Corruption scandal: Police find Bt2-bn in cash, valuables in secret vaults in 11 of Pongpat's homes

[rametindallas]

A friend of mine paid more than $US one million for a promotion from Pol. Lt. Col. to Pol. General about three years ago. It makes me wonder why Pol. Capt. Chalerm stayed as a Captain.

How could a Pol. Lt. Col. ever accumulate a million dollars to buy a promotion.

I NEVER ask people about their personal business. I only hear what they volunteer. This friend has never volunteered any information on his income. I have heard from other friends, who are familiar with the way the RTP operates, that it begins as low as patrol officers who charge extra fees from businesses on their beat for extra services like keeping non-customers from parking in front of their business or keeping an extra close eye on the business when it is closed, etc.. Those officers keep some and pass some up to the next level which would be sergeants. The sergeants are collecting money from many patrolmen, keeping some and passing the rest up to the lieutenants, the lieutenants are collecting from all their sergeants, they keep some and pass the rest up the chain, and so on. The higher the rank, the more money from more sources so that by the time one is a Lt. Col., one is a dollar millionaire after a few years. All this is in addition to separate schemes, deals, scams, etc. that individuals and groups devise to earn money. Since many of these operations are illegal, they must pay a share to their superiors to stay out of trouble. There also bribes from all the illicit civilian operations including selling fake goods, pirated goods, prostitution, gambling, drugs, etc. and in many cases, the police are in partnership with these civilian criminals if the police are not doing them alone. There is a saying that if your business is legal, you pay taxes and if your business is illegal you pay the police. Civilian criminal enterprises that don't pay on time or don't pay enough get raided. You don't really hear about that many raids, do you. Walk around Nana and tell me if prostitution and selling fake goods is illegal. There is every permutation you could imagine. There are scams/schemes you would never dream of. Not too long ago it was reported on this forum that some policemen were planting ATM cards near ATMs and arresting and extorting anyone foolish enough to try to use the cards. Illegal foreign workers don't get deported, they get extorted. Add all this ongoing money-making together and the way the money is distributed and no one should be surprised at the kind of money the police are making. Have you never seen all the highway checkpoints where papers, helmet use, etc. is checked and bribes paid. These activities bring in millions of dollars a day and it is all distributed to higher and higher levels and it is all protected by higher-ups. Who is going to police the police. It's been reported that the police have been involved in just about every criminal enterprise in Thailand. Like I said, a police commissioned officer doesn't have to bother with any illegal business to accrue his money. It just flows past him and he is entitled to a share as is passes. Look at the billions of Baht found in the houses of the generals and colonels who were just caught. Just think how much they have stashed offshore. What got found was petty cash. Why wouldn't officers just a few ranks below have millions? Remember the monk with the private jet? He had a helipad outside his wat for officers to bring their cash for him to take offshore and invest in European villas and such. This is big business, it is well organized, and is happening every day. There is no way to stop it as it runs from the bottom to the top and if one is arrested, they are still many more to replace him.

Good, clear explanation of the patronage system of upwards accumulation of benefits. Who do you suppose is above Pongpat in the food chain and how much will that person have accumulated from their symbiotic relationship I wonder? And are we ultimately talking about two competitive parallel hierarchical food chains at present in the country, with one starting to collapse to the benefit of the other, older and more established chain or web?

You understand that any answer I give to your question will only be an opinion as I could not possible know the true answer. That being said, It is possible that Gen. Pongpat was high enough in the organization and head of a discrete unit that he had no 'boss' or oversight. It is unlikely, however, because they are all dependent on each other. I am not a 'police spotter' (similar to train spotter) and don't follow the names of the players like I would with politicians. Not wanting to name names and violate libel and slander laws, I will speak generally (pun intended). The head of the RTP might be a recipient of some of his excesses as well as a possible 'sponsor' who got him his promotion/transfer. The sponsor may or may not be current RTP and could be ex RTP or could be a very powerful ex politician who is also ex RTP. I doubt either one of those individuals would actually need any donations of a share of General Pongpat's operations but that they would only be a symbol of Gen. Pongpat's fealty to them. As for your suggestion of distinct, competing hierarchical groups competing, I think it is only at the highest echelon, district commanders on up, and that it is completely dependent on whichever group of politicians are in power. I don't believe there in competition within the RTP. They are a very pragmatic bunch and used to the vicissitudes of politics. The overall operations would not change; only the bosses. As another poster pointed out, General Pongpat was appointed by Abhisit so, just like the former head of the DSI, Tarit Pengdith, if the office-holder can convince his new bosses of newfound loyalty, and, since no one is wanting to interrupt well-established, money making operations/organizations, he could keep that position. It is costly to everyone to remove a money-maker like Gen. Pongpat so, either Gen. Prayut is so squeaky clean he will forgo his share of those funds or Gen. Pongpat had failed to convince anyone of his new loyalty, or he lost his sponsor, or he crossed someone, etc.. The possibilities are endless and I doubt the real reason for his downfall will ever be known outside the actual players themselves. Since the RTP has been used for generations as a useful tool of politicians in power, its corruption has always been tolerated. That won't change. I wish the PM well in his quest to reorganize/reform the system but I, personally, believe it is a Sisyphean task.

[Jonmarleesco]

I should have thought 11 homes would have rung alarm bells. The fact that it didn't says it all.

[sabaitoo]

It is interesting to see how this case develops, sure seem like someone is pulling a revenge of some kind...may he/she got a parking ticket

[Thai at Heart]

Hiding assets by burying them or putting them in underground vaults is a practice considered unusual

Yeah right. Unusual. Who thinks up these words

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

I should have thought 11 homes would have rung alarm bells. The fact that it didn't says it all.

I own 14 properties. What have you been doing with your money if 11 homes raises alarm?

Edited November 26, 2014 by Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

Well now you see how the good pm will remain in power. Just follow the dots and hope every politician is involved too and ban them from Thai politics. When reforms are finished he will be the only candidate in the long awaited Democratic election. Ingenious.

[BSJ]

I've always known LOS is a corrupt place at many levels, but I leaves me gob smacked to see how huge it it at the top! And I would imagine they have just scratched the surface.

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

All that money and treasure in houses. I wonder how much of it is hidden in the casinos in poipet? Probably just as much as there are domestic and international criminals hidden there.

[Jack Mountain]

Maybe they can use the bribe money to give low level cops a decend salary ...

[spidermike007]

Asked why former Royal Thai Police chiefs had not been aware of wrongdoing on such a huge scale, Somyot said he could not read the mind of the previous police leaders, but "with me at the helm now, I will make arrests regardless of how high-rasking they are.

One can only hope and dream this is true. The real question is, will they be able to find a prosecutor or a judge that is not compromised? Are they serious about this? Will they see it through? Will this reptile actually serve time in prison? In reality he deserves the death penalty for such a massive crime. He was entrusted by the people to do his job. This tiny man did the worst job he could possibly do, and breached the public trust in the most massive way imaginable. He is a creton, an alligator, a pig, a real complete waste of oxygen. And there are dozens of others like him, though most likely few on this scale.

What ever happened with the pig Transport Minister that was caught with 2 billion baht in his living room? Which judge did he buy off? The general is good at jawboning, but is he competent when it comes to following up high profile cases such as this one? We shall see.

[mikemac]

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Up till now if you knew anything you turned a blind eye and keep you mouth shut , otherwise NKK you wake up dead or even disappeared

......................."Up till now".....................

Correct ! Up til now (I mean since the Shins lost their grip on power and the Military stepped in to sort out the mess) the corruption in the RTP was allowed to

flourish under Thaksin's rule.

Did any big cops ever get busted under Shin rule ?

Hate to spoil your party, but Pongpat was appointed in 2010 by Abhisit!!

Hate to spoil yours, but I don't give a hoot who appointed him, or any other crook, only interested in who busts them when they "go bad".

If I had the time I would dig up the dirt on how many rats have been appointed by Thaksin over the years, but that would take years.

[ColdSingha]

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Just how could corruption on such a massive scale go unnoticed ?

Simple answer is that it couldn't so those involved must have had quite an edge such as powerful allies and protection, maybe serious black on others etc.

Not a unique situation here and quite an indictment of Thainess. Nothing will change and when a new regime is in power the only thing that will change is in who have their snouts in the trough.

Guns, Girls, Gambling, Ganja: Thailand's Illegal Economy and Public Policy: Written way back in 1998 by Professor Pasuk Pongpaichit. Gives a rundown of the system by which the Uniforms get rich. Down to Baht amounts for position.

brilliant book. handed to me the first year i was here by the son of a wealthy property magnate with the words "if you are going to live here full time now you need to know how things work"

12 years ago

[mataleo]

Pongpat a "crime buster" maybe maybe not. He is a crook and a gangster and if I had been convicted by him

an appeal would be pending.

"If you can prove the assets were bought legally" you can keep them. They are joking are the not . Nothing that these people

have in their possession will have been bought with clean money.

Their salaries would only pay for a small percentage of their spending, therefore the profit from crime funded their whole lifestyle

I wonder if the BIB in Pattaya Bangkok etc are still collecting tea money from the bars

Business as usual

[mataleo]

Just how could corruption on such a massive scale go unnoticed ?

Simple answer is that it couldn't so those involved must have had quite an edge such as powerful allies and protection, maybe serious black on others etc.

Not a unique situation here and quite an indictment of Thainess. Nothing will change and when a new regime is in power the only thing that will change is in who have their snouts in the trough.

Guns, Girls, Gambling, Ganja: Thailand's Illegal Economy and Public Policy: Written way back in 1998 by Professor Pasuk Pongpaichit. Gives a rundown of the system by which the Uniforms get rich. Down to Baht amounts for position.

brilliant book. handed to me the first year i was here by the son of a wealthy property magnate with the words "if you are going to live here full time now you need to know how things work"

12 years ago

Here u go boys pdf

Download Guns, Girls, Gambling, Ganja: Thailand's Illegal Economy and Public Policy - Pasuk Phongpaichit

http://collectingbooks.net/16418-guns-girls-gambling-ganja-thailand-s-illegal.html

[smotherb]

I would like to know what they are gong to do with all that cash???????

First, an oversight will be noticed where the cash was overestimated.

[gemini81]

All that money and treasure in houses. I wonder how much of it is hidden in the casinos in poipet? Probably just as much as there are domestic and international criminals hidden there.

Confessions from the guy with 14 houses?

Edited November 27, 2014 by gemini81

[alocacoc]

It's time to legalize gambling / casinos.

[DekDaeng]

'mazin what yer kn find - allus wes lookin' fer is ahabs fairmly jools

[piewarmer]

And to think the neighboring country's are far more corrupt.