Senior police officers face charges for allegedly shielding teen girls’ traffickers

By Piyanuch Thamnukasetchai 
The Nation

 

 

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is preparing to recommend criminal proceedings against three commissioned police officers for their alleged distortion of an investigation report and intention to help human traffickers.

A source said yesterday the police officers had been trying to treat a case involving the Chomdao Karaoke entertainment venue as a prostitution case, instead of human trafficking, probably because they had received bribes. 

 

“Two of them are police colonels and the other is a police captain,” the source said. 

 

According to the source, the DSI Bureau of Human Trafficking Crime would propose that DSI chief Pol Colonel Paisit Wongmuang forward a report on the investigation against the policemen to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) for further criminal action. 

 

The DSI has already charged the policemen with dereliction of duty and violating anti-human trafficking laws. 

 

“Although they were not directly involved in human trafficking, they tried to help human traffickers,” the source said. 

 

The charges against the policemen are related to Chomdao Karaoke in Kanchanaburi’s Muang district. On October 14, 2015, administrative officials with the support from several agencies raided the venue and found seven girls from the Tai Yai ethnic minority and two Thai men – as well as a list of officials who had allegedly been bribed. 

 

The raid was conducted based on a tip-off that while Chomdao Karaoke operated as a karaoke bar, it was a front for illegal sex work. 

 

The Tai Yai girls were later portrayed as 19-year-old women who had willingly engaged in sex work. But the DSI found that the girls were just between 14 and 15 years old and their exploitation constituted human-trafficking offences. 

 

If convicted of disrupting legal proceedings against human traffickers, the accused policemen face up to 10 years in jail, a maximum fine of Bt200,000 or both. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30334768

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-12-25

8 minutes ago, webfact said:

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is preparing to recommend criminal proceedings against three commissioned police officers for their alleged distortion of an investigation report and intention to help human traffickers.

Surely this should read "INSIST ON" ?

This study estimates the number of child prostitutes (CPs) in Thailand. It is estimated by Mahidol University that CPs amounted to about 36,000 children out of 150,000-200,000 prostitutes. The Center for the Protection of Children's Rights estimates that Thai and foreign child prostitutes aged under 11 years, in 1996, amounted to about 800,000 out of a total 2 million prostitutes

 90% of the foreign sex workers were estimated to be from the Mekong subregion of Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Viet Nam

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12321935

 

And by the looks of it nothing has changed, still a huge problem in Thailand today.

i have to say i am actually surprised that Police Colonels are going to be investigated. Call me a cynic but i still can't see any meaningful conviction or punishment going their way. There does seem to be big movements in the top police in the country so maybe things could change and that could leave alot of long term criminals that have been paying the Police for many years to finally get whats coming to them. won't hold my breath but i certainly wouldn't feel easy if i had been paying off corrupt police for many years at the moment

38 minutes ago, Happy enough said:

i have to say i am actually surprised that Police Colonels are going to be investigated. Call me a cynic but i still can't see any meaningful conviction or punishment going their way. There does seem to be big movements in the top police in the country so maybe things could change and that could leave alot of long term criminals that have been paying the Police for many years to finally get whats coming to them. won't hold my breath but i certainly wouldn't feel easy if i had been paying off corrupt police for many years at the moment

I guess you haven't spotted the huge urination competition that's been going on between the cops and the army for the past 18 months. A lot of police higher ranks have been arrested, moved to the inactive list, etc, whilst the Army Generals' graft continues.  It's payback at present.

They deserve the maximum penalty.

Same sentance for a vapor and raper justice need some ajustment.

2 hours ago, Psimbo said:

I guess you haven't spotted the huge urination competition that's been going on between the cops and the army for the past 18 months. A lot of police higher ranks have been arrested, moved to the inactive list, etc, whilst the Army Generals' graft continues.  It's payback at present.

i am fully aware of why the movements are occuring, didn't feel the need to point it out. the point of my post was to do with are those criminals who have been paying for decades still able to feel safe with all the movements at the top

Protecting and abetting  human traffickers of children?

 

Is there any lower these Thai Police can go?

And still the junta sing it's own praises in the fight against corruption.

 

They have done nothing, 

 

The officers face charges, is this the last we will see of this story?

17 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

Surely this should read "INSIST ON" ?

No, recommend, after the brown envelopes pass up the chain it will all be a big misunderstanding.

4 hours ago, zaZa9 said:

Protecting and abetting  human traffickers of children?

 

Is there any lower these Thai Police can go?

 

Don't throw down that challenge. You might not want to know what the answer would be.

 

Senior police here sometimes get sent temporarily to inactive posts (only to resurface later in some other police assignment.)

 

Senior police here very rarely get dismissed from civil service after being found guilty of some wrongdoing.

 

Senior police here almost never get charged and convicted of any serious criminal offenses -- despite whatever the various talking mouths talk about doing or pursuing. And the rare exceptions to that seem to typically involve cases where political/highest level considerations are involved.

 

Edited December 26, 20178 yr by TallGuyJohninBKK

A post with messed up quotes has been removed. 

The penalty is a year's imprisonment + loss of pension and all bank balances or a 500 baht fine and a free haircut at the local wat.

10 hours ago, Oziex1 said:

And still the junta sing it's own praises in the fight against corruption.

 

They have done nothing, 

 

The officers face charges, is this the last we will see of this story?

Just MORE money in the Top-Tier 'GRAFTERS' Pockets (Along with a bigger 'SMILE' on his face).................... And YES...... WE probably won't hear more (after the pay offs)......

And the girls will still be delivered to the customer.... Customers being those 'Top-Tier' Gov't heads with plenty of money in their pockets........ LOL..... TIT (This IS Thailand)....