Bangkok: Bribe-taking investigation following a pub raid

[arthurwait]

This will be the next farang (bar owner/pimp) clear out then ?

[arthurwait]

The police here openly walk from business to business collecting money for 'protection'. Every bar, restaurant..... basically if you want to do business, you pay the police or they will have you arrested on trumped up charges.

The coup has changed nothing here at all in Thailand's second biggest city.

Bangkok ?

[thhMan]

I don't think that many of the readers see the significance of this. Instead of sweeping it under the already lumpy carpet, they are actually investigating what has been happening.

Without being too optimistic, for me anyway, it is a step in the right direction. There will be quite a few people panicking about this.

Get rid of the inactive posts and enforce the full force of the law, they might be on the path to making a difference.......................

But is it because of International attention of the Police or is it because they have finally decided to do their job....

There is a difference...

[JOC]

The Resort is near my house and is behind Seacon Square. Been there with my family for meals and entertainment up to a year ago and never seen any prostitution. Must have been something new to make some money due to the the military crackdown affecting their tourist trade and therefore profits. Can't say I blame them. Story is that the Army got the tip off, they have been visiting the moo bahns around here asking for information on illegal activities and ensuring we are "Happy".

From Happy Meals to Happy Endings!!

Maybe the coup wasn't such a bad thing after all??

[cloghead]

according to Agoda reviews:

'Staff Performance'---6.2

[thesetat2013]

This story is a joke right?

With the 1000's of pubs, massage parlors, and resort offering prostitutes the RTP busts 1. What happened? Did the resort refuse to pay more to a senior officer for them to single out 1?

[EyesWideOpen]

I don't think that many of the readers see the significance of this. Instead of sweeping it under the already lumpy carpet, they are actually investigating what has been happening.

Without being too optimistic, for me anyway, it is a step in the right direction. There will be quite a few people panicking about this.

Get rid of the inactive posts and enforce the full force of the law, they might be on the path to making a difference.......................

Nope, just an illusion of doing something. Thailand is the master

of this. Not really sure why the police seem surprised. My

understanding was that EVERY bar paid money to the police,

well unless it was owned by the police... :-)

[Larry001]

Excellent; so long as this is followed through with charges and long jail terms

[EyesWideOpen]

Excellent; so long as this is followed through with charges and long jail terms

It will be followed through with a couple of inactive posts, and

more money paid to make it go away.... Wait, was your post

done as a bit of tongue in cheek humor ?? :-)

[maidee]

"Two local police officers whose names appeared on the paper have been transferred out of the jurisdiction."

don't you love thailand and isn't being a policeman the best job if you are too poor to be a politician ?

you only get transferred when caught ...

what a wonderful life

[konying]

I don't think that many of the readers see the significance of this. Instead of sweeping it under the already lumpy carpet, they are actually investigating what has been happening.

Without being too optimistic, for me anyway, it is a step in the right direction. There will be quite a few people panicking about this.

Get rid of the inactive posts and enforce the full force of the law, they might be on the path to making a difference.......................

If they keep going at this rate, there will be no police officers left.

[somchaismith]

A link to the notes, so we can peruse the amounts, would be nice.

[BoristheBlade]

Is prostitution not illegal in Thailand? Hence all the soapy joints, massage joints, go go bars and brothels in every town, village and Nakon Nowhere in Thailand !!!....please explain Mr Police Chief

[GAZZPA]

Brilliant stuff,,, so one of the senior police officers in the book no longer works there so thats ok then, he's in the clear. Secondly they need to investigate if the payments in the notebook actually happened OR whether the notebook owner has a compulsive, obsessive disorder and can't stop making notes of fictitious payments to actual people.

No real need to call Sherlock Holmes on this one..

[thaiguzzi]

I may be wrong, perhaps mixed it up with another similar type resort, but does'nt this place have something to do with Carabao?

[NanLaew]

The investigation will check that all the policemen named in the little black book have been paying off their immediate superior, then they will check the gravy train up the until it stops. The cop that hasn't been sharing like he was supposed to do will get moved to an inactive post and the investigators will get a promotion (and a portion of gravy each). Those that have been correctly passing the buck up the ladder will all be commended and then shuffled transferred to other stations so they can do a 'knowledge transfer' with the newbies.

[trainman34014]

Nothing new here....move along please. Next?

[Bluespunk]

I don't think that many of the readers see the significance of this. Instead of sweeping it under the already lumpy carpet, they are actually investigating what has been happening.

Without being too optimistic, for me anyway, it is a step in the right direction. There will be quite a few people panicking about this.

Get rid of the inactive posts and enforce the full force of the law, they might be on the path to making a difference.......................

If they keep going at this rate, there will be no police officers left.

Works for me. Get some new honest ones in.

[venturalaw]

I don't think that many of the readers see the significance of this. Instead of sweeping it under the already lumpy carpet, they are actually investigating what has been happening.

Without being too optimistic, for me anyway, it is a step in the right direction. There will be quite a few people panicking about this.

Get rid of the inactive posts and enforce the full force of the law, they might be on the path to making a difference.......................

The question is how much bribe money will the guilty officers pay to get out from under this and where will their next assignment be?

[IAMSOBAD]

Fox guarding the hen house.

Where's the news?

[chrisinth]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I don't think that many of the readers see the significance of this. Instead of sweeping it under the already lumpy carpet, they are actually investigating what has been happening.

Without being too optimistic, for me anyway, it is a step in the right direction. There will be quite a few people panicking about this.

Get rid of the inactive posts and enforce the full force of the law, they might be on the path to making a difference....................... alt=rolleyes.gif>

Chris you are so sweet when in your naive mode!! alt=rolleyes.gif>

The guy who ordered this crackdown, the national chief of police, is the very same guy, who last week bought shares on SET for 360 million baht!! Way above the combined assets declared by him and his wife!!

So a qualified guess would be, that the guys collecting in the pub mentioned in the OP, "forgot" to pass on their takings up the foodchain!! Hence the crackdown.

But dream on!! width=32 alt=coffee1.gif>

Yep, one can dream on, I know that. But the reason for the crackdown I don't think came from any one person, but from the information that was apparently posted on the internet. They now have to be seen to be doing something. It would be nice to see the trail going all the way up the line to establish where the 360 million baht came from, but that really would be dreaming...............

Also be nice to have the investigation being conducted by a neutral body, ie, the army investigation branch, for full transparency. More dreams.

I would also dream on a proper investigation on the notebook retrieved. It appears to contain more than two names.

Need more caffeine for this lazy Monday morning........................

[rickirs]

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Well well. Thailand is growing up after all! alt=clap2.gif> But for how long? alt=coffee1.gif width=32 height=24>

Let's wait for convictions and jail terms before celebrating improvement for a corruption-free Thailand. DNA analysis might exonerate the accussed police.

[smotherb]

Well well. Thailand is growing up after all! But for how long?

Ya think? Or perhaps, the pub didn't pay the right people.

[jabis]

I'd like to see this type of crackdowns developing into a habit - also would be nice if the alleged protection money scheme would not be mandatory for them resort and pub keepers.

Daydreaming? Perhaps. Nice step one? Sure.

[tracker1]

Is there that many inactive posts available ?

[Jim walker]

A bar that supplied prostitutes in Thailand disgusting shortly this will all be a thing of the past we hope.

[MaiChai]

And does the police chief not know how the common practice of paying for police protection works in Thailand?

[Don Aleman]

Whoa ! wait - hold on just a goldarned minute ! Did they say bribes ?, prostitution ?, in a BKK pub ?, well, gee, I never woulda .......................

[iReason]

"An investigation has been ordered by the national police chief, Pol Gen Somyos Poompanmuang, into alleged bribe taking..."

I love reading the funnies in the morning...

[chainarong]

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Well well. Thailand is growing up after all! alt=clap2.gif> But for how long? alt=coffee1.gif width=32 height=24>

These types of raids crop up from time to time , Unfortunately , are few and far between, perhaps they resented being left out of the deal