Big Joke: No exceptions for senior IB officers if found to have taken bribes to issue Chinese with visas

[webfact]

Daily News Thai Caption: No exceptions

 

Thailand's top crime busting cop and investigator Pol Gen Surachate "Big Joke" Hakpan said there would be "no exceptions" for any senior Immigration Bureau men if they are found to be involved in a scandal involving the taking of bribes to give Chinese nationals visas.

 

Even if they were former classmates of his at the police academy, reported Daily News yesterday. 

 

The flow of money between various individuals is being investigated. 

 

27 heads of station in the IB are being spoken to as part of a wide ranging investigation into alleged corruption at the IB. 

 

Documents relating to the matter are due to be submitted today.

 

Surachate promised action if documents are not submitted or found to be falsified.

 

Some of Surachate's classmates have already retired. 

 

Surachate was the former chief of immigration himself before a still unexplained fall from grace that saw him relegated to the PM's office. He has since been rehabilitated and risen in the ranks to general and is now a deputy commander at the RTP, notes ASEAN NOW.

 

He told the Thai media that during his time at the IB his rigorous approach meant that no sub-ordinates dared do wrong and neither did any Chinese people dare to commit this kind of crime. 

 

Elsewhere in the media it was stated that a police led inquiry panel was looking into a claim that  IB officers took bribes in exchange for approving visa applications for Chinese people wanting to come to Thailand. 

 

This had been set up by RTP chief Pol Gen Damronksak Kittipraphat after firebrand former politician and soapy massage boss Chuwit Kamolwisit alleged three former division commanders at the IB took backhanders to allow more than 3,000 Chinese nationals into Thailand on tourist visas. 

 

Chuwit has become something of a whistle-blower in several cases of Chinese involvement in crime with police connivance in recent months. 

 

Damrongsak was quoted in print media as saying that the police, of which the IB is an integral part, "must be transparent and open to scrutiny".

 

Critics of the RTP say they are anything but alleging they are little more than a mafia organisation in uniform.

 

Chuwit has claimed that non-immigrant business visas and Type O visa approvals had been made by three police major generals in exchange for cash between 2020 and 2021.

 

Chuwit appeared before a House committee yesterday claiming that Chinese triads and the RTP were in league in "grey business".

 

Meanwhile Chuwit has been told by justice minister Somsak Thepsuthin that he is in line for a reward of 5% of assets from alleged gangsters involved in drugs for his whistle blowing help.

 

Chuwit has said he doesn't want that and would give the money to hospitals. 

 

That money could be huge as one alleged crime boss Chaiyanat "Tuhao" has had assets to the tune of 1.1billion baht seized by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board. 

 

Daily News also reported investigations related to "Tuhao" in their report yesterday. 

 

Two, identified only by their initials were former classmates of Big Joke at the cadet academy.

 

Fees for such visas were 100,000 to 300,000 baht per person, Chuwit claimed. 

 

Most Chinese people get 30 days in Thailand on arrival. 

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2022-12-09

 

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[Thailand]

Wife saw a video yesterday where a Chinese guy had posted how easy it was to get expedited visa on arrival and special service through immigration for 5,000 baht.

How dumb is that?

[CelticBhoy]

"Surachate was the former chief of immigration himself before a still unexplained fall from grace that saw him relegated to the PM's office. "

Big Joke will have been looking forward to this day.

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

[Elkski]

rehabilitated?   Love to hear words like even classmates not spared.  Do they mean justice and time or moved to inactive post?   Many have retired?  Hope they look at bank deposits of all police and imagration people some day

[John Drake]

59 minutes ago, webfact said:

after firebrand former politician and soapy massage boss Chuwit Kamolwisit alleged three former division commanders at the IB took backhanders to allow more than 3,000 Chinese nationals into Thailand on tourist visas. 

Several years ago, I read that some 800,000 Chinese had moved into Laos. They simply came in and started to live there like they owned the place. That, in a country of 7 million people. I can't find the article now and I see that Wikipedia says the Chinese in Laos only amount to one or two percent of the population, although they dominate 100 percent of business, finance, and commerce. So who knows the real numbers. I do know that it is a distinct source of trouble to share a border with China or border a small country that does and serves as a transit corridor.

[mikeymike100]

"Chuwit appeared before a House committee yesterday claiming that Chinese triads and the RTP were in league in "grey business". "

 

I wonder if he's right ?????

[Lucky Bones]

If only this Bloke didn't look identical to the 3,472,642 police officers I would (possibly) believe him.????????

[worgeordie]

Will this spread to those folks using agents /Immigration officers

that bypass the need for having 800K Thb in their bank account.

might be worrying for some.

regards Worgeordie

 

[John Drake]

9 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Will this spread to those folks using agents /Immigration officers

that bypass the need for having 800K Thb in their bank account.

might be worrying for some.

regards Worgeordie

 

Maybe it needs to "spread" to everyone using letters from their embassy. If Americans, UKers, and Australians need to provide Thai bank sources to prove their eligibility for visas and extensions, shouldn't everyone else? Wonder what those letters are worth coming from the Russian and Chinese embassies?

[IvorBiggun2]

12 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Will this spread to those folks using agents /Immigration officers

that bypass the need for having 800K Thb in their bank account.

might be worrying for some.

I sincerely hope so. Looking forward to the day. If you ain't got the money to stay here then bye bye.

[RafPinto]

10 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Maybe it needs to "spread" to everyone using letters from their embassy. If Americans, UKers, and Australians need to provide Thai bank sources to prove their eligibility for visas and extensions, shouldn't everyone else? Wonder what those letters are worth coming from the Russian and Chinese embassies?

My embassy provides an "Affidavit" but first want to see my original bank statements for the last 12 months.
I would not dare to falsify any official documents.
 

[IvorBiggun2]

Wasn't it Big Joke that banned all agents from entering Immigration offices a couple of years back? Hopefully he'll enforce it again.

[Dan O]

35 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

"Chuwit appeared before a House committee yesterday claiming that Chinese triads and the RTP were in league in "grey business". "

 

I wonder if he's right ?????

He's probably right because those "grey" business' were his before the triads took control of them 

[John Drake]

1 minute ago, RafPinto said:

My embassy provides an "Affidavit" but first want to see my original bank statements for the last 12 months.
I would not dare to falsify any official documents.
 

Don't care. Do the Russian and Chinese embassies do that? Do they issue letters? How trustworthy are any of these "affidavits" coming from foreign sources? There is a simple answer: one standard for everyone; prove you have 800K in the bank or 65K monthly coming in through documentation issued by a Thai bank. Cut the embassies out of the picture entirely. Treat everybody equally.

[RafPinto]

3 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Don't care. Do the Russian and Chinese embassies do that? Do they issue letters? How trustworthy are any of these "affidavits" coming from foreign sources? There is a simple answer: one standard for everyone; prove you have 800K in the bank or 65K monthly coming in through documentation issued by a Thai bank. Cut the embassies out of the picture entirely. Treat everybody equally.

I make well above the 800k a year and well above the 65k monthly, hence, my "Embassy", after verifying, they issue me this Affidavit.
To be on the sure site, I transfer as well at least 70k each month.

If the American, British etc embassies stopped providing Affidavits, maybe there were too many "dodgy" people, asking for one.????

[John Drake]

14 minutes ago, RafPinto said:

I make well above the 800k a year and well above the 65k monthly, hence, my "Embassy", after verifying, they issue me this Affidavit.
To be on the sure site, I transfer as well at least 70k each month.

If the American, British etc embassies stopped providing Affidavits, maybe there were too many "dodgy" people, asking for one.????

Well, it's not the Americans, British, or Australians who are the subject of this topic's article, is it? The fact is that the vast, vast majority of Americans, British, and Australians follow the rules. None of them is being investigated for 200K to 300K payoffs to immigration for visas. None of them is threatening to snatch up every piece of property along Sukhumvit and Ratchadaphisek roads, as Chuwit says the triads will do. Retirees from those three countries mostly follow the rules and those staying here now meet more stringent tests for qualifying for extensions than any other nationality.

[IvorBiggun2]

I find it very hard, if not impossible, to point out a farang around where I live that doesn't use an agency. Bururam IO used to be their own agency. Dunno if that's now stopped since the head IO at the stadium got caught giving visa for pirated goods smuggling? He's now back at work.   

[Thailand]

Assisted passage of certain permissions in Thailand are endemic.

BJ may well end up stepping on the wrong toes as he did before.

[IvorBiggun2]

8 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Retirees from those three countries mostly follow the rules and those staying here now meet more stringent tests for qualifying for extensions than any other nationality.

I disagree. What test has become more stringent? 

[John Drake]

Just now, IvorBiggun2 said:

I disagree. 

If you do, then maybe you would at least agree with me that there should be one standard. Every person applying for a retirement extension must meet one standard: 800K in a Thai bank or 65K coming through to Thai bank every month. Everybody. All nationalities. And absolutely no discretionary waiver of this standard on the part of immigration officials. No ifs, ands, or buts. Just one clean standard that puts all expatriate retirees on the same level playing field and which would curtail corruption immensely.

[stoner]

58 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Will this spread to those folks using agents /Immigration officers

that bypass the need for having 800K Thb in their bank account.

might be worrying for some.

regards Worgeordie

 

but those are all stand up dudes as was being mentioned here this morning. 

[MRToMRT]

Crackdowns have been promised for the last 30 years and we never truly see them except some token stuff for media consumption.

 

Thailand can never uncorrupt itself, its endemic.

[giddyup]

58 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Maybe it needs to "spread" to everyone using letters from their embassy. If Americans, UKers, and Australians need to provide Thai bank sources to prove their eligibility for visas and extensions, shouldn't everyone else? Wonder what those letters are worth coming from the Russian and Chinese embassies?

I know letters (stat/decs) re income are no longer issued by the Aussie embassy, and haven't been for a few years.

[BestB]

No excuse for senior officers but what about everyone else below them? all forgiven?????

[IvorBiggun2]

31 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Just one clean standard that puts all expatriate retirees on the same level playing field and which would curtail corruption immensely.

Only way to go in my book is to jail and sack all immigration officers found guilty of illegal practices. At the the moment all they get is shunted. No loss of pay or reduction in rank currently AFAIK.

[mikeymike100]

1 hour ago, worgeordie said:

Will this spread to those folks using agents /Immigration officers

that bypass the need for having 800K Thb in their bank account.

might be worrying for some.

regards Worgeordie

 

Only if your Chinese?????

[mikeymike100]

1 hour ago, John Drake said:

Well, it's not the Americans, British, or Australians who are the subject of this topic's article, is it? The fact is that the vast, vast majority of Americans, British, and Australians follow the rules. None of them is being investigated for 200K to 300K payoffs to immigration for visas. None of them is threatening to snatch up every piece of property along Sukhumvit and Ratchadaphisek roads, as Chuwit says the triads will do. Retirees from those three countries mostly follow the rules and those staying here now meet more stringent tests for qualifying for extensions than any other nationality.

Every time an article on immigration corruption comes up, somebody always mentions the agents and bank accounts, re the 800K?, even though its unrelated?????

[IvorBiggun2]

2 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

Every time an article on immigration corruption comes up, somebody always mentions the agents 

Because they work hand in hand with each other.    

[sammieuk1]

Wonder what the Jokers plan is when he finds out there are no senior immigration men left to fire????

[Dogmatix]

There used to be a big problem with chinese triad gangs in the early part of the 20th century including kidnappings and other crimess. The descandants of the triads eventually became Thai poliiticians. Maybe they will also assimilate the current wave of Chinese triads in the local criminal/political structure. They seem a good fit.