Pattaya: Senior traffic cop transferred after allegedly extorting 30,000 baht from tourist(s)

[webfact]

 

Thai Rath reported late yesterday that the chief of the Chonburi provincial police had ordered that a senior traffic policeman at the Muang Pattaya police station be transferred to inactive duties at HQ after allegations that he extorted 30,000 baht from a Chinese tourist or tourists.

 

The allegation had appeared on the site of the National Guides' Association who had a clip of the incident. A fine of 60,000 baht had been demanded after an electronic cigarette device was found.

 

This was bargained down to 30,000 baht. 

 

Pattaya staion chief Pol Col Kunlachart Kullachai said that he was aware of the man under his command who appeared in the clip. The clip was genuine.

 

He said it was Sen Sgt Maj  Noppakrit Pornwattanathanakrit a traffic policeman. He had initially taken him off traffic duties and put him in the admin section.

 

He said that Sgt Maj Noppakrit had admitted that it was him in the clip but he denied extorting money from the tourist. He was ready and prepared to give evidence in the case. 

 

The chief promised fairness to all sides and legal and disciplinary action if guilt is proven. 

 

Later the matter was addressed by the Chonburi provincial police who said in a statement that the incident happened on 28th or 29th January.

 

They said it had caused damage to the Royal Thai Police. 

 

Chief Pol Maj-Gen Kamphon Leelapraphaporn issued two orders for the incident to be thoroughly investigated and ordered the immediate transfer of the policeman concerned to administrative duties at provincial HQ pending a thorough investigation. 

 

 

Siam Rath also picked up on the story indicating that a group of tourists on a group tour had been targeted.

 

Thai Rath had concluded their report from the provincial chief saying that the matter would be investigated fully using CCTV and witness statements to "maintain the good image of tourism in Pattaya". 

 

A week long extortion case of a Taiwanese actress in Bangkok - also invoving a vaping device - has dominated the Thai news. 

 

Many people online have claimed that police extortion is commonplace especially in tourist areas against visitors to Thailand.

 

ASEAN NOW notes that it was unclear as to whether the case referred to one or more tourists in the group tour.
 

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[2baht]

7 minutes ago, webfact said:

They said it had caused damage to the Royal Thai Police. 

....and the main offenders causing damage to the RTP are......................................... ????

[Willy Wombat]

After a couple of years of slim pickings when it came to extorting tourists it looks like the bib are making up for lost revenue

[Dmaxdan]

Only transferred and not sacked!

 

What so of message does that send out to the rest of the corrupt police out on the street.

[Mr Meeseeks]

Just now, Dmaxdan said:

Only transferred and not sacked!

 

What so of message does that send out to the rest of the corrupt police out on the street.

They would likely resign en masse if they are not able to extort the general public.

 

Those mia nois and Benz won't pay themselves. 

[Hayduke]

41 minutes ago, webfact said:

The chief promised fairness to all sides and legal and disciplinary action if guilt is proven.

 

Good to see the Pattaya Station Chief hasn't lost his sense of humor…..

 

 

[Bluespunk]

5 minutes ago, Dmaxdan said:

Only transferred and not sacked!

 

What so of message does that send out to the rest of the corrupt police out on the street.

Don’t get caught. 

[petermik]

I wondered why no BIB were on "duty" outside the Police station on Monday as I passed by......back in force shortly I presume when all is quiet again.

[ezzra]

What is wrong with these guys? not only their reputation has been sullied and rubbished very badly lately and they still at it as if saying, sod you all, we will continue to shake down people and we don't give a sheet what anyone one of you say or think of us.. boggles the minds...

[2baht]

51 minutes ago, Dmaxdan said:

Only transferred and not sacked!

What so of message does that send out to the rest of the corrupt police out on the street.

Carry on!  

[pokerface1]

52 minutes ago, Dmaxdan said:

Only transferred and not sacked!

 

What so of message does that send out to the rest of the corrupt police out on the street.

They go back to admin to watch. Tutorials on how not to get caught and to hone their skills in slight of hand 

[cheapcanuck]

This is common place in Thailand. You would be hard pressed to find any tourists that haven't been ripped off by the RTP. 

[steven100]

  but i thought everyone in Thailand was so honest ......    'not'

[marin]

13 minutes ago, cheapcanuck said:

This is common place in Thailand. You would be hard pressed to find any tourists that haven't been ripped off by the RTP. 

What a bunch of BS. Yes these things happen for sure, but your paintbrush is way too wide. Maybe 1/1000 has even had an interaction with the police. 

[spidermike007]

When I used to live on Samui, I ran into a couple of folks who were extorted out of 100,000 baht for possession of small amounts of ganga, under threat of arrest, resulting in prison time. That never made the news. I also knew a guy who was arrested for dealing in ganga. The cops offered to let him go for a cool million baht. He was not able to raise the money, and spent 16 months in the Samui prison. I visited him there.

 

What is being reported is commonplace. Perhaps people are just getting fed up with it, or being embolded by others who are outing the bent cops. The RTP and the administration deserve this, richly. They have earned it. 

[Smokey and the Bandit]

"The chief promised fairness to all sides and legal and disciplinary action if guilt is proven."

 

But it seems, if found guilty they only get transferred, no one faces legal action?

[kcpattaya]

They not even "tip" the iceberg...

[Mavideol]

in a public/private type of job an employee that has been found guilty of stealing and/or extorting money will be fired on the spot, here in Thailand they are transferred never fired, they stand by a couple months until everything cools down, after that cooling down period, back to same duty as before... I honestly don't thing the problem is with the RTP but it's a the top, until the top is removed/ replaced the problems will persist

[Tarteso]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

They said it had caused damage to the Royal Thai Police. 

Yes because of their reputation is virginal.

[jbaldwin]

3 hours ago, cheapcanuck said:

This is common place in Thailand. You would be hard pressed to find any tourists that haven't been ripped off by the RTP. 

Are you sure about this.  I have lived in Thailand for 20 years and have never had any problems with the police.

[klauskunkel]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The chief promised fairness to all sides

He totally forgot about transparency! It is supposed to be in the statement whenever an official talks about fairness!

[Davedub]

15 minutes ago, jbaldwin said:

Are you sure about this.  I have lived in Thailand for 20 years and have never had any problems with the police.

Fourteen years here and I can say it's definitely getting worse. I've been extorted twice for bogus traffic offences in BKK recently.

But the real point is that everyone, Thai or Farang is potential prey to corrupt police - we don't need to commit a crime to get shaken down.

 

I hear that police wages are not very high and that they have to buy their own uniforms, vehicles etc.

If this is true then real, effective reform will require paying them a fair wage, monitoring far more closely for 'unusual wealth' and sending any police convicted of corruption straight to prison for a very long time.

[findlay13]

Inactive post?

[4MyEgo]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

They said it had caused damage to the Royal Thai Police. 

Looks like there's not enough rocks for this force, well most of it to fit under, no doubt they are all feeling the pressure, but will common sense prevail ?

 

The more stories the better and I doubt it that they will back off because greed is an ugly beast.

[mjakob007]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

senior traffic policeman at the Muang Pattaya police station be transferred to inactive duties at HQ after allegations that he extorted 30,000 baht from a Chinese tourist or tourists

Living the reputation of LoS (scams)

And who said ploughing back lost income from past 2 years was limited to airlines & hotels...

[4MyEgo]

3 hours ago, marin said:

What a bunch of BS. Yes these things happen for sure, but your paintbrush is way too wide. Maybe 1/1000 has even had an interaction with the police. 

You mean like when getting pulled over on a scooter outside a school zone for not wearing a helmet, only farangs, not Thai's, they were waved on.

 

I found this amusing while sitting on the opposite side of the road enjoying my lunch watching farang tourists flaring up while Thai's were waved on.

 

That was in Phuket, all tourists, not locals because the local farangs know better.

[StayinThailand2much]

Let me guess, it was all a 'misunderstanding' and about e-cigarettes...

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai Rath had concluded their report from the provincial chief saying that the matter would be investigated fully using CCTV and witness statements to "maintain the good image of tourism in Pattaya"

That'll be four coats of whitewash then, and not watered down either.

[Dogmatix]

Tourists need to have some understanding of the situation police are in. They used to be able make good incomes selling ganja to tourists and then busting them.  But as one door closes, another one opens.  Some years back the government came up with a brilliant plan to make vaping illegal but no one paid attention to such a stupid idea and you can see Thais vaping everywhere, while vaping materials are on sale in all tourist areas, as well as on Thai e-commerce websites. Now the police have realised that this criminalisation by stealth of a product that is legal nearly everywhere else, including China, can be turned into huge money spinner with the return of tourists who have no way of knowing that vaping is illegal, as that is kept a dark secret until the surprise nocturnal shake down in pijin English by the BiB.  Who can blame them?

[ignore it]

"Tic Tok Thai Cop Extortion Challenge."

 

It's starting to trend!