Bangkok Police Explain Mistaken Identity

[webfact]

Police explain mistaken identity

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Metropolitan Police deputy chief Pol MajGeneral Pisit Pisutsak said yesterday that though police had initially arrested the wrong man over robbery charges, they were not at fault because the five victims had identified cab driver Charin Chamket, 35, as the thief.

City police chief Khamronwit Thoopkrajang apologised to Charin on behalf of his subordinates yesterday and provided Bt20,000 compensation. Charin said that he wouldn’t sue the police beacuse he understood the circumstance and regraded this as his own bad luck.

Charin said he wouldn’t drive taxi anymore and that he only drove taxi as a sideline from his full-time job as an IT official at a Bangkok hotel to take care of his mother and his two children.

After the cabbie turned himself in on July 2, he was detained for nine days at Min Buri prison and released after police nabbed the real culprit Thinnapat Sirisopa, 36.

The suspect had robbed 16 taxi passengers and even raped some of them. Thinnapat's taxi carried the fake licence number Mor Jor621, which actually belonged to Charin's taxi.

-- The Nation 2012-07-19

[TomTao]

Good to see the police doing the right thing by admitting thier wrong and offering compensation, it may not be much by western standards, but it still goes a long way here, I hope the ex-cabbie uses it to help his family.

[Jim walker]

Its a start I suppose police doing the right thing for a change

[OzMick]

If witnesses who had been robbed and/or raped identified Charin as the perp, I would have to believe that the identification was made with "police assistance", unless he and Thinnapat are twins.

Charin was railroaded, and if the real offender hadn't continued using the same fake plate, it's likely that he'd still be in pokey for the next decade. Well done RTP!

[carra]

It doesn't say though how they had identified him, the identification may have simply been by giving the vehicle licence plate number and not an actual id parade where they pick him out,

[OzMick]

It doesn't say though how they had identified him, the identification may have simply been by giving the vehicle licence plate number and not an actual id parade where they pick him out,

If they only identified the plate, they should have jailed the cab.

[mrtoad]

Keystone Cop investigation by the BIB, likely to have just jumped to the conclusion that the license plate was enough to put him in the slammer.

[Kilgore Trout]

Good to see the police doing the right thing by admitting thier wrong and offering compensation, it may not be much by western standards, but it still goes a long way here, I hope the ex-cabbie uses it to help his family.

The article states clearly that the police said they were not at fault.

This was based on eyewitness testimony.

What kind of idiots; after investigation and interviews w/witnesses etc couldn't figure out they nabbed the wrong guy? 9 days they couldn't figure this out?

I tend to think that if they hadn't found the other guy, the innocent cabbie would be charged.

[carra]

It doesn't say though how they had identified him, the identification may have simply been by giving the vehicle licence plate number and not an actual id parade where they pick him out,

If they only identified the plate, they should have jailed the cab.

The report does not say how he was identified and one would think that 5 people identifying the wrong person would be a little mystifying to say the least, however 5 people giving the correct licence plate for the offender would not be that strange. One would also think with the slipshod manner of the police here id would not be that important, they have the cab and they have the driver. The guy turned himself in based on the police looking for the driver of that cab, he wasn't caught based on his description, police think they have the right guy, the driver of the cab, and later discover he isn't the guy either through id parades or forensics, or by just seeing the right guy driving the fake cab,it doesn't say how he was caught.

You have been here long enough to not apply western standards of policing to the thai police.

[saengsureeya]

It's a bit weird that people are being identified by a number on a car.

That would only be good to identify the car, and presume that the driver may be the culprit.

A lot more of identification has to be done, on a person.

[carra]

It's a bit weird that people are being identified by a number on a car.

That would only be good to identify the car, and presume that the driver may be the culprit.

A lot more of identification has to be done, on a person.

Indeed it does, hence he is no longer in prison and sent away with compensation.

[Kilgore Trout]

It doesn't say though how they had identified him, the identification may have simply been by giving the vehicle licence plate number and not an actual id parade where they pick him out,

If they only identified the plate, they should have jailed the cab.

The report does not say how he was identified and one would think that 5 people identifying the wrong person would be a little mystifying to say the least, however 5 people giving the correct licence plate for the offender would not be that strange. One would also think with the slipshod manner of the police here id would not be that important, they have the cab and they have the driver. The guy turned himself in based on the police looking for the driver of that cab, he wasn't caught based on his description, police think they have the right guy, the driver of the cab, and later discover he isn't the guy either through id parades or forensics, or by just seeing the right guy driving the fake cab,it doesn't say how he was caught.

You have been here long enough to not apply western standards of policing to the thai police.

Or any standards at all; all we can assume about the police here is that they will do what is in their best interest with no regard for public safety, security or adherence to basic human rights. Full stop.

[OzMick]

It doesn't say though how they had identified him, the identification may have simply been by giving the vehicle licence plate number and not an actual id parade where they pick him out,

If they only identified the plate, they should have jailed the cab.

The report does not say how he was identified and one would think that 5 people identifying the wrong person would be a little mystifying to say the least, however 5 people giving the correct licence plate for the offender would not be that strange. One would also think with the slipshod manner of the police here id would not be that important, they have the cab and they have the driver. The guy turned himself in based on the police looking for the driver of that cab, he wasn't caught based on his description, police think they have the right guy, the driver of the cab, and later discover he isn't the guy either through id parades or forensics, or by just seeing the right guy driving the fake cab,it doesn't say how he was caught.

You have been here long enough to not apply western standards of policing to the thai police.

"...five victims had identified cab driver Charin Chamket, 35, as the thief." Wrongly (as in "that's him, right?")As in, fit-up, you'll do, another crime wave solved without leaving the air-conditioned office. Do I expect reasonable standards? Strangely enough, YES!

[Thaddeus]

When I first read the headline I thought that some one had mistaken them for real policemen.

Anyway, let's hope this trend of doing a good job eventually, continues.

[Pib]

Good to see the police doing the right thing by admitting thier wrong and offering compensation, it may not be much by western standards, but it still goes a long way here, I hope the ex-cabbie uses it to help his family.

Actually it goes a little beyond western standards through providing monetary compensation without a civil lawsuit. In the west, you would need to sue the police afterwards to get any compensation. But in Thailand providing compensation (money) is a long standing tradition in how to settle things to avoid criminal charges--money turns black to white or white to black in settling complaints.

[carra]

It doesn't say though how they had identified him, the identification may have simply been by giving the vehicle licence plate number and not an actual id parade where they pick him out,

If they only identified the plate, they should have jailed the cab.

The report does not say how he was identified and one would think that 5 people identifying the wrong person would be a little mystifying to say the least, however 5 people giving the correct licence plate for the offender would not be that strange. One would also think with the slipshod manner of the police here id would not be that important, they have the cab and they have the driver. The guy turned himself in based on the police looking for the driver of that cab, he wasn't caught based on his description, police think they have the right guy, the driver of the cab, and later discover he isn't the guy either through id parades or forensics, or by just seeing the right guy driving the fake cab,it doesn't say how he was caught.

You have been here long enough to not apply western standards of policing to the thai police.

"...five victims had identified cab driver Charin Chamket, 35, as the thief." Wrongly (as in "that's him, right?")As in, fit-up, you'll do, another crime wave solved without leaving the air-conditioned office. Do I expect reasonable standards? Strangely enough, YES!

possibly/probably bad reporting, he was identified as the thief purely because he drives a cab with the same number, it does not say he was visually identified.

he turned up at the station, surrendered himself, no doubt gave his version and was remanded.

What the report does not say is how the real culprit was caught however, I guess he carried on using the same plate and tactics and was caught that way, this then put the first guy in the clear. As i say the likliehood of 5 people picking him out on an id parade is very slim unless he has been pointed out to the victims as being the offender, something I would not put past the thai police but I am leaning more towards him being id purely on the licence plate and his surrender.

[mrtoad]

When I first read the headline I thought that some one had mistaken them for real policemen.

Anyway, let's hope this trend of doing a good job eventually, continues.

I guess it is an improvement in the BIBs very low standards.

[OzMick]

Internal Affairs and the Police Integrity Commission (the two divisions charged with fighting police corruption and errors) are looking into how 5 witnesses mistakenly identified the wrong man.

Oh wait! Royal Thai Police don't have an Internal Affairs division, or a Police Integrity Commission.(AFAIK)

Why not?

[SuneeTH]

Internal Affairs and the Police Integrity Commission (the two divisions charged with fighting police corruption and errors) are looking into how 5 witnesses mistakenly identified the wrong man.

Oh wait! Royal Thai Police don't have an Internal Affairs division, or a Police Integrity Commission.(AFAIK)

Why not?

It all depend how much you pay the police.

[OzMick]

In a case of mistaken identity, RTP arrested and jailed Danny Devito while driving his brother's car. Five witnesses mistakenly identified him as the man who robbed them, but later it was discovered that Danny's twin brother Arnold Scharzenegger was the actual culprit.

[Geratul]

Instead the man take a good lawer that would be much better then to take the lousy 20.000 baht. With a good lawer he can also stop his work as IT worker because he will get enough financially compensation to support his family. 9 days in prison for nothing? When this happens in other countries you become a millionaire. He is really stupid in this case. For sure he signed lots of papers not bringing the police to the court.

Edited July 19, 2012 by Geratul

[jaltsc]

Now, it's not only farangs who all look alike. It's also taxi drivers. Glad that we have some company.

[arrowsdawdle]

Good to see the police doing the right thing by admitting thier wrong and offering compensation, it may not be much by western standards, but it still goes a long way here, I hope the ex-cabbie uses it to help his family.

They admitted nothing of the kind and said they did nothing wrong. They blamed the witnesses. What is left out of the article is only the most important part which is how the real perp was caught.

[EarthAlien]

"he understood the circumstance and regraded this as his own bad luck."

Typical Thai philosophy that plays into the hands of all kinds of perpertrators and irresponsible govt depts "so sorry,.. you are having a bad luck"

Whereas in the west when any such calamaties befall the victim it is the other way round when the govt gets told "so sorry,.. you are having a bad luck,.. I'm gonna sue the pants of you!!"

20,000 bht doesn't really give adequate compensation by reasonable standards but then again it is over 2,000 baht per day for a 9 day spell!

[GeorgeO]

It doesn't say though how they had identified him, the identification may have simply been by giving the vehicle licence plate number and not an actual id parade where they pick him out,

If they only identified the plate, they should have jailed the cab.

Nice one ... and to extrapolate on this point, if they adopted and continued to follow such a policy, they might even reduce the traffic congestion in Bangkok, given that taxis appear to account for approximately half of all traffic on the roads!

Edited July 19, 2012 by GeorgeO

[Phatcharanan]

What kind of idiots; after investigation and interviews w/witnesses etc couldn't figure out they nabbed the wrong guy? 9 days they couldn't figure this out?

Yeahhhh............miscarriages of justice never happen in your country huh?

[SIamYank]

I consider it a loss of face to cover your errors with silly arguments and excuses. Admitting your mistakes and compensating for your errors, now that is showing "good face" We all make errors. responding appropriately to them is a measure of character. Although rare, It is refreshing to to see this out of the Thai police force.

[SIamYank]

What kind of idiots; after investigation and interviews w/witnesses etc couldn't figure out they nabbed the wrong guy? 9 days they couldn't figure this out?

In the USA thousands of wrongly convicted men have been sitting behind bars for crimes they did not commit for years. Simple DNA tests can confirm or deny their guilt.... but the courts and the police drag their feat, fight the tests and keep innocent men in jail. Why? Two reasons, they dont want to lose face or pay compensation. These are the same reasons that many posters claim Thailand is a backward country.

Nine days is not a long time at all. I would bet this guy would have volunteered to do 9 days for 20,000. That is a pretty good wage in Thailand.

I am not defending Thai police as a whole... but this seems to be a pretty honorable case of them admitting their mistakes and making restitution. Well done!

[robertson468]

It doesn't say though how they had identified him, the identification may have simply been by giving the vehicle licence plate number and not an actual id parade where they pick him out,

If they only identified the plate, they should have jailed the cab.

The report does not say how he was identified and one would think that 5 people identifying the wrong person would be a little mystifying to say the least, however 5 people giving the correct licence plate for the offender would not be that strange. One would also think with the slipshod manner of the police here id would not be that important, they have the cab and they have the driver. The guy turned himself in based on the police looking for the driver of that cab, he wasn't caught based on his description, police think they have the right guy, the driver of the cab, and later discover he isn't the guy either through id parades or forensics, or by just seeing the right guy driving the fake cab,it doesn't say how he was caught.

You have been here long enough to not apply western standards of policing to the thai police.

Or any standards at all; all we can assume about the police here is that they will do what is in their best interest with no regard for public safety, security or adherence to basic human rights. Full stop.

So many cynical posts here, which is rather sad. Agreed the police are not as well as developed in investigation as in so called developed Countries and remember, this Guy "gave himself up". So with 5 witnesses saying it was him, what are the Police to believe and let's face it there have been many a false imprisonment in the UK, USA and in fact probably every developed Country. Maybe, just maybe, time for some to say, well done Police for getting the right man and giving this Guy compensation, also to admit the mistake in public. Well done Guys

[TomTao]

Good to see the police doing the right thing by admitting thier wrong and offering compensation, it may not be much by western standards, but it still goes a long way here, I hope the ex-cabbie uses it to help his family.

They admitted nothing of the kind and said they did nothing wrong. They blamed the witnesses. What is left out of the article is only the most important part which is how the real perp was caught.

I would think that the offer of compensation to the one who was wrongly arrested would be an admition of deing in the wrong by the police, otherwise there would be no need to compensate at all.

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