Phuket Customs seize B21mn of illegal diesel

Phuket Gazette

The two Taiwanese fishing boats, seized off Phuket, were internally modified to smuggle diesel in hidden gasoline tanks. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

Rakop Srisupa-at, director of the Royal Thai Customs Investigations and Suppression Bureau, symbolically pours some of the smuggled diesel. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- Phuket Customsofficials have seized 47,000 liters of smuggled diesel hidden on board twoTaiwanese boats off the east coast of Phuket Sunday.

Officials estimated thetotal value of the smuggled diesel seized at 21 million baht.

The two boats, the ChingChunFa 168 and the Chi Tsai 16, were seized one to two nauticalmiles north of Taphao Yai Island, on Sunday, said Rakop Srisupa-at, director ofthe Royal Thai Customs Investigations and Suppression Bureau, who was in Phuketto announce the haul yesterday.

He explained that the raidon Sunday followed his office receiving a tip-off that fishing boats nearPhuket were selling smuggled diesel.

“There are about 100 legallyregistered tuna long-line fishing boats operating in Thai territorial watersoff the Andaman coast.

“We learned that severalboats in the area had been modified to smuggle diesel. It was very difficult tospot these two boats in particular, since they look like regular fishing boatswith all the necessary fishing equipment,” he said.

Arrested in the raid were theChing ChunFa 168 captain Wang Yap Yu and his three Indonesian crewmembers, as well as the Chi Tsai 16 captain Huang Chiang-Hsieh and histhree Taiwanese crew and four Indonesian crewmen.

“Phuket Customs officialshave taken them into custody and they will be prosecuted,” Mr Rakop said.

The raid was part of anongoing anti-smuggling crackdown ordered by Thai Customs Director GeneralSomchai Poolsavadi, Mr Rakop explained.

However, the number ofsmugglers selling illegally imported diesel is on the decline, he added.

“There are not many cases ofdiesel smuggling along the Andaman coast. I think it’s because there’s not muchof a difference in the price of the illegal diesel when compared with thenormal price, which is why no one wants to take the chance,” Mr Rakop said.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle12859.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-04-25

What utter crap! 47000 litres on two vessels OK. - BUT 21 Million Baht! At 30 Baht pre litre only equates to 1.4 Million.

Edit: Maybe our director is including his backhander had this contraband got through.

they use random number generating programs to make up all numbers in any statement issued by the govt. You should know that.