Police promised cash reward to buy false testimony: Koh Tao taxi driver

[webfact]

Police promised cash reward to buy false testimony: taxi driver
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A TAXI driver on Koh Tao off the Surat Thani coast yesterday went public with his accusation that police investigating the murders of two British tourists had tried to intimidate him into providing false testimony.

In a media interview yesterday, Prasit Sukdam also accused the police of giving him a large sum of money in exchange for false testimony to frame the wrong people. He claimed the money was taken from the Bt700,000 offered as a reward by Koh Tao residents for information leading to the arrest of the killers.

Separately, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha dismissed reports that tourists will be encouraged to wear wristbands or register electronically upon arrival in addition to passport verification at the airport. "We can't make them wear any chip-embedded device. We want them to keep visiting Thailand," he added.

Meanwhile, Prasit brought the issue up with Assawin sae-Phoo, head of local taxi drivers on the tourist island, citing "fear for his life after turning down the offer". Assawin later took Prasit's complaint to Korbchai Saowalak, the kamnan of tambon Koh Tao.

Korbchai then spoke publicly to the police, calling on them to not work on the case in an aggressive manner and not find scapegoats. "Don't harm innocent people or frighten them," he said.

Speaking later to reporters, Prasit said: "I don't want to take any action against the policemen, but want to demonstrate my innocence and I will cooperate with other requests in the future. Just don't force me to acknowledge [something] I never knew [about]," he said.

Prasit admitted to celebrating with a football team after a match at an unnamed pub on the night of the murders, but said he knew nothing about the team members' activities or police suspicions about them.

He said some policemen approached him at 1.30pm on Monday trying to convince him to cooperate and let him go five hours later.

Meanwhile, assistant national police chief Lt-General Jakthip Chaijinda has been instructed to supervise the investigation, taking over from Police Region 8 commander Lt-General Panya Manen who has been promoted to assistant national police chief. Officials said different police units should work together on the probe.

The Police Region 8 chief's post has been filled by Lt-General Decha Butrnamphet, who said later that the same set of investigators would continue working on the case.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Police-promised-cash-reward-to-buy-false-testimony-30244573.html


-- The Nation 2014-10-02

[MJP]

That's it. I'm done with it.

[nottocus]

News like this gets out and the police chief gets promoted??

Amazing Thailand.

[bigjules007]

That's it. I'm done with it.

Me too mate, I feel sick! Taxi driver goes to head man, who by the way is related to suspects, he then tells police to behave and not use a scapegoat! You could not make this crap up if you wanted too !

[cloudhopper]

The cost of witnesses has just gone up.

[boomerangutang]

take out an insurance policy, dude, and get your buns off the island for awhile.

[boomerangutang]

The Police Region 8 chief's post has been filled by Lt-General Decha Butrnamphet, who said later that the same set of investigators would continue working on the case.

I don't know anything about Decha, but '....the same set of investigators would continue....?' Not confidence-building.

[Heisenberg01]

Football players it is then.

[mrtoad]

An absolute disgrace .

[MJP]

An absolute disgrace .

That said, good on old cabbie for speaking up.

[mrtoad]

An absolute disgrace .

That said, good on old cabbie for speaking up.

p

On that I agree. I am sure he won't be staying on KT if he values his life, a rotten island.

[MJP]

An absolute disgrace .

That said, good on old cabbie for speaking up.

p

On that I agree. I am sure he won't be staying on KT if he values his life, a rotten island.

I'd happily offer him asylum in the UK.

[ColdSingha]

honestly i'm done with this too, anybody who wants to get involved in this crazy corrupt system here is off their rocker.

after a good friend was fitted up by the tax office recently i'm keeping my head down and staying away from any police or government offices, period.

reform? BS.

Edited October 1, 2014 by ColdSingha

[phuketandsee]

An absolute disgrace .

That said, good on old cabbie for speaking up.

I thought you were done with it

[lostinisaan]

Speaking later to reporters, Prasit said: "I don't want to take any action against the policemen, but want to demonstrate my innocence and I will cooperate with other requests in the future. Just don't force me to acknowledge [something] I never knew [about]," he said

Had a strange experience with a tourist police officer, who played good friend and helper, when an older German man past away last year.

He lied about everything, said that he'd used his "police credit" and payed 38 K for the hospital bill out of his own pocket, when we were trying to get the dead body out, to his house for the usual ceremony.

We gave him the cash paid the "rest" at the hospital, but later found out that he was just a freaking liar. 38 K for his pocket.

When talking to thew hospital superiors it was clear that I wouldn't be in the pole position to tell the truth.So, we just forgot about the money and moved on.

I'm pretty certain that they'd have found some drugs in my car/house, etc, or that he'd have found a witness saying that I raped a little girl. or anything else that you can think of.

I fully understand why the cab driver doesn't want his name to be mentioned. Completely. ...

Edited October 1, 2014 by lostinisaan

[MJP]

An absolute disgrace .

That said, good on old cabbie for speaking up.

I thought you were done with it

I think the guy is brave is all.

[givenall]

I thought the village head man was offering 1000,000. Cheapskate

[jeanpierre]

That's it. I'm done with it.

do not give up keep it in the media help to tear down those b.st.rds

[greenchair]

If the police are are calling him in twice, they obviously think he knows something. Perhaps the village headman is encourageing the driver to be quiet.I dont think the cops just chose a random taxi driver and beat him up. There are two sides and i am standing by the police. The english police are known to give their suspects a beating now and then. I think the police are quite close to an arrest, but just need abit more information. If that guy was so innocent he would be sueing the cops a---s. All praise to the police, beat him up again and get his mouth relaxed

[MJP]

That's it. I'm done with it.

do not give up keep it in the media help to tear down those b.st.rds

Always had such hopes for that country. Forever letting itself down.

[rhythmworx]

Now's a good time to stop reporting on this punch and judy show.

Nothing is ever going to come of it as we knew from the start.

Please stop publishing the nonsense that comes out of the mouths of the law and move on.

[ChrisY1]

Yes....the taxi guy seems to be a man of principal.......how many other Thai men would stand up and annouce this news about rogue cops.....good for him!

And, as mentioned in this article, Prayuth has knocked the stupid wrist bans on the head......which I suspected of being a means of registering all hotels for tax collection.......and nothing to do with safety of visitors.

[noitom]

After this guy's statements about police bribery, conspiracy to obstruct and collusion along with possible murder suspects, the police should be immediately detained questioned and arrested if there is suspicion.

[NongKhaiKid]

If by any chance there's no truth to this claim the BIB by their re putation and total mishandling of this investigation make it oh so believable.

[JeremyBowskill]

Its all smoke and mirrors operated by pea brains, very difficult to tell up from down at the moment.

[BMF1960]

I wonder if any of the police have been DNA tested?

[ABCer]

Anybody knows the going rate for tempering with DNA test results?

It is suspiciously quiet on that front... tempering or looking for a closer match?

BTW why not take DNA from suspects at hand instead of showing cooked up reports by 'witnesses', lecture attendance rolls and cctv cameras?

Can an order be obtained in Thailand to take a saliva swab, a urine test or a strain of hair borrowed?

[NongKhaiKid]

After this guy's statements about police bribery, conspiracy to obstruct and collusion along with possible murder suspects, the police should be immediately detained questioned and arrested if there is suspicion.

Whereas, unfortunately, it will simply be ignored and not even the pretence of an investigation.

I hope the taxi driver has moved away, fast !

[Pure Belta]

Tell us something we don't already know.

[Soutpeel]

Dead man walking me thinks