Defence deputy hunting corrupt border officials who open door for Covid

[webfact]

Defence deputy hunting corrupt border officials who open door for Covid

By The Nation

 

 

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Wednesday tasked Deputy Defence Minister Chaichan Changmongkol with the job of catching corrupt Thai officials who allow illegal immigrants to enter Thailand.

 

Chaichan will lead the crackdown on border corruption thought to be behind Thailand’s latest outbreak of Covid-19, detected last week among Myanmar migrant workers in Samut Sakhon.

 

The country has six immigration offices and 93 checkpoints screening people who cross the border, but poorly guarded natural routes open a loophole for trafficking of migrant workers.

 

The locations of greatest concern are two points in Chiang Rai province, Tak’s Mae Sot district, and three points in Ranong province – all bordering Myanmar.

 

National police chief Suwat Jangyodsuk said that information about a trafficking gang helping immigrants cross the border was being investigated.

 

Royal Thai Armed Forces spokesman Chaowalit Sangkarit said initial investigations cleared Thai Army troops of involvement with the traffickers since the gang mostly operated by boat across the marine border in Ranong province.

 

A Royal Thai Navy spokesman insisted that all immigrants found crossing into Thailand by sea were documented and legal.

 

However, a source said the traffickers use regular border routes but bribe officials at the checkpoints to remain silent.

 

Prayut is thought to have a list of Thai officials suspected of being involved in the people-trafficking trade and is waiting for more evidence in their cases.

 

Chaichan will reportedly reveal the names of the suspects soon.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30400120

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-12-24

 

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[ThailandRyan]

Is Thailand all about Face or what?.  How many other countries are hunting down officials or traffickers who have allowed the spread of Covid-19 into the country.  Covid knows no boundaries and it is a virus easily transmitted.  Once again FACE saving in its entirety.  Does anyone really believe that you can say it is someone's fault other than China's for the spread of this virus. Did they arrest anyone for allowing MERS into the country or bird flu or? Did they.  Just unbelievable hubris 

Edited December 23, 2020 by ThailandRyan

[Jack Mountain]

I know one, Big Oud! and don't forget the employers please ...

[Thaiwrath]

28 minutes ago, webfact said:

Royal Thai Armed Forces spokesman Chaowalit Sangkarit said initial investigations cleared Thai Army troops of involvement with the traffickers

 

Initial investigations cleared Thai Army troops ?

How is it that with usual investigations looking into corrupt officials, it usually takes months, or even years, to come up with anything, and that is usually after the formation of dozens of committees !   

[Soikhaonoiken]

We're there's a brown envelopes there's a way, the temptation is to much for many Thai officials... ????

[RichardColeman]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Prayut is thought to have a list of Thai officials suspected of being involved in the people-trafficking trade and is waiting for more evidence in their cases.

and awaiting an update on their class and financial status 

[ezzra]

Instead of wasting your time on ' hunting' bent officials, make sure that who ever is in-charge now will keep the borders controlled and monitored and shut if need be...

[bodga]

29 minutes ago, ezzra said:

make sure that who ever is in-charge

Gets the  boot with  no pension and sends  a message down the line...aint going to  happen

[FarFlungFalang]

Great!let's have some probes and hunts and committees and ordering of investigations,then get some Burmese and call them people smuggler's and lock them up in front of some media and the problem will go away and we can get back to work.And stop releasing daily totals it's making us look bad.

Edited December 23, 2020 by FarFlungFalang

[PatOngo]

2 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Is Thailand all about Face or what?.

Well it's obviously not about ethics or morals, is it!

[quake]

1 hour ago, Soikhaonoiken said:

We're there's a brown envelopes there's a way, the temptation is to much for many Thai officials... ????

it's ingrained in there culture. 

just seen as normal behavior.

TIT.

[TheFishman1]

Thailand corruption from the top down the TIT

[chang1]

Will there be any left at all if all the corrupt officers are removed? And where will the uncorrupted replacements come from? 

[tonysilly]

It's easy, just ask those bars girls who let them in the country.  5 mins and you will have those names and faces.  What's soo difficult. ???

[metisdead]

A post using a trolling video has been removed. 

[smedly]

Check their bank accounts then ask how they accumulated so much money

 

simple

[klauskunkel]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Prayut is thought to have a list of Thai officials suspected of being involved in the people-trafficking trade

Prayut can put his buddy Prawit on that list for covering up for those officials:

Prawit rejects notion of graft at borders, says nobody to blame for new outbreak

[Mr Meeseeks]

5 hours ago, Jack Mountain said:

I know one, Big Oud! and don't forget the employers please ...

Too busy tracking down harmless Western pensioners on overstay.

[Jimbo2014]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Chaichan will lead the crackdown on border corruption

 

Another week another crackdown... add it to the long graveyard list of forgotten crackdowns ????

[Phuketshrew]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Prayut is thought to have a list of Thai officials suspected of being involved in the people-trafficking trade and is waiting for more evidence in their cases.

"Evidence" as in thick brown envelopes?

[crickets]

Probably wouldnt have to look to far, it could be the office next door.

[madmitch]

5 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Is Thailand all about Face or what?.  How many other countries are hunting down officials or traffickers who have allowed the spread of Covid-19 into the country.  Covid knows no boundaries and it is a virus easily transmitted.  Once again FACE saving in its entirety.  Does anyone really believe that you can say it is someone's fault other than China's for the spread of this virus. Did they arrest anyone for allowing MERS into the country or bird flu or? Did they.  Just unbelievable hubris 

i get what you’re saying but I actually think this is a good thing in that it is actually an admission that border officials can easily be corrupted, unlike he watch-collecting colleagues announcement that stated border officials would never accept bribes.

 

I don’t believe the army are totally innocent, however.

[Mr Meeseeks]

2 minutes ago, Phuketshrew said:

"Evidence" as in thick brown envelopes?

Evidence as in those that support the political opposition most likely.

[Reigntax]

Surely an easier task would be searching for the non corrupt ones then removing the rest ?

[paddypower]

bring in an expert in forestry tracking... the Black Panther soup man. (community service program work for fat slugs).

 

[khunpa]

Wonder how it feels for someone already corrupt ordered to hunt down corruption?

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

However, a source said the traffickers use regular border routes but bribe officials at the checkpoints to remain silent.

But only yesterday Prawit stated no Thai officials would do such a corrupt thing.

[shavedPotter]

Once again Covid proves it thrives on idiots.

[hotchilli]

9 minutes ago, khunpa said:

Wonder how it feels for someone already corrupt ordered to hunt down corruption?

They always said set a thief to catch a thief.

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Is Thailand all about Face or what?.  How many other countries are hunting down officials or traffickers who have allowed the spread of Covid-19 into the country.  Covid knows no boundaries and it is a virus easily transmitted.  Once again FACE saving in its entirety.  Does anyone really believe that you can say it is someone's fault other than China's for the spread of this virus. Did they arrest anyone for allowing MERS into the country or bird flu or? Did they.  Just unbelievable hubris 

What about the Samut Sakhon plastics company owner who dumped Myanmar workers near Bangkok the other day. Most of them were illegals without passports or permits?

Tip of the ice-berg of human trafficking and illegal working practices... yes Thailand is firmly to blame.