Dsi Keen To Tap Phones Of Dealers In Prison

[Lite Beer]

DSI keen to tap phones of dealers in prison

The Nation on Sunday

BANGKOK:-- The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) yesterday welcomed Deputy PM Chalerm Yoobamrung's idea to tap the phones of inmates allegedly involved with drug-trafficking rings, and may seek court permission to do this at certain prisons.

Meanwhile, authorities continued to make drug arrests yesterday, including a bust in Suphan Buri that yielded 30,000 "ya ba" tablets. And in Nong Khai, officials who chased a drug dealer were involved in an accident in which one official was killed and two others injured.

DSI chief Tharit Pengdit said that officials would use a special tool to detect if calls were made from targeted prisons. After getting signals and numbers, the DSI would seek court permission to tap calls made on certain phones to see which numbers they dialled and what they talked about. Officers could trace traffickers' whereabouts and check money transactions. He expressed confidence that the ONCB, DSI, Corrections Department and Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) would make the drug crackdown efficient. Permission to tap phones could last up to 90 days.

Chalerm told a meeting on drug suppression under the government's "drug war" policy attended by 800 representatives of the armed forces, provincial governors and police chiefs and other related officials at Government House about anti-drug moves including tapping of phones at certain prisons.

He said the Thaksin government's "War on Drugs" in 2001-2006 had greatly cut the number of dealers and addicts but 2,000 people were killed and Thaksin was accused of "genocide". He claimed later probes confirmed there were no killings by government officials, but said this "War on Drugs" would have no killing of drug suspects. He also revealed plans to make drug suppression a regional issue, saying he would visit China on February 15-17 to seek help with this.

Thai authorities will adjust Khao Bin, Khlong Phai, Phitsanulok and Rayong prisons, which will house major drug convicts. They will also review laws about tapping phones at prisons, and strictly enforce the seizure of assets of drug suspects. A draft law was also planned under which addicts are treated as patients who can be placed in rehab. He urged more funds for the Narcotics Control Board also.

PM Yingluck Shinawatra, who presided over the meeting, said she was satisfied with the crackdown on illicit drugs in recent months.

Over the past four months, 135,445 suspects have been charged in 141,031 drug cases. Some 21,064 cases involved "major" dealers.

Police had seized 16 million "ya ba" tablets, 600kg of crystal meth, 200kg of heroin, 3 tonnes of marijuana, and four million tablets of pseudoephedrine-mixed cold medicine. They also seized assets in 1,527 cases totalling Bt600 million. Some 65,000 addicts had been put into rehab, which was 16 per cent of the target of 400,000 addicts.

Yingluck said the crackdown was a national issue and they had to take a proactive approach to beat the problem. She asked the Education Ministry to address the issue in schools, saying the government wanted to see major progress within one year - there had to be improvement from the present situation under which 80 per cent of 60,000 villages nationwide were affected. The number of users would be cut and 400,000 users would be sent to rehabilitation with the hope that 80 per cent of them would not return to using drugs again. Meanwhile, smuggling points on the borders would be strictly policed and all agencies asked to work with better coordination.

In related news, the Mekong Patrol officials in Nong Khai arrested three drug suspects Atthapol Srilawan, 29, Mongkol Jaidee, 24, and Daoreung Singthep, 29, in Nong Khai's Sang Khom district early yesterday morning along with 1,980 Yaba tablets smuggled from Laos. Following a tip about a drug exchange in Ban Tadserm, the officials arrested Daoreung along with the Yaba. Daoreung then implicated Atthapol as the one giving him Bt90,000 to buy the Yaba, so police raided Atthapol's rented room but found none and seized drug-taking tools. Before they left they ran into the two other suspects in a pickup truck and they tried to run over the officials and sped towards Na Yoong district. The officials thus called for back up and gave chase in the heavy rains. One of the officials' cars lost control and overturn, causing three officials' injuries, one of them, chief petty officer 1st class Sompol Noinongwunf was pronounced dead at hospital. The rest continued to chase and shot the truck rear ties, forcing the suspects to stop and be arrested.

In Suphan Buri's Uthong district, police yesterday arrested four suspects along with 40,000 Yaba tablets hidden in a washing machine, following the police investigation about drug delivery.

Metropolitan Police chief Winai Thongsong told a press conference yesterday that two suspects were arrested on Friday along with 40,000 'ya ba' tablets, 100 grams of crystal meth, and a 9mm gun and 10 bullets, after police investigation learned about drug delivery.

In Nakhon Si Thammarat, after a car tried broke through a police checkpoint in Chalerm Phrakiat district, police gave a chase and arrested a male passenger Nattanan Niamnuan, 23, along with 99kgs of marijuana worth Bt3 million in the hood, while the male driver identified as Somboon Urairoj, 38, managed to flee through the roadside wooded area.

In Nakhon Phanom's Ban Phaeng district, police yesterday morning arrested a Thai couple along with 3,400 ya ba tablets and seven grams of crystal meth, which they were hired by a dealer to deliver in Songkhla's Hat Yai district in exchange for Bt100,000 payment.

-- The Nation 2012-02-05

[KeyserSoze01]

Shouldn't such an effort be kept confidential so the bad guys don't know you are eavesdropping on their conversations? Seems rather academic now that they have announced the program to the press.

[Siam Simon]

Shouldn't such an effort be kept confidential so the bad guys don't know you are eavesdropping on their conversations? Seems rather academic now that they have announced the program to the press.

My thoughts exactly.

[bobl]

"Deputy PM Chalerm Yoobamrung's idea to tap the phones of inmates"

Brilliant idea. Much better than trying to figure out how they got their hands on phones, in prison. Or installing cellphone jammers.

[EyesWideOpen]

This a brilliant idea, one of the best I have ever heard from the DSI. Not really sure why they made a public announcement about it so all the drug dealers know to censor their conversations... ???

Maybe this is like the casino raids, where the casino owners know about the raid in advance and clean everything out before the police show up.

Was trying to think if I could remember when the FBI in America announced to a group of criminals that they were going to tap their phones. Nope cannot think of one time... :-)

[Thailand]

Why have they got phones in the first place?

[whybother]

Shouldn't such an effort be kept confidential so the bad guys don't know you are eavesdropping on their conversations? Seems rather academic now that they have announced the program to the press.

By making an announcement, they can make the bad guys think the police are eavesdropping on their conversations and the police won't actually get around to doing anything.

[EyesWideOpen]

Shouldn't such an effort be kept confidential so the bad guys don't know you are eavesdropping on their conversations? Seems rather academic now that they have announced the program to the press.

By making an announcement, they can make the bad guys think the police are eavesdropping on their conversations and the police won't actually get around to doing anything.

You stay Thailand too long.........:-)

[fantuzi]

This a brilliant idea, one of the best I have ever heard from the DSI. Not really sure why they made a public announcement about it so all the drug dealers know to censor their conversations... ???

Maybe this is like the casino raids, where the casino owners know about the raid in advance and clean everything out before the police show up.

Was trying to think if I could remember when the FBI in America announced to a group of criminals that they were going to tap their phones. Nope cannot think of one time... :-)

This is brilliant idea?Man! this is the dumbiest thing I have read in ThaiVisa in years!

They should have been doing it long time already!

My first mobile I had more then 20 years ago and 5 years later I knew,that police could bug GSM.It was 15 years ago.Today it is no problem at all - in seconds they can have list of all your calls and all texts.

Today politicos told Thai BB to bug drug dealers calls;they did not come to this idea on their own -

conclusion is obvious...Do you remember movie - "Anderson Tapes"? - very similar situation.

[xanniex]

It is difficult to control.

But we are trying our best. ^^"

[surangw]

Even with low tek it would be easy to locate the phones when they are active and confiscate them ( or more likely charge a fee to keep them)

[rakman]

This a brilliant idea, one of the best I have ever heard from the DSI. Not really sure why they made a public announcement about it so all the drug dealers know to censor their conversations... ???

Maybe this is like the casino raids, where the casino owners know about the raid in advance and clean everything out before the police show up.

Was trying to think if I could remember when the FBI in America announced to a group of criminals that they were going to tap their phones. Nope cannot think of one time... :-)

The NY Times did it with Eschelon.

[pauljones]

The prison guards want to block the signals so they can control the flow of drugs.

[newermonkey]

Now all the dealers know their phones are going to be tapped, this idea has somehow lost its usefulness... Da

Or are they planning to undo telling everyone?