Aranyaprathet Immigration Boss Fired

[george]

Border official transferred

ARANYAPRATHET: The head of an immigration checkpoint along the Thai-Cambodian border has been transferred to an inactive post as Thai gamblers continued to head out of the country to visit casinos in Cambodia.

Immigration Police commissioner Lt-General Chanwut Watcharapuk on Saturday issued an order seconding Lt-Colonel Surin Plairahan, head of the Aranyaprathet border checkpoint, to an immigration office in Bangkok.

Surin has been replaced by Lt-Col Thassawat Boonyawat. Police spokesman Maj-General Pongsapat Pongcharoen yesterday expressed surprise upon seeing the hundreds of Thais queuing up to leave for Cambodia at Sa Kaew's Aranyaprathet checkpoint.

"Are there these many gamblers!" he was heard exclaiming.

Pongsapat was inspecting the checkpoint to follow up on measures aimed at curbing the number of Thai gamblers leaving for Cambodia.

Most of the Thais passing through the checkpoint are believed to gamble at casinos in the Cambodian border town of Poipet.

Pongsapat said yesterday that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had instructed police to try to limit Thais from visiting Cambodian casinos, particularly during the New Year festival, when they should be spending quality time with other family members.

A number of measures have been adopted to make it more difficult for Thais to pass the checkpoint. For example, they are required to produce both a passport and an ID card.

Any immigration officer who fails to follow the premier's instruction would be punished, the spokesman said.

--The Nation 2003-12-29