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Police Arrest Excise Officers for Extorting Money from 75-Year-Old Woman

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BANGKOK  – Five government excise officers wanted by police on suspicion of extorting 5,500 baht from a 75-year-old grocery store owner have surrendered to face the charges. Police say they were summoned to answer the charges being released on bail. They face charges of bribery, dereliction of duty, unlawful detention, and trespassing.

Because the suspects are all government officers, investigators will refer the case to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), police said. Police will only continue their investigation if the NACC refuses to investigate the case.

The case involving 75-year-old storekeeper Sunaphon Bunkoet was made public on February 16 by Ekkapop Laungprasert, the founder of the Sai Mai Tong Rot (Sai Mai Must Survive) Facebook page, who filed a police complaint.

According to preliminary police investigation, the excise officers arrived at the store around 4.50pm on February 13, searched the premises without a warrant, took two packs of cigarettes, and then disappeared into their van before reappearing to accuse the store owner of selling counterfeit cigarettes.

Ms. Sunaphon insisted she had purchased all five packs from the same supplier at the same time and had a receipt. It also seemed highly unlikely that only one of the five packs was a forgery.

According to the investigation, the officers then whisked her away into a waiting van and demanded 20,000 baht in exchange for her freedom. When the woman said she didn’t have any money, the officers told her to give them everything she had, which was 5,500 baht.

The five have been identified as excise specialists Chayodom Chueathue and Adunphidet Kaiyasi, excise officers Natthaphon Phongsiri and Thiraphat Ratchakitcha, and driver Manot Phrommayan by Anti-Corruption Division (ACD) police. They are assigned to the Bangkok Area 5 Excise Office’s section of excise-related misconduct prevention and suppression.

Thailand's Prime Minister Urged to Tackle Rampant Corruption

In other news, Whistleblower Mr. Chuvit Kamolvisit has urged Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha to tackle rampant corruption in Thailand. The former politician turned whistleblower challenged the Gen, Prayut, to resolve a land dispute between state agencies and investigate alleged irregularities in the Orange Line rail contract.

On Tuesday, Mr. Chuvit was taken to meet Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, the prime minister’s secretary-general, in front of the Command Building at Government House.

Speaking to a press crew, the former politician said he discussed online gambling with a police inspector named “Sua,” who allegedly amassed tens of billions of baht in ill-gotten gains.

According to Bangkok Post reports, the errant inspector’s name is Police Lt. Col Wasawat Mukarasakul. Wasawat has been suspended from the police force for excessive absenteeism, pending the outcome of an investigation into the lucrative network he is accused of running.

“There are many online gambling scales — S, M, L, XL — depending on the amount of money in circulation in each scale,” Mr. Chuvit explained.

He also brought up a land dispute between two government agencies. The Agricultural Land Reform Office and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation have been at odds with the disposition of national parkland.

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Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation wants to keep park status for large tracts of land it manages, but the Agricultural Land Reform Office wants more land distributed to landless farmers, not resort owners who are frequently found illegally encroaching on parks, according to Mr. Chuvit.

According to Mr. Chuvit he brought up alleged irregularities in the bidding of the Orange Line train project, alleging that 30 billion baht paid.

Mr. Chuvit did not elaborate, but the Mass Rapid Transit Authority has been accused of rigging the bid terms for a rail line extension to exclude Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc.

“I want to bring these issues up for discussion to make them clear to society,” Mr. Chuvit said. “I believe the prime minister is sincere. He must transparently address these issues if he wants to stay in power for another two years.

“I have the right to know as a citizen. I am neither a member of any political party nor support any of them. I have no ulterior motive. The priority is to eliminate corruption (of the government).

“Eight years ago, the prime minister used this issue to seize power. The prime minister is aware of these issues.

He urged Gen. Prayut to address the issues he raised with Mr. Pirapan, the leader of the United Thailand Nation Party (UTN). There is no time than now to start thinking about the future he said.

Deputy Police Chief Vows to Stamp Out Police Corruption

Thailand’s Deputy Police Chief Vows to Stamp Out Police Corruption

 

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