'Powerful Figure' Implicated In Scandal Over Stolen Cold Pills: Thailand

[webfact]

'Powerful figure' implicated in scandal over stolen cold pills

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- At least one very powerful figure has been implicated in the embezzlement of pills containing pseudoephedrine from state hospitals, the public health minister's adviser, Pasit Sakdanarong, said yesterday.

An investigation has revealed that about 45 million pills containing pseudoephedrine disappeared from various hospitals in recent years.

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has taken over the case from the police. There is suspicion that the embezzlement is linked to the large-scale production of illicit methamphetamine.

During an interview with a television station, Pasit said yesterday that "a very powerful figure" had allegedly pocketed 5-per-cent profit from the embezzled pills.

He did not identify the person, though.

An informed source has given the initials of two persons, P and N, each of whom allegedly received 10 per cent for the pills stolen from state hospitals. It also said Bro Khow got a 2-per-cent share while a "powerful figure" received a 5-per-cent share.

Pasit said the investigation, which is continuing, had uncovered increasingly solid evidence against those involved.

"The investigation will nail down the culprits," he said.

Pol Maj-General Sopon Pisuttiwong, who heads the Seventh Provincial Police Region, said his agency had detected unusually high sales of pseudoephedrine-containing medicines in Phetchaburi and Ratchaburi.

The DSI has targeted 22 hospitals in various provinces, including Bangkok, in the probe over the alleged transfer of the pills to drug traffickers.

Pasit said pseudoephedrine - an ingredient in many cold pills - could be used to produce illicit drugs.

"It has now been included as a Type 2 narcotic," he said.

From now on, tablets containing pseudoephedrine will likely be used at hospitals only, Pasit said.

-- The Nation 2012-03-30

[rkidlad]

I hope the government do everything they can to make sure this powerful figure does not go to jail.

We can't have the rich and powerful being put in jail. Sends a terrible message to the common man.

[AZBill]

Can't be that powerful or the issue would have never come up!

[Pseudolus]

Can't be that powerful or the issue would have never come up!

Well they have not arrested or named him so we can assume he is powerful. The story will fade away masked by a few "Thailand is the hub of _______"fill in the blank as needed, stories,

[AleG]

When the new police chief replaced the previous one putatively for not tackling the illegal casinos he said he had a list of names with police station chiefs involved in said underground casinos.

Nothing came out of it, I don't expect anything to come out of this neither.

[slapout]

Well if 4 individuals are receiving 17% of the profit made on pills, that were stolen in the first place, only 1 is considered "powerful", with his/her 5% cut what you call those people dividing up the other 80+%.?

Who or whatever is at the top of this pecking order, dealing in stolen merchandise, that the public has paid for, selling to illegal drug factories, should qualify for the Depty Prime Minister's final solution right along with the not so powerful, involved.

With all the finge pointing by Thai law groups, blaming those other countries, for the drugs entering Thailand, the old saying, clean your own outhouse before complaining about the odor in the neighborhood,comes to mind.

[noitom]

Chalerm should step in and recommend immediate arrest and conviction followed by quick "execution." Is it 30 days after conviction or 15? They all should be executed if Chalerm gets his way. But as other posters indicated, this will die a quick Thai death. No newspaper "investigative journalism," so how could we expect any follow up? Issues like this makes one wonder if the Thai press isn't colluding with the criminals.

[moe666]

Classed as a type 2 narcotic and only used at hospitals. I think I am missing something here isn't hospitals where the problem comes from.

[redroo]

The money always flows upwards ,

the trueth will eventualy also flow upwards

and reach the surface in plain sight.

Its what gets done about it what matters the most.

[Payboy]

He did not identify the person, though.

Here's a clue - his initials start with a letter between A - Z.

[pedro01]

Name and Shame....

It's time - this is a perfect opportunity to shine...

[webfact]

Buriram Hospital Pharmacist Transferred over Missing Cold Pills

BURIRAM: -- The Buriram governor has ordered the transfer of the Nongki District Hospital pharmacist after the governor found that he ordered cold medication which contained pseudoephedrine without the hospital's permission.

Buriram Provincial Public Health officer Sompong Jarungjittanusont disclosed that the provincial public health office found out that the pharmacist at Nongki Hospital, Sompong Tirata, ordered cold medication which contained pseudoephedrine.

Buriram Governor Kanit Iamrahong signed an order to relocate the pharmacist to the Buriram Hospiral temporarily during the investigation. Furthermore, the governor also ordered the Nongki hospital director to file a report with the police.

The public health official went on to say that he has not found evidence of other wrongdoing among the 22 community hospitals in Buriram.

Meanwhile, Department of Special Investigation, or DSI, officer Angsuket Wisutwattanasak, along with the DSI investigation team, met with Kamalasai District Police Station Commander in Kalasin Province, Police Major General Wanchai Ronchatchai, to discuss the missing 350,000 pills of cold medicine from the Hospital.

According to the initial investigation, 20 hospital staff working at a medicine storage room may be involved.

The DSI officer said the missing cold medicines contain pseudoephedrine, which can be made into methamphetamine.

The DSI will be interrogating hospital directors and will meet again on Monday to discuss the case's progress.

-- Tan Network 2012-03-30

[trainman34014]

'Transferred' meaning 'Promoted' of course......or he sings like a bird about the accomplices.

[AGareth2]

"The investigation will nail down the culprits," he said.

you are having a laugh

[lannarebirth]

Today's episode of Shinawat Street has been brought to bt the letters P and K.

Stay tuned for Captain Yubamrung, who with his sidekick Mr. Greenbacks shows what the difference is between a pogrom, Red Shirt Justice and crimes against humanity.

Edited March 30, 2012 by lannarebirth

[GentlemanJim]

Well these guys are effectively major drug 'dealers', therefore they should all be for the chop. I bet you a few pharmacists go missing over the next few weeks, never mind being transferred. I would laugh my meat and two veg off if the 'very powerful person', is non other than the execution fancier himself. I feel that the wriggling and squirming that is about to go on to get out of this one will make Harry Houdini at his best look like a no armed no legged man trying to escape from inside a locked suitcase at the bottom of a swimming pool full of sharks.

Close the airports, someone will be given 'time' to go check something abroad very soon, depending on how much dirt the 'powerful person' has on everyone else. And I don't believe the second part of their ticket will be used.

Lannarebirth

You are a very very naughty man. I can now not get rid of the theme tune to Seseme street out of my head and am now trying to get lyrics to fit the song that obviously ends with "can you tell me how to get, how to get to Shinawat Street, how to get to Shinawat Street". aaaaagh!!

Edited March 30, 2012 by GentlemanJim

[pisico]

I hope the government do everything they can to make sure this powerful figure does not go to jail.

We can't have the rich and powerful being put in jail. Sends a terrible message to the common man.

How true. The common man then would have no incentive to become rich and powerful. TIT

[Skywalker69]

Chalerm should step in and recommend immediate arrest and conviction followed by quick "execution." Is it 30 days after conviction or 15? They all should be executed if Chalerm gets his way. But as other posters indicated, this will die a quick Thai death. No newspaper "investigative journalism," so how could we expect any follow up? Issues like this makes one wonder if the Thai press isn't colluding with the criminals.

15 days.

[redroo]

The next step would be too look into the sales of " RED PHOSPHOR " & " ETHER "

as without these two, nothing can be cooked.

[seri thai]

Thai Algebra:

PoWerFuL fiGure + buRi RAM= ?

Far too tricky for me.

I wonder if Inspector Chalerm has his best shooters on the case?

Game Of Thrones indeed.

[sparebox2]

I wonder if Thaksin have a cut?

[pimay11]

He did not identify the person, though.

Here's a clue - his initials start with a letter between A - Z.

I'm waiting for the next clue, what disease does he have.

[Amras]

The next step would be too look into the sales of " RED PHOSPHOR " & " ETHER "

as without these two, nothing can be cooked.

Ether, than Red Phosphorous and large amounts of Hydriodic acid (hydrogen iodide).

Instead of making these a fairly valuable medicine (cold and flu tablets) illegal, as they are really good at helping with symptoms (and it's not in the same class as say, morphine etc)...they need to focus on making the excipients harder to get (as in Australia, you need to fill out a end user declaration with a copy of ID for purchasing of anything deemed a drug precursor, which needs to get approved from the police prior to it being able to be sold).

Not many people need to use Hydrogen iodine every day, except for legal laboratories etc, so it does help stem the problem in Australia (makes it much harder).

[unanimosity]

Chalerm should step in and recommend immediate arrest and conviction followed by quick "execution." Is it 30 days after conviction or 15? They all should be executed if Chalerm gets his way. But as other posters indicated, this will die a quick Thai death. No newspaper "investigative journalism," so how could we expect any follow up? Issues like this makes one wonder if the Thai press isn't colluding with the criminals.

Guaranteed, press in a nearby country accept bribes to not report or when that is untenable, report with a positive bias.

[spidermike007]

The chances of this "powerful figure" being charged with a crime, and spending time in jail, is less than 1%. When was the last time a powerful figure was sentenced for a crime like this? It just does not happen in thailand. It happens in nearly every other country in the world. But, not in thailand, cambodia, yemen, n. korea, iran, saudi arabia, and a few other countries, and thailand is proudly a member of their pack. Officials do not get caught in thailand, and if they do they walk free. there is virtually no fight against corruption of any sort going on in thailand, at the government level. Officials are getting sentenced to 20 years on a nearly daily basis in China, and Malaysia. Executions of high ranking officials are happening in China. When was the last time you saw a high ranking figure taken to task in the LOS?

[spidermike007]

The chances of this "powerful figure" being charged with a crime, and spending time in jail, is less than 1%. When was the last time a powerful figure was sentenced for a crime like this? It just does not happen in thailand. It happens in nearly every other country in the world. But, not in thailand, cambodia, yemen, n. korea, iran, saudi arabia, and a few other countries, and thailand is proudly a member of their pack. Officials do not get caught in thailand, and if they do they walk free. there is virtually no fight against corruption of any sort going on in thailand, at the government level. Officials are getting sentenced to 20 years on a nearly daily basis in China, and Malaysia. Executions of high ranking officials are happening in China. When was the last time you saw a high ranking figure taken to task in the LOS?

[AleG]

The chances of this "powerful figure" being charged with a crime, and spending time in jail, is less than 1%. When was the last time a powerful figure was sentenced for a crime like this? It just does not happen in thailand. It happens in nearly every other country in the world. But, not in thailand, cambodia, yemen, n. korea, iran, saudi arabia, and a few other countries, and thailand is proudly a member of their pack. Officials do not get caught in thailand, and if they do they walk free. there is virtually no fight against corruption of any sort going on in thailand, at the government level. Officials are getting sentenced to 20 years on a nearly daily basis in China, and Malaysia. Executions of high ranking officials are happening in China. When was the last time you saw a high ranking figure taken to task in the LOS?

Well, Thaksin of course. But see the Mongolian Clusterfu** that unleashed. The damage that has been caused in lives lost and political turmoil is mind boggling, although not as much as how a large percentage of the population can be conned into putting their lives and welfare at stake to defend one man's right to corruption and power.

[ttelise]

And this is a surprise

[Honkytowner]

Amras wrote: "they need to focus on making the excipients harder to get".

An excipient is an inert substance used as a diluent or vehicle for a drug.

How would your suggestion help? Perhaps you mean "precursors"?

As I have previously pointed out, there's no need to use pseudoephedrine when you can legally buy ephedrine in bulk, in the form of the Chinese herbal medicine ephedra, or "ma huang" at any Chinese herbalist shop.