40 police officers to be transferred over overloaded truck bribe scandal

[webfact]

 

About 40 highway police officers are expected to be transferred to “inactive posts” at the operations centre of the Highways Police Division, pending the outcome of an investigation into their alleged involvement in the overloaded truck bribe sticker controversy.

 

Pol Maj-Gen Jaroonkiat Pankeaw, commander of the Police Counter Corruption Division, in his capacity as acting commander of Highways Police Division, told the media today (Thursday) that Pol Lt-Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, is expected to sign an order tomorrow (Friday), to transfer the commissioned and non-commissioned officers out of the division.

 

“It is about time that the highway police cleaned house,” said Jaroonkiat.

 

Atchariya Ruangrattanapong, head of the Crime Victims Assistance Club, recently filed a complaint with the police also seeking an investigation into the former highway police commander for allegedly embezzling the allowances of his subordinates.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/40-police-officers-to-be-transferred-over-overloaded-truck-bribe-scandal/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-06-09

 

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[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

“It is about time that the highway police cleaned house,” said Jaroonkiat.

And if the investigation is found to be true.. which is likely, will they be dismissed from the police farce?

[Gknrd]

Unreal how fast those overloaded trucks can tear up a highway in Thailand. 

[herfiehandbag]

There will of course be a delay whilst they build the new office accommodation for these 40 officers transferred to HQ.

 

The delay will be exacerbated as the lorries delivering the building materials can no longer be overloaded...

 

However, a new system is to be trialled to monitor overloaded lorries. Instead of a red sticker they will use a blue one.

Edited June 8, 2023 by herfiehandbag

[herfiehandbag]

1 hour ago, Gknrd said:

Unreal how fast those overloaded trucks can tear up a highway in Thailand. 

A few years ago they rebuilt the road running along the left bank of the river from Wiang Chiang Rung to Chiang Rai. To put a stop to the over the weight limit lorries using it as a short cut the transport department started using a portable weighbridge device to carry out spot checks. I remember the chaos one morning with half a dozen lorry and trailer combinations trying to turn around short of the weighbridge!

 

The lorries then simply started using the smaller food running through the villages along the other bank, that road was  totally wrecked within a couple of months.

 

They gave up with the portable weighbridge (perhaps it broke). The lorries started to use the short cut again, and the road surface is now breaking up.

Edited June 8, 2023 by herfiehandbag

[RichardColeman]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

“It is about time that the highway police cleaned house,” said Jaroonkiat.

I guess the people taking bribes will be hoping they put the election committee people on it , they are likely to die well before the investigation is done or even started

[BayArea]

Most developed nations would terminate these corrupted cops, but not Thailand where " transfers" are the norm. 

[ThailandRyan]

Every time I drive by one of the truck weigh stations here in Thailand they are always empty  and the overloaded trucks are on the main highway driving in the far right lanes instead if the far left lanes. The shouod be frontage roads adjoining the main highway or the far left lanes.  If there was some real enforcement the roads would not be so destroyed. The overweight trucks cause a lot of damage to the roads which are not designed for excess weight.

Edited June 9, 2023 by ThailandRyan

[futsukayoi]

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

And if the investigation is found to be true.. which is likely, will they be dismissed from the police farce?

why dismissed.  Surely jailed, assests siezed and family memebres aeeither hand over their assets r jailed for receiving illicit money.  Of course it will not happen why this will remain endemic in the Police and other public sectors.  If there is no real punishment when caught, you have to be a complete fool not to be corrupt.

[nobodysfriend]

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

And if the investigation is found to be true.. which is likely, will they be dismissed from the police farce?

inactive posts ... there must be a whole lot of police in " inactive posts " by now ... but they still get their regular pay , I presume ...?

[Skipalongcassidy]

They will not be dismissed... it would interrupt the flow of brown envelopes.

[Andycoops]

How about the transfer of the I'll gotten gains residing in their bank accounts.

[2baht]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

“It is about time that the highway police cleaned house,” said Jaroonkiat.

Oh please Jaroonkiat, get real, you can fool some of the people some of the time but...................!

[khunjeff]

They spelled "arrested" wrong.

[ikke1959]

Only 40??? it is a tip of the iceberg

[sammieuk1]

Surely the place of transfer must be overloaded by now or is that another sticker story ????

[MrMojoRisin]

And so begins the era of Pita and Move Forward.

[Gottfrid]

40 officers. Here we are talking major bribe amounts. 

[bamnutsak]

The next government should establish an independent civilian body to oversee investigations of corruption within the RTP. Having the RTP investigate themselves seems like a failure.

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

 

“It is about time that the highway police cleaned house,” said Jaroonkiat.

And then burn the house.

 

And do not hire Suthep to build a new police station.

 

[rwill]

The investigation will be into whether they were sending the correct percentage upstream.

[BoganInParasite]

Every policeman in the highway division must have been aware of the scheme, the great majority would have honoured it (funny word in this context I know), and a slightly lesser number financially benefited. They need to sack the senior organisers, discipline the less senior, disband the whole division and try to reconstitute it such that there are hints of competence and integrity. But I won't be holding my breath.

[mikebell]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

to transfer the commissioned and non-commissioned officers out of the division.

To where?  The Inactive Post building is full.  a couple of months down the line all will be forgotten by the Senior Goldfish of RTP.

[klauskunkel]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Pol Maj-Gen Jaroonkiat Pankeaw, commander of the Police Counter Corruption Division, in his capacity as acting commander of Highways Police Division

“It is about time that the highway police cleaned house,” said Jaroonkiat.

that statement..., you knew about it didn't you. And now you have to act on it because it was made public by MFP member, right?

"Clean house", more like "tear it down!"

[brucegoniners]

Do cops ever get fired here?

[PETERTHEEATER]

2 hours ago, brucegoniners said:

Do cops ever get fired here?

They don't fool around at those crematoriums you know.

[fusion58]

7 hours ago, brucegoniners said:

Do cops ever get fired here?

Nah - just transferred.

 

Not unlike the parish priest who gets caught diddling kids.

[Purdey]

Difficult to arrest the lower ranks as they know the one ordering the transfers is perhaps not that white. Transfers mean they can continue to earn for the next boss. 

[keysersoze276]

I read the headline, completely skipped the article and comments. I would have done the same thing 100x and be happy to be transferred as soon as I got caught,  Spread the Word!  No penalty!  No blood, no foul. Just get relocated and keep the corruption train on the right track. 

[Pedrogaz]

Transferred???? Transferred????? Indict the scumbags and their senior officers and then send them to jail for a long time. What about the safety of other road users, what about the destruction of the roads due to overloaded trucks?

[Saddic]

The "inactive post" must surely have more officers assigned than the "active post" at this point...