Anti-Money Laundering Agency Eyes More Gambling Dens: Thailand

[webfact]

Anti-money laundering agency eyes more dens

Piyanuch Thamnukasetchai

The Nation

Amlo tracing real owners of Tao Poon casino seized in Jan

BANGKOK: -- The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) last month seized the Tao Poon casino in Bang Sue district, and has two or three more illegal gambling dens in its sights.

The land on which the Tao Poon casino sits is worth Bt10 million. Sihanart Prayoonrat, director-general of AMLO, said yesterday that Samart Singjamnong, the food vendor listed on the title deed as the owner of the land, was just a "nominee".

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Police would trace money transactions to determine who the real landowner was, he said.

The land had been subleased a few times and currently was rented to gambling den operator Winyoo Sri-ngernyeung, he said.

AMLO instructed the Lands Office to freeze the property and notified the owner about the action on January 29, he said.

If the owner couldn't convince authorities within 90 days that the source of funds used to acquire the parcel was above board and the site wasn't used for vice activities, AMLO would ask the public prosecutor to seek a civil court order to transfer the land to the state. This wasn't a political move or discrimination against a certain group, he said.

A major raid was launched on the Tao Poon den on December 21, 2011, when 100 police officers swooped in and arrested 199 gamblers and a woman dishwasher were arrested. Many slot machines and gambling paraphernalia, as well as chips worth millions of baht, were confiscated.

The operation behind metal gates was protected by the Tao Poon community, which reportedly refused to cooperate with police in catching the gamblers, so it was difficult for police to gain access.

AMLO also seized Yihad Witthaya School in Ban Tha Dan of Tambon Taloh Kapo in Pattani's Yaring district, which was found to be used as a training facility for separatist militants, he said. The 14-rai parcel on which the school was located had an estimated value of Bt590,000, he said.

-- The Nation 2013-02-07

[Morden]

Not far from where I live is a large illegal casino frequented by mia farang who want to show off how much of their husbands' money they can lose. It's rumoured that the owner pays THB250,000 per month to the Province's top cop. The place closed for a week recently as a new deal was struck with the new top cop.

If bribes of that magnitude are being paid to the police chiefs, what chance is there of closing down all of the illegal casinos?

[noitom]

Not far from where I live is a large illegal casino frequented by mia farang who want to show off how much of their husbands' money they can lose. It's rumoured that the owner pays THB250,000 per month to the Province's top cop. The place closed for a week recently as a new deal was struck with the new top cop.

If bribes of that magnitude are being paid to the police chiefs, what chance is there of closing down all of the illegal casinos?

I wonder how many times the top cop has to cut the 250,000 on its way up the food chain.

[rkidlad]

Anti-money laundering agency eyes more dens

They want to create more dens?

[ChrisY1]

I'm probably not the smartest on laundering illegal money....but I would have thought that to launder ones ill gotten gains though an illegal casino would be a bit of a no-brainer....

[sjjmmi]

From looking at the picture the Dealer looks like he is from the BIB

[Pimay1]

From looking at the picture the Dealer looks like he is from the BIB

I thought the exact same thing

[EyesWideOpen]

From looking at the picture the Dealer looks like he is from the BIB

I thought the exact same thing

You guys are bad........ But given the history of the police, he could well be.....

[MikeOboe57]

The illegal casino opposite the Chaophya Hospital is still "alive and kicking". The only thing that happened during the past year was the closure of the "police news office" guarding the entrance. Now only a dummy policeman pointing the way in from the Barommaratchachonnanee Road and an abandoned derelict "No Parking Police News Office" sign give away the owner.

[prestburypark]

How can you launder money this way? It does not have a clean provenance. Making money i can see, laundering it , bolleaux.

Everything is for sale for cash here anyway, no questions asked. If I took £25k into a car showroom in the UK it would raise more than an eyebrow, here it is the norm. Mind you if someone loses 10 mill of land, because they cannot prove how they paid for it, it was the worst bet they ever made.

[ThaiSold]

Gambling is only illegal when you can no longer afford to pay the bribes.

[Morden]

The illegal casino opposite the Chaophya Hospital is still "alive and kicking". The only thing that happened during the past year was the closure of the "police news office" guarding the entrance. Now only a dummy policeman pointing the way in from the Barommaratchachonnanee Road and an abandoned derelict "No Parking Police News Office" sign give away the owner.

I like the plastic cops. They are as hard working as the real ones but never ask for money.

[khunken]

So they arrested the dishwasher too. Wonder what she was charged with? Laundering the dishes?

[thurien]

If bribes of that magnitude are being paid to the police chiefs, what chance is there of closing down all of the illegal casinos?

no chance of course; and closing the illegals is also nobody's ultimate goal: Do not open the market to legal gambling, leave the present places in their illegality and heftily increase the bribes asked! Remember: Legal gambling = no bribing anymore

[ginjag]

(If ) top cops are involved in gambling, drugs, and other corrupt practices, Then why, oooops...is the chief of all police a relative of the P.M. He has to be told this is happening under his care.

[chiangmaikelly]

How can you launder money this way? It does not have a clean provenance. Making money i can see, laundering it , bolleaux.

Everything is for sale for cash here anyway, no questions asked. If I took £25k into a car showroom in the UK it would raise more than an eyebrow, here it is the norm. Mind you if someone loses 10 mill of land, because they cannot prove how they paid for it, it was the worst bet they ever made.

You hit the nail on the head. The anti money laundering agency would not be interested in illegal gambling. A laundry perhaps. Or the company who provides the dishwasher. If anyone did not know; in the West the mob owns laundromats and restaurants and game machine businesses because they can launder money. They skim money from a legal casino but not an illegal one.

Edited February 7, 2013 by chiangmaikelly

[kruangfaifar]

Money laundering used to be HSBC territory.until they got caughtI don't think farangs can complain about corruption in LoS when back home the likes. of UBS, HSBC, Barclays. etc can pay a fine and keep their managers out of jail and keep doing business with the feds all without admiting guilt

[OzMick]

There seems to be a solution to the problem in the OP - seizing the land/building where the den was operating. Extrapolate this thought to where the land is auctioned and 10% of the sale price is distributed to the BIB involved - clean and legal income with no risk of repercussions.

The best way to motivate the greedy is to offer them a better deal.