Major Crackdown On Corruption

[webfact]

Major crackdown on corruption

By The Nation

Published on November 26, 2009

Major crackdown on corruption

Officers from the Crime Suppression Division yesterday conduct a search of Ruamnakhon Thabthimthongchai's home in Nonthaburi for evidence in a major corruption scandal.

Crime Suppression Division (CSD) officers raided several venues yesterday including the homes of an enigmatic former police officer and a former senior budget bureau official in what was said to be the start of a major anticorruption crackdown.

The raids followed a complaint recently lodged with the Police Internal Affairs Division against Car Tracking - the company that was awarded a Bt1.14billion contract to provide the police force with 19,147 Tigerbrand motorcycles. The division discovered that the claim in the company's bidding documents that it owned 104 dealerships and repair shops across the country was false.

Police officers first visited senior Finance Ministry official, Banthoon Suphakkhawanich's home in Nonthaburi, to summon him as a witness after evidence showed that the ministry's Budget Bureau had liased with the Royal Thai Police as part of the normal budgetapproval procedure.

A second CSD team visited policeman turned tycoon Ruamnakhon Thabthimthongchai's luxurious home in Nonthaburi. Ruamnakhon is also CEO of RNT Television.

Two people answered the door but did not let the officers in until an hour later, when the team leader contacted the provincial police chief and learned that Ruamnakhon was inside.

Ruamnakhon eventually agreed to cooperate on condition that the CSD team only conduct the search in the presence of local police officers. A number of documents were seized, and several others were photographed.

On the same day, a third team visited the Millennium Motors plant in Samut Prakan's Muang district where the Tigerbrand motorcycles are produced.

The last raid was conducted at Isuzu Siam City on Soi Lat Phrao 21, in Bangkok's Chatuchak district, where staff members were found shredding documents and police seized 13 boxes of documents as well as six computers.

During the raids, the CSD police officers kept receiving phone calls reportedly from a senior policeman asking them not to seize certain documents. The officers ignored the request.

Caretaker national police chief Pol General Patheep Tanprasert said the raids and investigation into the motorcycle contract were either politically motivated or had something to do with former police chief Patcharawat Wongsuwan.

Pol MajGeneral Phongphat Chayaphan, who led the operation, said the case involved bid rigging that officials from various governฌment agencies had taken part in through concealed businesses and nomination. Initial evidence also found that Car Tracking was just a front.

Apart from Banthoon, Phongphat said the CSD had also summoned Pranee Sukkarasorn, acting director of the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, for questioning on December 2, because evidence showed that the entire corruption process may also involve the recently scrapped Transport Ministry plan to purchase 4,000 NGV powered city buses.

-- The Nation 2009/11/26

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[BanTamo]

Corruption in police procurement procedures? Cannot be! Which country has that?! How dare they? ROFLMAO

[mizzi39]

I did know that there was corruption in Thailand. I am learning something new everyday!

[oevna]

I wish that Thailand would make the next step, from one-off "crackdowns" on corruption to actually prosecuting corrupt officials (and other criminals) as a matter of policy.

[beammeup]

"policeman turned tycoon ". You got to laugh.

[screamingeagle]

Ho hum. Another day, another crackdown. Does anyone seriously believe those caught will face punishment. The whole country is corrupt.

[Dakhar]

Took the documents....

Must of had some failed negotiations

[alfieconn]

Corruption in police procurement procedures? Cannot be! Which country has that?! How dare they? ROFLMAO

A friend of mine new to Thailand asked me why do they not put all the corrupt politicians and police in prison, i had to explain to him that if they did that that there would be no one left to run and look after the country

[givenall]

Ho hum. Another day, another crackdown. Does anyone seriously believe those caught will face punishment. The whole country is corrupt.

When will they come to my neighbor house? I heard he has bought his nice house and other nice thing with his tea money . Or maybe he is not Mr. T friend so he is safe

[ozsamurai]

There's a lesson here; If your going to rip someone off, then DO NOT rip off the police, stick to the citizens, they have no avenue of recourse

Oz

edt sp

Edited November 26, 2009 by ozsamurai

[junglist]

If you drive a lot around Thailand you will see this sticker or a mud flap on many of the big trucks. It’s a silent cry for help. Serpico the NYC police officer that would not be corrupted and would not take bribes. Maybe some day a honest police officer will rise in the Thai ranks but I am not holding my breath.

Oh and Serpico is an wicked movie.

[nowork114]

Missed that story ... update me who forget to pay who???

[aussiejosh]

"During the raids, the CSD police officers kept receiving phone calls reportedly from a senior policeman asking them not to seize certain documents."

dam_n it, now it is going to be left up to those in the station to destroy it! I mean does anyone seriously think anything positive will come out of this, if anything I expect one corrupt official to perhaps be moved to an 'inactive post' and a new better at hiding his corruption figure to turn up instead. TiT.

[Meridian007]

dam_n it, now it is going to be left up to those in the station to destroy it! I mean does anyone seriously think anything positive will come out of this, if anything I expect one corrupt official to perhaps be moved to an 'inactive post' and a new better at hiding his corruption figure to turn up instead. TiT.

I agree, while I was reading it I was just thinking "here we go again". Then I read this:

Apart from Banthoon, Phongphat said the CSD had also summoned Pranee Sukkarasorn, acting director of the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, for questioning on December 2, because evidence showed that the entire corruption process may also involve the recently scrapped Transport Ministry plan to purchase 4,000 NGV powered city buses.

How far down the rabbit hole are they willing to go on this one? I think at very least, this branch of the investigation will be shut down quickly, if not having the whole thing shut down. I wonder if we'll hear anything more about this again...

[TAWP]

Even if this investigation is a revenge of one former high police officer against some current, I welcome it...any internal struggle will have many casualties [job and power, not lives] and this could, in theory, allow less corrupt ones to be elevated over time.

[WAERTH]

Watch this name:

Phongphat Chayaphan

If he is involved in the police crackdown it is serious. I have known this man for over 8 years now. One of the few serious police officers in Thailand. When he was a Captain he went and arrested a corrupt general even though everyone told him not to. This man has huge balls and hates corruption.

This was a serious raid.

[selftaopath]

"policeman turned tycoon ". You got to laugh.

I just thought.... I'll bet the antics occurring in Land of Scams could be a Great television sitcom. It's genre might be comedy/sci fi. Whatta ya think? I mean - seriously - this is hilarious. Sad for the Thai people however

cheers,

[Wolfie]

Watch this name:

Phongphat Chayaphan

If he is involved in the police crackdown it is serious. I have known this man for over 8 years now. One of the few serious police officers in Thailand. When he was a Captain he went and arrested a corrupt general even though everyone told him not to. This man has huge balls and hates corruption.

This was a serious raid.

Good - then i hope we will see many more raids from this guy and his team

[Artisi]

If it hasn't already been said - Thailand the HUB of crackdowns.

[webfact]

Watch this name:

Phongphat Chayaphan

If he is involved in the police crackdown it is serious. I have known this man for over 8 years now. One of the few serious police officers in Thailand. When he was a Captain he went and arrested a corrupt general even though everyone told him not to. This man has huge balls and hates corruption.

This was a serious raid.

Reminds me of the real life Serpico. That cop was fighting corruption within the NYC police force

[neverdie]

If you drive a lot around Thailand you will see this sticker or a mud flap on many of the big trucks. It's a silent cry for help. Serpico the NYC police officer that would not be corrupted and would not take bribes. Maybe some day a honest police officer will rise in the Thai ranks but I am not holding my breath.

Oh and Serpico is an wicked movie.

We have our very own real life Serpico at thai visa. He's been tackling this problem for some years now, but he wasnt always known as Serpico . Keep up the good work Phad Thai Man

[Steve2UK]

Watch this name:

Phongphat Chayaphan

If he is involved in the police crackdown it is serious. I have known this man for over 8 years now. One of the few serious police officers in Thailand. When he was a Captain he went and arrested a corrupt general even though everyone told him not to. This man has huge balls and hates corruption.

This was a serious raid.

Not mentioned yet - a sentence towards the end of the article that caught my eye: "Caretaker national police chief Pol General Patheep Tanprasert said the raids and investigation into the motorcycle contract were either politically motivated or had something to do with former police chief Patcharawat Wongsuwan."

Any thoughts?

[londonthai]

"Two people answered the door but did not let the officers in until an hour later"

with a warrant you smash the door and seise documents, before they are destroyed and before the others in the gang are warned to do the same. What's the point of a raid, if you announce yourself beforehand?

[spongeman]

As Father Ted once said " The money was merely resting in my account "

[WAERTH]

Watch this name:

Phongphat Chayaphan

If he is involved in the police crackdown it is serious. I have known this man for over 8 years now. One of the few serious police officers in Thailand. When he was a Captain he went and arrested a corrupt general even though everyone told him not to. This man has huge balls and hates corruption.

This was a serious raid.

Good - then i hope we will see many more raids from this guy and his team

When he was the head of Crime Suppression and even before that his name showed up in the paper a number of times in relation to these kind of raids that he lead.

[TPI]

Watch this name:

Phongphat Chayaphan

If he is involved in the police crackdown it is serious. I have known this man for over 8 years now. One of the few serious police officers in Thailand. When he was a Captain he went and arrested a corrupt general even though everyone told him not to. This man has huge balls and hates corruption.

This was a serious raid.

Good - then i hope we will see many more raids from this guy and his team

If he's that good...then why isn't he dead yet?

When he was the head of Crime Suppression and even before that his name showed up in the paper a number of times in relation to these kind of raids that he lead.

[geriatrickid]

When will they come to my neighbor house? I heard he has bought his nice house and other nice thing with his tea money . Or maybe he is not Mr. T friend so he is safe

An inappropriate comment. This has nothing to do with the deposed Prime Minister. This is about current and ongoing events of which the former PM has no involvement. Don't twist stories to suit your personal agenda. Much of the corruption that occurs in Thailand is due to it being endemic and a part of the social fabric.

[TAWP]

Indeed, the mafia doesn't stop working just because the PM is changed. And there are several different 'organizations' within the police, not just one...

[surangw]

"Major crackdown on corruption" thai speak for some major will be the scapegoat, the others will keep it up/

or some major is pissed off he did not get his share?

[khundon]

"policeman turned tycoon ". You got to laugh.

They have got to be talking about Thaksin.