Two former military officers jailed 27 years for Rohingya trafficking

By The Nation

 

FILE photo

 

Two former military officers have each been sentenced to a total of 27 years imprisonment for colluding with a transnational criminal syndicate and trafficking in Rohingya people.
 

Ratchadapisek Criminal Court heard that the investigation that implicated the two defendants took place after Thai authorities discovered mass graves of Rohingya ethnics at alleged trafficking camps in the Thai-Malaysia border area early 2015.

 

Former Colonel Nattasit Maksuwan, ex-deputy chief of the Internal Security Operations Command in Satun province, and former Commander Kampanart Sangthongjeen, ex-officer under the 3rd Naval Area Command, were jailed.

 

They were found guilty of conspiring with others, from January 2011 to May 2015, in a human trafficking ring that preyed on Rohingya people who tried to migrate from Myanmar and Bangladesh to other predominantly Muslim countries, such as Malaysia.

 

Although both men denied the charges, the court doubled their punishments in the two charges due to their official government positions.

 

Each defendant was given an eight-year jail term for colluding in a transnational crime syndicate. On the charge of conspiring with more than three people in human trafficking, each defendant was imprisoned for 12 years.

 

Combined with the six-year jail term on the charge of conspiring with more than two state officials in human trafficking and the one-year jail term for illegally harbouring a foreigner, each defendant is to serve a total of 27 years. They were also ordered to pay compensation to the victims in this lawsuit.

 

Their lawyers said they would post bail for the two men and would appeal the sentence to the higher court.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30356695

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-10-18

10 minutes ago, webfact said:

Although both men denied the charges, the court doubled their punishments in the two charges due to their official government positions

Ah, so basically they had their sentences doubled because they were in a position of power and trust.

 

So why do bent police officers get moved to inactive posts? 

On the surface for the media/society - convicted and jailed. 

 

Their reality: pardoned and reassigned after a couple of months blow over. 

 

Thainess. 

Looks good to the outside world when dealing with the problem of international human trafficking and corruption.just hang out a couple of pawns here n there.

How can the men's lawyers talk about bail if they have already been tried and convicted?

32 minutes ago, Ombra said:

How can the men's lawyers talk about bail if they have already been tried and convicted?

The culprits are not Burmese, they are Thai.

theres a few more still alive in military and retired that ought to be shot for this, rape camps and slaughter

2 hours ago, Ombra said:

How can the men's lawyers talk about bail if they have already been tried and convicted?

you need to be in Thailand longer, previously we have seen police ,convicted of murder, and sentenced to death, given bail, and never seen again. 

21 hours ago, webfact said:

Former Colonel Nattasit Maksuwan, ex-deputy chief of the Internal Security Operations Command

Already convicted were three other military members of ISOC including (now) a three-star army general who at the time of his arrest was in PM Prayut's Office staff. Obviously, there was something very wrong with ISOC command that created an environment of corruption.

But today ISOC continues to exist without any apparent restructuring and commands the military in southern Thailand and throughout the three Muslim dominated provinces where trafficking has occured. Has ISOC been reformed to change pathways to corruption?

Prayut indirectly answered that (no) when he had said with regard to his National Reform Plan that the military would not be part of such reform.

 

4 hours ago, Ombra said:

How can the men's lawyers talk about bail if they have already been tried and convicted?

Because that is the law of the land when people lodge an appeal here.

50 minutes ago, Psimbo said:

Because that is the law of the land when people lodge an appeal here.

Thank you for the information. I am amazed.