Corrections department head and prison wardens sternly warned to shape up or ship out

[Lite Beer]

Corrections department head and prison wardens sternly warned to shape up or ship out

BANGKOK: -- Corrections Department director-general was given a stern warning today (Monday) by Justice Minister Paibul Khumchaya that he would be fired if he could not resolve drug dealing problem in prisons throughout the country.

Presiding a meeting with senior officials of all departments under the jurisdiction of the Justice Ministry, General Paibul chastised the Corrections Department for its complete failure in its performance to stop drug dealing and the smuggling of cellphones into the prisons during the past 4-5 months since he assumed the office at the Justice Ministry.

The minister said that he thought about transferring the Corrections Department to the Interior Ministry because he wasn’t sure that the Corrections Department was place to rehabilitate inmates or a hub of evils.

He alleged that 60 percent of the drug problem was related to networks in prisons. He warned that if drug problem in prisons was not resolved in three months, the heads of the wardens would roll and, if in six months, the problem is still there, the head of the director-general will roll.

General Paibul maintained that he had no personal grudges against corrections officials. But he noted that he had warned them a couple of times about the need to resolve the problem but it appeared that his warnings went unheeded.

Citing the case of the prison in Surat Thani, the minister said that he had instructed that the influential prisoners at the Surat Thani prison be moved to maximum security prison but somehow their names were deleted when the list arrived at the Corrections Department until there was an incident when a prison guard was shot dead.

He warned the Surat Thani warden that if he could not resolve the case then he should better be prepared to be sent packing.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/corrections-department-head-prison-wardens-sternly-warned-shape-ship/

-- Thai PBS 2014-10-27

[AGareth2]

about time

[jabis]

Hilarious: Hub of evils

Not so: "Citing the case of the prison in Surat Thani, the minister said that he had instructed that the influential prisoners at the Surat Thani prison be moved to maximum security prison but somehow their names were deleted when the list arrived at the Corrections Department until there was an incident when a prison guard was shot dead."

[peptidebomber]

I learnt as a child that threats don't mean much without following through!

Some action please General or your just like the rest of them!

[rubl]

Somehow I think a "shape up or join the inmates" would make much more of a lasting impression

[JOC]

Don't know why, but the dear minister made me think of Chalerm!!

[ratcatcher]

Don't know why, but the dear minister made me think of Chalerm!!

Why on earth would that be?

The minister has threatened the wardens and the Head of the Corrections Dept that if they don't get their shit together and eradicate this problem within their respective jurisdictions, THEIR heads will "roll".

Good Chalerm, OTOH, threatened to decapitate himself, somehow, if dear Thaksin was not back in Thailand by December 2013. That event never occurred and good Chalerm is still blustering a year later.

[surangw]

and so the cost of cell phone rentals at the prisons will go up accordingly

[RustBucket]

Drugs and prisons have always gone hand in hand. The UK doesn't do that much about them because they know it keeps a lid in the places.

I recall many years ago when there was a drug drought in Oxfordshire, there were cases of actually smuggling drugs 'out' of prison to feed the demand on the street.

[worgeordie]

The Minister needs to realize its the inmates that really run the prisons,

not the wardens.

regards worgeordie

[ClutchClark]

I learnt as a child that threats don't mean much without following through!

Some action please General or your just like the rest of them!

Do you have any concept how difficult it is to stop the flow of drugs into any prison system?

They can't accomplish it in First World societies like the US or Great Britain.

Perhaps you could propose how you would solve this if you were PM...or would you be just like the rest of them as well?

Cheers

[naboo]

Citing the case of the prison in Surat Thani, the minister said that he had instructed that the influential prisoners at the Surat Thani prison be moved to maximum security prison but somehow their names were deleted when the list arrived at the Corrections Department until there was an incident when a prison guard was shot dead.

Names somehow got deleted? How do you get to a point where you have influential prisoners?

[ClutchClark]

Citing the case of the prison in Surat Thani, the minister said that he had instructed that the influential prisoners at the Surat Thani prison be moved to maximum security prison but somehow their names were deleted when the list arrived at the Corrections Department until there was an incident when a prison guard was shot dead.

Names somehow got deleted? How do you get to a point where you have influential prisoners?

Boredom and a vivid imagination?

;-)

[bangkokfrog]

Citing the case of the prison in Surat Thani, the minister said that he had instructed that the influential prisoners at the Surat Thani prison be moved to maximum security prison but somehow their names were deleted when the list arrived at the Corrections Department until there was an incident when a prison guard was shot dead.

Names somehow got deleted? How do you get to a point where you have influential prisoners?

Because like most things in this world, it is all about money... and in this case the influential 'prisoners' are the ones that have it !!!

[Soiyamoto]

Visiting a relative in ampur fang monkey house up near chang rai i had to give 1000bt to prison officer he got 500bt the prisoner gets 500 and the food i took up well she never got it, now she stays bnkk prison and says the prisoners are making more money inside than they were out selling substances

[chainarong]

There seems in Thai society a distinct effort to do everything contrary to anybody else ,(Also Include Lao, Burma, Cambodia ) there is plenty of avenues worldwide to investigate and implement control measures that have successfully been applied and this not only applies to prisons, everything from the RTP to the Senate ( when operating) is dysfunctional in some weird way , nothing is set in concrete regarding rules , everything is subnormal in implementation and fast tracking of paperwork takes place under the table, Thailand needs to do some heavy homework and come up to world standards, frankly Thailand's is not good enough.

[ezzra]

Unless X-ray machine, sniffer dogs and cell phone jamming devices will be permanently installed

and USED by a trusted personal, this all be for naught, as there always be prison workers that will

be tempted or chorused into aiding and abating the criminals.. simple as that...

[maidee]

big loss in face involved

but how much does his dayjob pay

and how much does he earn with "extra's"

[BestBitterPhuket]

Packing? They should investigate the wealth and lifestyle if some of these officials to see if there is anything unusual. If they corroborate with the prisoners, they should not be sent "packing" but sent to prison for a very long time. The Thai elite just can't punish their own. Only the lower classes and foreigners are punished in Thailand.

[soalbundy]

there go the extra earnings

[razer]

This is how to do it. It is called Accountability. This concept is not part of Thai culture. Accountability should extend to other areas of law enforcement as well.

[Scouse123]

Unless X-ray machine, sniffer dogs and cell phone jamming devices will be permanently installed

and USED by a trusted personal, this all be for naught, as there always be prison workers that will

be tempted or chorused into aiding and abating the criminals.. simple as that...

The problem here is.........whose checking the checkers!!

It is an excellent idea in theory but like all things in Thailand; within months it is all back to normal.

[soalbundy]

Unless X-ray machine, sniffer dogs and cell phone jamming devices will be permanently installed

and USED by a trusted personal, this all be for naught, as there always be prison workers that will

be tempted or chorused into aiding and abating the criminals.. simple as that...

'trusted' an excellent English word which has its Thai equivalent, unfortunately in Thai it is just that, a word, without any back up, like the Thai words for consequence, responsibility, morality, all nice sounding words in their own right and when written correctly on a straight line they have an aura of respectability which is more than can be said for the Thai 'interpretation in action' of the said words.

[ericjt]

Why deny the prisoners the little bit of comfort or relief they can get from drugs? Aren't they being punished enough already?

[soalbundy]

Why deny the prisoners the little bit of comfort or relief they can get from drugs? Aren't they being punished enough already?

if they are into taking drugs and dealing drugs, obviously not. It is why most are inside in the first place

[ericjt]

Mr. Soalbundy -- From your comment, I gather you are still a fan of the War on Drugs? If/when you come to believe that we would get a better return from directing our resources elsewhere, maybe you'll agree with my comment. Until then, I guess we just agree to disagree?