'Billions' of Baht worth of assets found at Thai CIB chief's home

[Robby nz]

I hope they call in the Thai version of Poirot to get to the bottom of who put all that money in Khun Lt-General's house...

Read elsewhere and find a bit more about what was found.

It has been reported that around 10 billion of assets were seized from 6 of the former CIB chiefs houses.

So it wasn't all in one place as some have tried to make out.

This would appear to be only what they could remove and wont include things like property, bank accounts or shares, so the accumulated wealth of this gent will probably run into many more billions.

But according to some on here its only political and his ill gotten gains and how he accumulated them have nothing to do with it.

[Alwyn]

The chief of police buy the positions. The more money, the better the area. 3 million baht for Phuket I was told at one time. So everybody knows what's going on, I did wonder who they were paying? It can only be upwards of the food chain...

3 million baht?? No my friend it is much more expensive!!

A couple of years back the policechief in Hua Hin bought his position for 40 million baht. Money he according to a normally wellinformed source borrowed from the local temple. (!!!)

And it makes sense, because according to BP today one of the accused in this case (not the OP guy) admitted to recieving 2-3 million baht each month in bribemoney, and his "network" recieved 12-15 million baht each month!!

When you see and hear those numbers, it makes it easier to understand the police "incompetence" on Koh Tao. The top guys couldn't care less about the reputation of the RTP or Thailand, it is all about protecting the cashflow. Which ironically puts the headman and his family in danger, because they know too much!!

Sure all Thaivisa posters would be griefstrucken, if something should happen to this lovely family!!

Actually now you mention it, it must have been 30 million baht as $1million is the number in my head. The money involved in Phuket is mental, every Indian working the markets (and there's thousands of them) pay 500 baht each, I used to pay 70,000 baht every Monday which I accounted as "pre-paid fines" for Immigration, police and tourist police and we were just a relatively small company and one of hundreds of Farang companies across the island! Yeah.. They're pretty incompetent ay!

[sandrew33]

Not sure I follow. So the PM lost a "powerful" supporter? Why is that, what did he do wrong? Then he retaliates? Isn't that a very risky move?

Yep, you aren't following. The persons who have lost a powerful supporter are these Police.

Domestic disputes are a bitch...

Edited November 24, 2014 by sandrew33

[JOC]

The day Prayuth orders an investigation into the unusual wealth of the guy behind this crackdown, Pol Gen Somyot Pumpanmuang, that is the day I believe change is actually taking place!!

Will ofcourse never happen since Khun Somyot was handpicked by Prayuth.

What we are seeing, is just a change of guards!!

Point is what? A previous man in charge managed to declare his assets near zero. The US questioned it but all was well.

You clearly are a lost cause!!

A little like:

[StealthEnergiser]

Yes, just the tip of the iceberg, which tip?

there could be couple hundred police linked to this group of police and corruption especially if the DSI take over.

[alanrchase]

The chief of police buy the positions. The more money, the better the area. 3 million baht for Phuket I was told at one time. So everybody knows what's going on, I did wonder who they were paying? It can only be upwards of the food chain...

3 million baht?? No my friend it is much more expensive!!

A couple of years back the policechief in Hua Hin bought his position for 40 million baht. Money he according to a normally wellinformed source borrowed from the local temple. (!!!)

And it makes sense, because according to BP today one of the accused in this case (not the OP guy) admitted to recieving 2-3 million baht each month in bribemoney, and his "network" recieved 12-15 million baht each month!!

When you see and hear those numbers, it makes it easier to understand the police "incompetence" on Koh Tao. The top guys couldn't care less about the reputation of the RTP or Thailand, it is all about protecting the cashflow. Which ironically puts the headman and his family in danger, because they know too much!!

Sure all Thaivisa posters would be griefstrucken, if something should happen to this lovely family!!

I will view the whole thing with an open mind. Corruption seems to be the norm here one way or another. Your figures seem excessive without proof but nothing supprises me here. Went to a government officials party a few years back, never seen so many M16 and AK47 in one location.

[greenchair]

Lets be clear - this is not a 'clean-up', but a 'clean-out' of political opponents.

So true. Now if the reds could do a similar political clean out, they might just get a corrupt free society.

I Find it hard to believe that the entire cabinet that come to power now are squeaky clean. When their personal wealth was declared, I about shat myself with disbelief.

[Siripon]

Strike one!!! Only 999.999 to go.

Oh, come on. This is much much more than "strike one" and you know it. You just can't admit it.

I'll admit that I'm surprised ... delightfully so. And, yes, there's much more to be done. But this major bust of upper echelon police officials is a very good move that well demonstrates the new governments words are actually being followed my real action.

Right now I'm sure there are a lot of corrupt cops, politicians, government officials, etc., etc. quaking in their boots and dreading the knock on the door. 555 I love it!

Again, for those trumpeting this as a big effort by the general, perhaps read the Thai chatter online, including from the hiso end of Thai Society....

It appears this is not an anti-corruption strike by the current government at all. But rather the result of a domestic umm reorganisation and the fallout for connected networks...

It may well be reported as part of a "crackdown".... but the chatter suggests that's just a happy coincidence. A bit too much triumphalism from those pro the current government who've had a rough few weeks methinks

Yes, posters need to realize who Pongpat is related to.

[pmugghc]

Not sure I follow. So the PM lost a "powerful" supporter? Why is that, what did he do wrong? Then he retaliates? Isn't that a very risky move?

Yep, you aren't following. The persons who have lost a powerful supporter appear to be included in the arrested Police.

Domestic disputes are a bitch...

Ah so, ok, misread the "he", thought it referred to the PM. So perhaps someone who has been flying planes pulled the rug?

[The Deerhunter]

Thank you General. OK, all you assorted Doubting Thomas's, PTP/UDDsupporters & Yingluck enamored individuals . You (and we) know who you are!! Would Thailand have got this under Yingluck????? Really????? Thailand feels a happier safer place already. Unless you happen to be a bent copper. Quite a few nights sleep will be ruined tonight for some individuals, I imagine. Hurriedly digging the vegetable patch, packing suitcases, driving frantically into the forest or heading for the Cambodian and Myanmar border, among other activities. The next few days will be interesting.

My naive friend, do you really think, it is good vs bad??

The truth is, that a gang of corrupt red cops are being replaced with a gang of just as corrupt yellow cops!!

People like you, believing in this cleanup story, are one of the reasons, that Thailand will remain stagnant for ever!!

Good vs bad. My backside!! They are all equally rotten!!

Sorry. JOC You missed the point. Bent cops are bent cops. They are not Red or Yellow. I am against all & any bent cops, or politicians for that matter. Not interested in colour at all. The RED appellation is still valid but the yellow on is should we say, " a bit more gray" these days? Suthep's supporters were way more diverse than a simple "Yellow mob" that the PTP/UDD claim. And I didn't agree with blockading Swampy several years ago either. We notice the "red" government did nothing about blockading Swampy & they were real yellows that did that then. The point I was making is that this sort of clean up was most unlikely under the last "freely elected" government. Too many bodied buried for them to do it. And unfortunately I mean that not only figuratively.

PS Before you mention it, if the stories about Suthep or his kids having any skeletons hidden anywhere of a corruption nature are true, then they should answer for them too. Don't bother bringing up the "2010 Bangkok murder charges" against him or Abhisit because like dead ducks those politically arranged charges will never fly regardless of the wind direction.

[Chris Lawrence]

I hope they call in the Thai version of Poirot to get to the bottom of who put all that money in Khun Lt-General's house...

Read elsewhere and find a bit more about what was found.

It has been reported that around 10 billion of assets were seized from 6 of the former CIB chiefs houses.

So it wasn't all in one place as some have tried to make out.

This would appear to be only what they could remove and wont include things like property, bank accounts or shares, so the accumulated wealth of this gent will probably run into many more billions.

But according to some on here its only political and his ill gotten gains and how he accumulated them have nothing to do with it.

Robby, that sounds enough to fund a small army.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I believe the charge of Lese Majeste is often used here as it is easier to put someone in prison for that offence than for the actual crime committed.

Perhaps the fact that such a high Thai official being involved in such unfavorable light is an affront to the King.

I was kind of wondering that also... Where does the LM come into the picture?

Bribery, malfeasance, abuse of power, etc etc. Those all fit with what these guys allegedly were doing.

But, I don't think these guys ever made disparaging or offensive statements regarding the Royal Family, which is the normal nature of LM.

Could it be bringing discredit to the ROYAL Thai Police??? Can that be charged as LM???

[The Deerhunter]

Strike one!!! Only 999.999 to go.

Oh, come on. This is much much more than "strike one" and you know it. You just can't admit it.

I'll admit that I'm surprised ... delightfully so. And, yes, there's much more to be done. But this major bust of upper echelon police officials is a very good move that well demonstrates the new governments words are actually being followed my real action.

Right now I'm sure there are a lot of corrupt cops, politicians, government officials, etc., etc. quaking in their boots and dreading the knock on the door. 555 I love it!

Rasmus obviously doesn't live in Phuket or he would know that. (Or maybe he does know but is just another PTP/UDD/YL fan boy & can't help himself.)

Phuket has been turned upside down & shaken so hard that it has not recovered yet. I hope they get their S47t together & fix the beach umbrella/chair problem ASAP. That is just way past being silly. Makes me wonder if the old guard aren't possibly messing everything up in the hopes that it goes back to the old system

Edited November 24, 2014 by The Deerhunter

[ggt]

Surprise surprise...wonder how many police are frantically trying to hide their money...obtained illegally...away from home now...

[connda]

I see being a CIB chief can be quite lucrative. They can use that in their recruitment campaigns.

[iReason]

How good would it be if all the corrupt thai's amassing huge wealth was caught stripped of all their assets and given hard labour, and the money used to help the poor.

And the best way to help the poor would be to use the money to increase police salaries to a more liveable level so they didn't need to supplement them through corruption.

A thieving bribe taker will change overnight due to a pay raise.

Right.

What truly needs to be done, is the honest ones need to ball up and out the scum within their ranks.

[bristolgeoff]

i bet they thought they would be safe and never get caught and live happy ever after

[rasmus5150]

Strike one!!! Only 999.999 to go.

Oh, come on. This is much much more than "strike one" and you know it. You just can't admit it.

I'll admit that I'm surprised ... delightfully so. And, yes, there's much more to be done. But this major bust of upper echelon police officials is a very good move that well demonstrates the new governments words are actually being followed my real action.

Right now I'm sure there are a lot of corrupt cops, politicians, government officials, etc., etc. quaking in their boots and dreading the knock on the door. 555 I love it!

Rasmus obviously doesn't live in Phuket or he would know that. (Or maybe he does know but is just another PTP/UDD/YL fan boy & can't help himself.)

Phuket has been turned upside down & shaken so hard that it has not recovered yet. I hope they get their S47t together & fix the beach umbrella/chair problem ASAP. That is just way past being silly. Makes me wonder if the old guard aren't possibly messing everything up in the hopes that it goes back to the old system

You are absolutely correct, I don't live in Phuket and would never set foot on the island. By labeling me as Red or PTP from my previous post just shows how shallow minded you are.

In both your replies you agree that there is much more to be done, and people need to get their affairs in order - hence 999.999 to go.

[EyesWideOpen]

My favorite Thai story used to be the Blue Diamond affaire. But this story is now my new

favorite. 10 billion in cash laying around his houses ? The mind boggles..... :-) Guess he

was either too arrogant or too stupid for off shore banking. Will be curious as to who

this money will go to. Pretty sure it will not go into the general government fund.

[phuket43]

1 billion baht in cash

What a disgusting piece of sh*t

When are Thais going to take to the streets and demand the police force is ripped up from the roots and reformed

They cannot, remember the Junta is ruling, no demonstrations, and Suthep is in monkhood. It seems more likely, that the culprits forgot to the share with the higher ups. Didn't understand the sentence about LM.

[Acharn]

1 billion baht in cash

What a disgusting piece of sh*t

When are Thais going to take to the streets and demand the police force is ripped up from the roots and reformed

It didn't say 1 billion. It said "billions." More than one.Even at that, ฿1 billion at the current exchange rate is about $30 million. That's 300,000 $100 bills. ฿1 billion in gold bullion at current market price would be about 815 kilograms, four-fifths of a tonne in avoirdupois weight. I'm too lazy to make the conversion to troy weight. We're talking truckloads of loot here. I don't think the common people are going to get too exercised over this. After all, poor Officer Plod doesn't get rich like this. This is from forcing thousands of police officers to pay him off, plus who knows how many (rich) guilty parties. I doubt this all belonged to the guys they arrested -- it was probably just passing through their place being distributed. I do hope they get all the names from these guys, but I doubt they'll dare to break omerta.

[JOC]

My favorite Thai story used to be the Blue Diamond affaire. But this story is now my new

favorite. 10 billion in cash laying around his houses ? The mind boggles..... :-) Guess he

was either too arrogant or too stupid for off shore banking. Will be curious as to who

this money will go to. Pretty sure it will not go into the general government fund.

Funny thing is, that the Blue Diamond case and this one have something in common!

dot dot dot connect connect connect

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

And by comparison, the former transport ministry permanent secretary ONLY had supposedly 18 million baht stolen from his home by thieves, and later 46 million in assets ordered seized by the court. Whether they ever were or not, I'm not sure we ever heard....

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/701011-civil-court-finds-supodh-guilty-of-being-unusually-rich/

That was MILLIONS... This supposedly is BILLIONS!!!

[lostmebike]

My favorite Thai story used to be the Blue Diamond affaire. But this story is now my new

favorite. 10 billion in cash laying around his houses ? The mind boggles..... :-) Guess he

was either too arrogant or too stupid for off shore banking. Will be curious as to who

this money will go to. Pretty sure it will not go into the general government fund.

'This money' will more than likely be gobbled up by the new crowd in power.

[JOC]

1 billion baht in cash

What a disgusting piece of sh*t

When are Thais going to take to the streets and demand the police force is ripped up from the roots and reformed

They cannot, remember the Junta is ruling, no demonstrations, and Suthep is in monkhood. It seems more likely, that the culprits forgot to the share with the higher ups. Didn't understand the sentence about LM.

The LM is just to hedge their bets!!

With a possible LM charge hanging over their heads, the accused are probably less likely to implicate colleagues still serving and considered being part of "the good people"!!

Edited November 24, 2014 by JOC

[slygeeza]

There are millions of folks in Thailand making less of a salary than policeman..... do they go around in mass numbers with masks and hatchets robbing people??? Come on wake up to reality. Each and every policeman knew the responsibility of the job as well as the compensation salary before choosing to apply. They knew the salary ...... why did they want to join up.......only the most naïve would think it wasn't for the added perks provided by corruption

from memory I dont think thats quite the way it works, the way the Thai police system works is that a policeman gets a cut of any fines they make and the rest goes up the line, I forget the percentage but it was written into law under Thaksin, the salary is just a base. its only natural that such a system will lead to corruption. obviously until they change that system and start paying the police a reasonable wage nothing is going to change and corruption will continue unabated. this is also why they use farang and Thai volunteers, because jobs like helping tourists arent going to pay the bills. in effect the police are in reality tax collectors but they get to keep the money rather then give it to the government, which is why all the top police are extremely weathy

Edited November 24, 2014 by slygeeza

[rametindallas]

Hats of the the powers that be on this one.

Lets hope this case is pursued properly and appropriate custodial sentences dished out.

Its a tiny tip of a huge iceberg, but its a start.

I expect these guys have stepped on the wrong toes, or pinned their flags on the wrong ship.

Hopefully its a sign of things to come, not just a purge of a few wrongly aligned ones.

It's a purge of those that have the wrong political affiliations, friends or paymasters, nothing more, nothing less and it won't go any deeper than that.

Up until the coup, ALL top brass were affiliated with Thaksin so, of course, all the top brass that gets prosecuted will be those of the 'wrong' political affiliation. They won't be prosecuting non-Thaksin affiliated top brass because they are showing favoritism, but because there are no non-Thaksin affiliated top brass.

[gemguy]

Hmmmm...is this a surprise to anyone at all???

I think not.

What I surmise will happen, is the money, will be no where to be found in the next couple of weeks while the Victors share the spoils and look like they have done a grand job of suppressing corruption.

Bonanza!........lucky dudes.

Cheers

[metisdead]

Posts going into dangerous territory have been removed, please read the content as cited in the following link:

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[rametindallas]

Lets be clear - this is not a 'clean-up', but a 'clean-out' of political opponents.

And a good idea too. The RTP needs to stop being a weapon used by whichever party is in charge who appoints their leadership. The RTP needs to stop being political and focus on straight law enforcement and stop following orders from politicians. Yes, they are currently following orders from the Junta but the junta are not politicians; not one of them was elected. When the politicians eventually take control, and they always do, there needs to be something in place to keep them from exploiting the RTP for political purposes.