and three others during raids at three housing projects in Chiang Mai on Friday, Pol Maj Gen Weerachon Boontawee, deputy chief of Provincial Police Region 5 told Thai media.
During the raids police police discovered around 12 GSM gateways, or SIM boxes, which are devices used for converting cellular networks into mobile phone numbers used domestically.
The chief inspectors daughter Miss Wanuchapond told the arresting officers that she was paid 8,000 baht a month at each of the three locations for renting thr rooms and monitoring devices.
She claimed she had no idea what the devices were and accepted the job because the pay was attractive.
Police investigators working with telecom regulators used a special tracking device to monitor the gang’s communications and learned that its base was in Myanmar opposite Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai.
The call center gang used the GSM gateways to make calls over the internet to scam people in Thailand out of million of baht.
The GSM gateways transmitting signals via SIM boxes to convert them into domestic phone numbers, duping victims into thinking they were being called from Thai government agencies.
Pol Maj Gen Weerachon said that each SIM box held 32 SIM cards, with a capacity of up to 300,000 calls a month. The seized devices had made fraudulent calls over 3.6 million times.
He said the their investigation is ongoing and they are working to track down the remaining conspirators, including Chinese and other Thai suspects.
Authorities are still deciding whether Pol Lt Col Bandit will be dismissed from the force, he said, adding that so far, no other officers are known to have been involved.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Settha Thavisin has authorized the establishment of an emergency cyber center operated by the Royal Thai Police to combat transnational crimes committed by call center gangs along the Thai border in Chiang Rai province.
On July 19, Prime Minister Settha Thavisin directed the Center to combat information technology crimes. The Royal Thai Police (Royal Thai Police) will crack down on call center gangs in Myanmar, Laos, and along the border.
His directive comes as call center gangs ratchet up their scams to defraud people of their money, causing concern among Thais and jeopardizing the country’s economic and social stability.
Related Police News:
Machete Wielding Man Shot an Killed by Police in Chiang Rai
https://www.chiangraitimes.com/chiangrai-news/machete-wielding-man-shot-an-killed-by-police-in-chiang-rai/
Immigration police officers have arrested four Colombian nationals in connection with a series of home burglaries at luxury housing complexes in the Bangkok metropolitan area and Chiang Buri Province.
Pol Maj Gen Panthana Nuchanart, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, told a press briefing that three of the suspects were apprehended in Nonthaburi Province and the fourth in South Pattaya, Chon Buri Province.
According to the Bangkok Post, the Colombians were charged with stealing conspiracy and seized around 3 million baht (US$82,500.00).
According to Pol Maj Gen Panthana, the criminals rode motorcycles through housing estates, scoping out the properties and waiting for the owners to depart before committing their crimes.
He stated that all four of the accused denied any involvement in the home break-ins, but the arresting squad discovered evidence that implicated them.
Police called to home invasion
Meanwhile, police were dispatched to a luxury housing development in Tambon Nong Prue, Chonburi Province, after a Chinese man was attacked during a house invasion.
When they arrived, they discovered the house owner, Mr. Qian Peng Yi, visibly scared and with marks from being tied up with a cable. He informed police that three Chinese males broke into his home at 9 p.m., one of whom brandished a gun at him and directed him to his bedroom.
They bound his hands and feet, gagged him with fabric, taped his head, and forced him into the bed. The intruders then attempted to compel him into transferring 10 million baht in cryptocurrencies to them, endangering the life of his 33-year-old cousin who was in a second-floor bedroom.
While they scoured the house in search of riches, Mr. Peng Yi managed to flee and hide; he subsequently observed them leave with his cousin. Officials investigated the property and analyzed security camera footage from the incident and surrounding areas.
Around 9 p.m., a 30-year-old van driver came at the Bang Lamung police station after being contacted by an agency to carry Chinese customers from Pattaya to Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The driver informed authorities that he was supposed to pick them up at a motel about a kilometer from the Chinese businessman’s home. He then drove them to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, arriving at 1 a.m. and receiving 1,800 baht.
The driver took a snapshot of the group smoking at the airport gate and identified one of them as the victim’s cousin. Police suspected coordination between her and the three suspects in her cousin’s heist, who all departed Thailand on the same aircraft.
Other Bangkok News:
Police in Bangkok Discover Six Vietnamese Tourists Dead in 5 Star Hotel
Police in Bangkok Discover Six Vietnamese Tourists Dead in 5 Star Hotel
Crime
Son of Thailand’s Leading Legal Scholar on Corruption Arrested for Running Online Gambling Network
The son of a former senator and leading economist and expert on corruption and gambling in Thailand has been arrested for on charges of running an online gambling network and its payment system.
Police from Thailand’s Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) have confiscated assets worth more than (US$ 11.1 million) 400 million baht.
Narote Piriyarangsan, 33, was arrested following crackdowns in three sites around the city, according to Pol Maj Gen Athip Pongsiwapai, commander of the police Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD).
Mr Narote’s father, Sangsit Piriyarangsan, is an economist who has written articles and books about corruption and gambling. He was one of the appointed senators that were investigating the government’s intention to legalize casino gaming before their terms expired.
Police also detained 39-year-old Narayut Narakaew, the owner of the gambling website 69pgslot.com. The Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the couple for operating an internet gambling service and money laundering.
According to the Bangkok Post, police seized two desktop computers, one laptop computer, 14 mobile phones, 21 bank passbooks, 53 ATM cards, and four high-end cars — a Ferrari 926 GTS, an Aston Martin, a Lexus, and a Subaru — totaling more than 400 million baht.
Police launched the inquiry after discovering the online gambling site, which accepted funds via an automatic deposit-withdrawal system through bank accounts and deposits in the AskMePay system. Players scanned the VPay QR code as well as the QR codes for Heng Online 888 or Heng Pay Company.
Police also discovered that payments received via QR code scans were transferred to the account of Heng Pay Co and then to the gambling website’s mule accounts using AskMePay, which did not use banks’ face recognition scanning. An inquiry indicated a monthly turnover of approximately 5 billion baht.
According to investigators, the website has been up and running for around four years, with the payment mechanism in use for roughly eight months.
According to Pol Maj Gen Athip, Mr Narote owns the gaming website’s payment systems and is the director of Heng Pay Co. After gathering evidence, authorities requested arrest warrants for 14 people.
Thailand does not allow almost any kind of gaming. Even though the law doesn’t say anything specific about online gaming, it is still considered gambling. The country has pretty strict rules about gambling. Thai punters can bet on the national lottery and horse races, but they can’t bet on any other types of games.
But it’s not a secret that there is a huge illegal gaming business in Thailand, even though it’s illegal.
The illegal casinos, online betting shops, underground lotteries, and pop-up bookies that take bets on everything from cockfights to Muay Thai make a shadow economy that is worth billions of dollars every year.
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