More Surin Prison Wardens Face Arrest

[webfact]

More Surin prison wardens face arrest

The Nation

SURIN: -- More prison wardens in Surin are set to be arrested after three were suspended on Tuesday for alleged involvement in onpremise drug dealing, Central Prison commander Phaisal Suwannaraksa said yesterday.

A search conducted yesterday at Sakhon Nakhon provincial prison found more than 100 inmates - out of 135 women and 1,024 men - positive for drug use in urine tests, mobile phones, drugtaking paraphernalia and gambling gear.

Drug syndicates are now avoiding northern routes to transport drugs to Bangkok because there are too many checkpoints. Instead, they are using northeastern road networks, mainly in the lower Northeast, to transport drugs after "temporarily storing" them in two neighbouring countries, said Witthawal Sunthornkhajit, director of Narcotics Control Board Region 3, which is responsible for operations in eight provinces in the lower Northeast.

The supply from a neighbouring country has also dwindled after a peace deal was struck between ethnic minority groups and government troops, so the NCB and policemilitary joint operations are now focusing on the lower Northeast and making more arrests, he said. Lao authorities were cooperating with drug suppression efforts.

Officials planning a sweep

"Any goods going between the two countries and bypassing border checkpoints are deemed illegal, making joint operations easier," he said.

Local government officials were involved in the drug trade and evidence was being compiled against them. They would be arrested soon in a sweep operation, he said.

Police in Nakhon Ratchasima caught two men, Phongkrit Thipkhokekruad 26, and Phong, 18, using a remotecontrolled plane to deliver mobile phones and equipment to inmates in Khlong Phai Prison. Two accomplices are on the run, police said.

The plane, which was launched one kilometre away from the prison, was carrying six handsets and three chargers.

The men confessed to receiving Bt20,000 for this job from a man with links to drugdealing inmates.

The Justice Ministry is seeking Bt1 billion to build a super maximum prison that costs more than five times a conventional prison to operate.

It would accommodate highprofile drugrelated convicts. With an approved budget, construction would commence next year and take three years to complete.

The Supermax is the final of four measures to deal with the longstanding problem of inmates continuing to deal in drugs with the assistance of corrupt guards.

The first measure was moving 500 inmates from all prisons and sending them to Khao Bin Prison in Ratchaburi, and the second was installing mobilephone jammers at three other prisons.

A maximumsecurity detention centre will also be built at Nakhon Ratchasima Prison to confine highprofile convicts. Stricter safeguards such as recording conversations between prisoners and visitors, installing security cameras and restricting parcels for inmates will be imposed at all prisons housing highprofile drugrelated inmates.

-- The Nation 2012-02-02

[hellodolly]

quote

"restricting parcels for inmates"

Do they mean that there was no supervision on parcels coming in to the prison?

[pointoffew]

A maximum security detention centre is - this should not need an explanation - a maximum security detention centre....

So, what is a a "super maximum prison"??? More security than maximum security is impossible, so the "super" perhaps refers to

- the luxury for the VIP detainees

- the corruption money generated by its construction and operation

- the propaganda created to "sell" this prison

The security of any detention centre / prison ultimately depends on the reliability of its staff. And that's where "super" will not apply.

[steveyinasia]

Guess there will be some more inactive posts filled soon

[belg]

normal people go to jail for dealing drugs or death sentence, but police and prison guards get suspended...

[janverbeem]

quote

"restricting parcels for inmates"

Do they mean that there was no supervision on parcels coming in to the prison?

Of course there was supervision.............They made sure it didn't reach the recipient

[pacovl46]

How did they control the plane from 1 km away??? Did it have a camera installed?

[Bakseedaa]

How did they control the plane from 1 km away??? Did it have a camera installed?

Who are you asking..?

[z12]

How did they control the plane from 1 km away??? Did it have a camera installed?

Must have a camera. http://www.nytimes.c...a/25canada.html

Tattoo: "Hey boss, Da plane. Da plane."

"Fantasy Island" (TV Series 1977–1984)

Edited February 2, 2012 by z12

[Commentor]

normal people go to jail for dealing drugs or death sentence, but police and prison guards get suspended...

Yes i agreed. Punishment for these civil servant should be more harsh since they are engage to enforce on people to abide with the law, not breaking it and benefited from them.

Also the recent Army Major and those Sergant should be dealt with harshly for allowing drugs to pass through the boundry. It seem that this route have been going on for years and are they telling the world how efficent their security check point is? Thanks to them, the country have more drug addicts, more dealers recruited, some shot dead and most of all these crooks have fatten their pockets.

Many will be waiting to see what justice systems will this governemnt do since they declare war on drugs.

Don't apply the law to punish ordinary citizens while the elites and high profile get away easily. That is disgusting to your country image.

Edited February 2, 2012 by Commentor

[z12]

normal people go to jail for dealing drugs or death sentence, but police and prison guards get suspended...

Yes i agreed. Punishment for these civil servant should be more harsh since they are engage to enforce on people to abide with the law, not breaking it and benefited from them.

Also the recent Army Major and those Sergant should be dealt with harshly for allowing drugs to pass through the boundry. It seem that this route have been going on for years and are they telling the world how efficent their security check point is? Thanks to them, the country have more drug addicts, more dealers recruited, some shot dead and most of all these crooks have fatten their pockets.

Many will be waiting to see what justice systems will this governemnt do since they declare war on drugs.

Don't apply the law to punish ordinary citizens while the elites and high profile get away easily. That is disgusting to your country image.

Too true, in this link there are 2 videos posted on the first page about Bangkok Hilton and one of the people there is set to be executed for transporting drugs between the seller and the customer.

UK Family Calls For Thailand Drug Smuggler Michael Connell To Be Releasedserved eight years

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/528372-uk-family-calls-for-thailand-drug-smuggler-michael-connell-to-be-released/page__fromsearch__1

Edited February 2, 2012 by z12

[OZEMADE]

A maximum security detention centre is - this should not need an explanation - a maximum security detention centre....

So, what is a a "super maximum prison"??? More security than maximum security is impossible, so the "super" perhaps refers to

- the luxury for the VIP detainees

- the corruption money generated by its construction and operation

- the propaganda created to "sell" this prison

The security of any detention centre / prison ultimately depends on the reliability of its staff. And that's where "super" will not apply.

Maximum Security is where normally they hold lifers and persons who are untrollable and who are allowed to mix with each other.

Super Max is normally a prison where each inmate is housed in his own cell, he has no contact with other inmates and is escorted with shackles on, under guard of 2 Prison Officers and under survelliance the whole trip, ie to medical etc.

In Australia convicted Terrorists are held in Super Maximum Security Prisons. One of the reasons is that they can not teach other inmates in Maximum Security and Minimum Security Terrorist activities. There is a lot more to this, but you would need volumes to read.

[Macmundi]

Spending such big money on drug addicts? I should think ten percent of that should be more than enough to set up a good rehab center for the addicts. As for the dealers, one bullet each is cheaper.

[fred007]

If you pay your police force peanuts.What do you expect?.Half the police force in size and double the salary of the other half and maybe they would think twice about corruption.The police force salaries are pitiful .What do you expect.

[z12]

It is NOT justice to execute others if they don't execute them all, including these prison workers.

Selective enforcement is NOT justice. When there is NO justice, anarchy follows.

Edited February 3, 2012 by z12