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Corruption buster urges Phuket dive firms to provide extortion evidence
Anthika Muangrod


PACC Deputy Secretary-General Prayong Preeyachitt.

PHUKET: -- The Association of Thailand Underwater Sports (ATUS), led by the association’s lawyer Pongsawan Sathatham, today (March 27) handed a letter to a senior official of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC).

In it, they asked the official, PACC Deputy Secretary-General Prayong Preeyachitt to urge the Minster of Justice to put an end to extortion by rogue police in Phuket. The PACC’s role is to target corrupt government personnel.

This morning at the ATUS offices near the airport, Mr Prayong was briefed on the flow of complaints about rogue police extorting money by arresting dive company mangers and foreign staff on spurious work permit offences and then demanding money to let them go.

Those who would not pay, he was told, were threatened with imprisonment and court appearances.

The amount demanded could be as high as B30,000, he was told, and many dive companies had also been ordered to pay monthly “fees” on top of the fine in order to keep the police off their backs. This fee for this protection service was typically B3,000 to B10,000 a month.

The dive companies complained that not only was this causing fear in the dive industry but was also bad for business because their reputation was suffering when they were “arrested” in front of clients.

After receiving the letter, Mr Prayong said, “As everyone knows, the tourism industry is the lifeblood of Phuket and the diving business is part of the tourism industry.

“I’m here because I received reports about corrupt police who try to [extort] bribes from legal dive companies.

“This is not only a crime but also damages the country’s reputation. It destroys Phuket tourism and hurts travellers’ feelings.

“If the report I have received is true I will stop the illegal actions of government officers. We [the PACC] will sort out this problem and take steps as soon as possible.

“Within two weeks, I will decide whether the [PACC] board should consider this issue. If the answer is yes, then I will probably eliminate the problem within two months.

“Our board will investigate the officers involved. If they are found to have done wrong, they will be prosecuted. Absolutely.”

He injected a cautionary note. “If not, then of course we will have be fair with them [the police], too.

“Third, and most important, I really need support from you [Phuket and dive companies]. Please try to provide as much evidence as you can. It can be voice recordings or pictures. At the very least, this can protect you from becoming a victim of police officers who abuse their powers illegally.

“If no one cares and just ignores this, there will be no good outcome for anybody. There will only be shame for us and our country. Prosecution in criminal law requires evidence. It really depends on this.

“We promise to proceed with this as soon as possible and we will be fair to both sides.”

Mr Prayong also stressed that the names of anyone who provides evidence will never be revealed.

“It’s my duty to conceal [the names]. I will not speak the name of anybody involved nor even the name of any journalists who tell me stories. Please don’t be worried about this.”

The penalties the rogue officers face if found to be extorting money could be severe. Mr Prayong said, “If an officer is found to be in the wrong, he will be prosecuted and if found guilty he will be sent to prison for not less than 10 years. He will be fired from government service.

In a variation of the old saying, “If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime,” he added, “Obviously, it’s not worthwhile cheating. I always tell government officers that their duty is to serve the people. If they dare to do wrong things, they must also dare to take the punishment.”

Apart from the extortion problem in the diving community, Mr Prayong also revealed that he is looking into the illegal issue by government officials of land deeds allowing people to encroach on national park land in Phuket.

He was also looking at government officers demanding money from people wanting jobs in some state agencies.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/corruption-buster-urges-phuket-dive-firms-to-provide-extortion-evidence-45390.php


-- Phuket News 2014-03-27

[LivinginKata]

Best of luck to this PACC Deputy Secretary-General Prayong Preeyachitt

[eezergood]

Hope he has personal & accident insurance.......

[Pikeybkk]

Evidence...how about all the witnesses that have come forward or would you like it documented by a tv show as well

[clockman]

I would be shocked if anything is proven! T.I.T.

[SeanPhuket]

The dive industry deserves a big pat on the back.

[belg]

pirate island, do i need to say more, stay away from it

[steelepulse]

I have a feeling the "rogue police officers" will take a break after this has been announced. Why not send a team to investigate without telling the culprits that you're coming?

[stevenl]

Evidence...how about all the witnesses that have come forward or would you like it documented by a tv show as well

Because they were in breach of the law, either by company setup or by activities undertaken.

So yes, the action by police was justified, but they should have given them official fines and/or arrests where applicable.

The 'working in the wrong location' for which some instructors were caught and 'fined' though are an issue, and that should be sorted.

[spidermike007]

The primary issue, is that there is little to zero interest in fighting corruption here. Nearly every level of government, and law enforcement has given up the fight, or not bothered waging a fight in the first place. When they do, they are thwarted at every level, by nearly every official or person involved. Though Thailand has made alot of noise about integrating itself into the world community, and especially ASEAN, to date they have defied many, many charters they have signed, especially the 6th charter, which I believe was signed back in 2009. I am told there are about 20 different international government bodies that are going to monitor Thailand's participation, and conduct once the upcoming ASEAN integration takes place in 2015. Many are skeptical, for good reason. Thailand has a very long history of making promises to the international community, and breaking them, when it comes to integration, easing of customs restriction, the import market, etc. To date, they have remained fabulously insular, and in some respects resemble China, when it comes to keeping their own markets closed to outside competition. The term protectionism comes to mind.

Getting back to the corruption issue, it is incredibly frustrating for many of us to see the level with which it affects this nation. But, so far, there is no Anna Hazare, or other such heroes who have stood up, risked life and limb, and been willing to carry the torch. I have seen no fight. No game. No resistance. No battle. No courage. No fortitude. No conviction. No arrests. Nobody jailed. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. So, you are seeking something that is simply not there. There may be some talk from time to time, from goombahs like Chalerm, but no action, ever! Does the "anti-corruption" agency ever fight corruption? No. What do they do? They focus on election fraud. So, you are simply engaging in an act that, if it produces anything, will end in deportation, denial of a visa, scorn, violence, or bodily harm to you or your family. But, rest assured, it will not result in anybody being disciplined, losing their job, fined, or jailed. At the lowest to the highest level of government here, there is zero interest in that. SImply too much money being made, and no interest in upsetting the apple cart.

So, in regard to this guy coming down on rogue police, it would be wonderful to see something like this starting to happen in this land of "no fight, no battle, no interest, let them do their thing". But, I remain skeptical until I see someone stand up and show some willingness to fight what would essentially be a war against entrenched interests.