Prayut praises drugs crackdown but says kingpins still going free

By The Nation

 

 

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha today praised a year-long crackdown for netting Bt300 million of drug criminals’ assets, but warned that the big fish were still going free.

 

Prayut on Friday (May 8 ) presided over a meeting at the Office of the Narcotics Control Board to review annual progress in Thailand’s war on drugs.

 

The PM praised government agencies for their improved performance in “catching the tail” of the drug networks, leading to arrests. However, he said he wanted to see greater coordination among drug-suppression enforcers so they could follow the asset and money trail left by traffickers and respond more rapidly.

 

“Today, we only arrest the small traders. Coordination and arrest issues are frustrating efforts to catch the big agents, while drug trafficking networks keep finding new methods to escape the law,” said Prayut.

 

“Therefore, we must monitor how property and money laundering are linked with the drug traffickers. If we are able to arrest people again and again, the networks will continue to be depleted and [finally] be excised.”

 

Prayut also addressed the drugs problem in the far South, which has been wracked by deadly insurgency-related violence since 2004.

 

“As for drugs networks in the southern region, I believe that if they can be eliminated, a solution in the three southern border provinces will be easier and faster,” said the PM, who is also defence minister.

 

Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin said seizures of drug networks’ assets over the past three months had acted more like a circuit-breaker for the illegal trade, in contrast to the excision measures of past governments.

 

However, Thailand’s annual drug suppression budget of Bt5.2 billion yields just Bt300 million in assets seized from drugs criminals.

 

According to deputy national police chief Suchart Theerasawat, the seized assets comprise 2,000 items worth approximately Bt300 million.

 

They include seven houses and land, one factory, cash worth Bt25.9 million, 400 cars, 300 motorcycles, 600 items of gold jewellery, 27 guns and more than 400 other valuables.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30387518

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-05-08

 

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8 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Prayut praises drugs crackdown but says kingpins still going free

How about starting to look in your own ranks?

Didn't Prayuth promise this 6 years ago?

This statement from Prayut is laughable, even a blind man knows where to look and who aids and abets them.... 

Want to get rid of the king pins. Legalise drugs and eradicate corruption. Be a much better world. Can't do that though. Can't upset those Chinese kingpins.

Edited May 8, 20206 yr by dinsdale

5 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

but warned that the big fish were still going free.

And so they always will until you deal with corrupt immigration and top police officials that are almost right by your side.

Someone in the government doesn't want any competition...

15 hours ago, Susco said:

How about starting to look in your own ranks?

Although I have my suspicions, I don't know about Thailand. But, in the US, many of those at the forefront, fighting the "war on drugs", are also some of the bigger "shareholders" in the supply chain. They get rich from both sides. 

He would lose his majority in the parliament if he locked up the kingpins. Needless to say of how many of his chosen Senators.

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha today praised a year-long crackdown for netting Bt300 million of drug criminals’ assets, but warned that the big fish were still going free

I wonder why?

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Prayut praises drugs crackdown but says kingpins still going free

You absolute hypocrite! You have a convicted heroin smuggler in your cabinet, you goon. 

War on drugs is such a huge waste of resources. 

Legalize, tax and spend a fraction of the resources on harm reduction programs.

14 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Want to get rid of the king pins. Legalise drugs and eradicate corruption. Be a much better world. Can't do that though. Can't upset those Chinese kingpins.

Why not just retain the status quo, the masses are too oppressed to do anything about it and they are, after all, the customers! There's too much loot to be made! Praise Lord Baht! ????

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

I wonder why?

Still a plentiful supply of "brown envelopes"!!!

Bt300 million for year... lowball?

Is there a general called kingpin it could make it easier for him to find ????

On 5/8/2020 at 6:04 PM, snoop1130 said:

Today, we only arrest the small traders. Coordination and arrest issues are frustrating efforts to catch the big agents, while drug trafficking networks keep finding new methods to escape the law,” said Prayut.

I don't know if the situation now is the same as the situation has been for years, but it appears to be a general opinion that the people who are really behind the drug trade have army ranks, in which case Mr Prayuth has (knowingly or otherwise) been a direct beneficiary for a long time.