Police Blamed For 'Zero Dollar Tour' Acquittal

By Teeranai Charuvastra, Staff Reporter

 

Chinese tourists pose with a sign reading “We Love Chinese People” in front of Chiang Mai Zoo in July 2016.

 

BANGKOK — Police said Monday they will contest a court ruling that acquitted domestic tour companies accused of extorting Chinese tourists in Thailand following criticism they mishandled the investigation.

 

The defendants were accused of running scams that cost the state billions of baht. Citing a lack of evidence, the court found them not guilty late last month in a landmark ruling on a day eclipsed by former PM Yingluck Shinawatra’s apparent flight from justice.

 

Full Story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2017/09/04/police-blamed-zero-dollar-tour-acquittal/

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2017-9-4

Investigations require skills and knowledge not normally associated with Thai Police.   They are far too busy collecting tea money to worry about real crime.

"According to witnesses in the courtroom, the judges noted during the trial that investigators never raided the defendants’ offices to collect evidence".

 

One can only speculate as to why they did not do that.  If they are allowed to introduce new evidence during the appeal, they may have a chance, but it sounds like this case was fumbled from the beginning. 

Edited September 4, 20178 yr by yellowboat

Difficult to know if "mishandled" or "brown envelopes" were the cause.

What about all the auctioned off evidence/assets of these companies ?

No outside interference in zero-dollar case: Pol Gen Srivara

By Thai PBS

 

 

The national deputy police chief, Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, has denied a suggestion that a police major-general had interfered with police handling of a case concerning zero-dollar tour agencies to help the suspects.

 

He said he himself had the authority to oversee all security-related cases, including the zero-dollar case, as designated by the national police chief, Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda.

 

Pol Gen Srivara said on Monday (Sept 4) that he ordered a probe into the way the Phya Thai police handled the zero-dollar case to find out if police in charge of the case were negligent, resulting in the acquittal of all the defendants by the Criminal Court on Aug 25.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/no-outside-interference-zero-dollar-case-pol-gen-srivara/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-09-05

The Key World "Domestic"  If it had been foreign operators then a different story I think

When can we expect the negligence trial ?

1 hour ago, johng said:

What about all the auctioned off evidence/assets of these companies ?

always wondered that same thing 

7 hours ago, yellowboat said:

One can only speculate as to why they did not do that

Because that would require actual work

1 hour ago, YetAnother said:

always wondered that same thing 

I remember the authorities seized and later auctioned off a ton of property from some zero dollar tour operators in Pattaya...

 

But it's not clear to me whether the operators in the Pattaya seizures are the same or different from those acquitted in the BKK case.