Stung by evidence of internal graft, Forest Department launches purge

By The Nation

 

File photo: Siamese rosewood

 

Seeking to purge all the “bad apples”, the Royal Forest Department (RFD) is trying to determine whether six of its officials recently sacked for selling protected phayung (Siamese rosewood) to a Chinese investor had links to a transnational logging and smuggling gang and whether any other officials were involved.

RFD chief Attapol Charoenchansa has instructed RFD Forest Fire Control Office director Cheewaparp Cheewatham to lead the probe, according to Attapol’s deputy, Amnuayporn Choldamrongkul.

 

The National Parks Department’s Phaya Sua Forest crime-suppression task force accused the six RFD officials of involvement in phayung logging and sale of timber to a Chinese investor. Some of the logs were seized as evidence. 

 

All six were fired from the civil service, Amnuayporn said.

 

Four of them – Panithan Pathumchankaew, Pakphum Intharat, Jirapong Pathumchan and Surapong Bangdee – were arrested in Tambon Pawa in Chanthaburi’s Kaeng Hang Maew district and placed in court-ordered detention, said Amnuayporn.

 

The other two – Anirut Jampathong and Nipon Nakkasem – remain at large. 

 

Amnuayporn said the six had allegedly been involved in “log laundering” for a long time. She alleged that they arrested illegal loggers and smugglers and then kept some of the timber seized off the books so they could sell it themselves to an investor.

 

She said the RFD also had assigned a committee to investigate other forestry officials accused of involvement with or abetting the so-called Mulan gang in provinces including Chiang Rai, Surin and Udon Thani.

 

The Mulan gang bears the name of a key member, a 40-year-old Chinese national nicknamed Mulan who has the Thai name Chalida Suphanthamat. 

 

Chalida reportedly served as a lumber broker for firms in China and had competed in a singing contest on Thai TV in 2013.

 

An arrest warrant was issued for her last August over serious “wood-poaching” offences. 

 

In September her ex-husband, retired senior Air Force officer AVM Surachai Khongthet, was arrested after police identified him as the lessee of a warehouse in Muang Samut Prakan where the Mulan gang allegedly stashed 412 logs worth at least Bt36 million. 

 

Surachai denied the allegation and was released on bail.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30361909

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-1-9

it's lucky there's still a tree left in the country..

By the time they've cleaned out all the 'bad apples' there will be few or none left in the barrel !

Their defence team in court should use " well if the police,customs and government do it so why can't we"

Imagine that.

Graft and a corrupted manner within Thai systems.

well thank goodness its only one dept in thailand

It's hopeless - just hopeless. Every DNA strand of every bit of tissue in Thai official 'culture' is corrupt through and through.

 

Nothing to be done - because THE THAIS DON'T REALLY CARE!

4 minutes ago, Eligius said:

It's hopeless - just hopeless. Every DNA strand of every bit of tissue in Thai official 'culture' is corrupt through and through.

 

Nothing to be done - because THE THAIS DON'T REALLY CARE!

Getting to the point where I don't really care either, if that's what the general populace accepts.....Ahhhh, what can we do?

4 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

Getting to the point where I don't really care either, if that's what the general populace accepts.....Ahhhh, what can we do?

That's their culture and they accept it. We need to come to terms and accept it as well.

But I will continue to slag off about it nonetheless.

3 hours ago, Eligius said:

It's hopeless - just hopeless. Every DNA strand of every bit of tissue in Thai official 'culture' is corrupt through and through.

 

Nothing to be done - because THE THAIS DON'T REALLY CARE!

no its the opposite , they care very much................to get on that gravy train

32 minutes ago, kannot said:

no its the opposite , they care very much................to get on that gravy train

Arresting 1 or 101, all it does is create a graft vacuum for those lurking in the shadows.  Logging, Yaba, land, fishing, vehicles, karaoke bars, massage shops, money laundering, loan sharks, immigration, welfare, justice system, education.......... Forget it, too many involved, at all levels, in absolutely everything.  They're just going with the flow.

Edited January 9, 20197 yr by CanuckThai

"All six were fired from the civil service, Amnuayporn said."

" Amnuayporn said the six had allegedly been involved in “log laundering” for a long time"

I don't think they will be worried about been sacked,they should have enough stashed away.

regards worgeordie

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

RFD chief Attapol Charoenchansa has instructed RFD Forest Fire Control Office director Cheewaparp Cheewatham to lead the probe

Yes, that's how you investigate, keep it in the family. 

Surely if the Chief of the forestry department is removed then the message to his replacement will be "Do your job and manage this department properly" !

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Forest Department launches purge

That news must be scaring the shits out of the two runaways. So far the junta's record will read something like Purges 0; Bad Guys - hundreds thousands (no official records kept but we know they're out there … somewhere.

1 hour ago, cracker1 said:

Surely if the Chief of the forestry department is removed then the message to his replacement will be "Do your job and manage this department properly" !

One would certainly hope so, but this is Thailand and the guy at the top is likely the one who gets a good slice of the proceeds of corruption.

 

It's a very good job they've got a harmless and tame Army general at the top. If it were me, there would be a lot mor senior people looking for jobs and trying to get off a permanent blacklist.