Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha Orders Clean up of the Immigration Police

.

.

BANGKOK – Royal Thai Police Commissioner Pol Gen Somyot Poompunmuang, has been asked by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha and Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan in charge of security affairs to clean up the immigration police bureau.

Informed sources said that Pol Gen Somyot Poompunmuang, the national police chief, submitted an urgent letter to Gen Prayut and Gen Prawit on Wednesday reporting on the alleged widespread abuses of authority among immigration police officers.

The alleged abuses by the immigration police officers are grouped into six categories among them providing service at a charge to enable foreigners to stay longer in the kingdom; taking bribes from illegal immigrants to enter the country; falsely certifying legal stay in the kingdom for foreigners who want to resettle in third countries and selling entrance and exit cards to Laotians and Vietnamese to enable them to enter the country to work.

The police chief said in the letter that immigration work was the frontline in the screening of foreigners into the country but their work had been compromised in a way that national security was at risk.

Meanwhile Pol Gen Somyot ordered the inspector-general, Pol Lt-Gen Nares Nanthachote, to conduct a fact-finding probe into the alleged abuses in the immigration police bureau and to report to him within September 23.

General Somyot Poompunmuang also said the Ratchaprasong bombing suspect Yusufu Mieraili was able to pass through the immigration point at the border in Sa Kaeo province 4-5 times by bribing the immigration police officials there.

Reported by -Thai PBS, NNT