Bomb suspect bribed his way into Thailand: police

[Lite Beer]

Bomb suspect bribed his way into Thailand: police

Photo caption: Adem Karadag, a key suspect in last monthʼs deadly Bangkok blast paid a $600 (B21,679) bribe to illegally enter Thailand. Photo AFP/Royal Thai Police

BANGKOK: A key suspect in last monthʼs deadly Bangkok blast paid a $600 (B21,679) bribe to illegally enter Thailand, police said today (Sept 10), highlighting widespread corruption at the kingdomʼs borders.

Adem Karadag, one of two foreigners arrested in connection with the August 17 attack, was detained at a flat in eastern Bangkok late last month.

Police say he was found in possession of bomb-making paraphernalia and dozens of fake Turkish passports.

Mr Karadagʼs role has not been explained by police, who say they now know more about how he came to be in Thailand.

“The first man [Mr Karadag] said he travelled through Vietnam to a neighbouring country where he then paid for transportation,” police chief Somyot Poompunmuang told reporters, without specifying which neighbouring country.

“At the Thai border he paid $600 [to cross into Thailand],” he added, without revealing the identity of the official who took the bribe.

Thailand is a notorious sanctuary for on-the-run foreigners and visa overstayers, with officials often willing to take a bribe to turn a blind eye to illegality.

In recent days, Gen Somyot, himself a former deputy commander with immigration police, has railed against the ease of buying off border officials.

“I cannot ignore this problem because I feel ashamed,” he told reporters yesterday (Sept 9) as he called on the junta to help him clamp down on corrupt border officials.

Although Gen Somyot did not confirm which country Mr Karadag entered from, it is likely to be Laos or Cambodia, both of which sit between Thailand and Vietnam.

Since the bombing, at least six police officers have been removed from their posts bordering Cambodia where Mr Mieraili was apprehended after they reportedly took bribes to let people pass.

Thai media reported today Gen Somyot Poompunmuang had reported to the prime minister the six common corrupt behaviours of immigration police.

A memorandum on “Report on behaviours of immigration policemen” dated Sept 9 was sent to the premier and Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, deputy prime minister for security.

The memo outlines six common corrupt behaviours of the immigration police:

Extending stays unlawfully in exchange for money.

Violating entry and exit protocols when agents are aware foreigners have no valid reasons for extending stay.

Allowing or taking bribes for illegitimate entries by people with and without passports. For those with passports, information is not properly entered into the database. This facilitates human trafficking.

Putting fake entry stamps to enable people to go to a third country. Some officials steal the stamp to verify entry of a person to create a source country that can be used to request permission to travel to a third country.

Selling the TM 6 departure card, especially among workers in Thailand, found mostly in northeastern passes.

Charging extra fees for visas on arrival, mainly at Suvanarbhumi and Don Mueang airports.

“Immigration is the first line of defence as it screens people entering and leaving the kingdom and plays a pivotal role in national security. To make the investigation as transparent and fair as possible, I would like to ask you to consider ordering agencies in charge of probing officials to take action in this case,” Gen Somyot wrote.

It was also reported Pol Gen Somyot had issued an urgent order for inspector general Pol Lt Gen Nares Nontachote to conduct a probe into immigration police and report the findings to him by Sept 23.

PM Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has special powers under the interim charter over other branches of government and can take any action without concern about legal consequences.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/bomb-suspect-bribed-his-way-into-thailand-police-54043.php

-- Phuket News 2015-09-10

[AGareth2]

Good Lord?

You don't say

[Thongkorn]

I do not believe this story , corruption in Thailand, never In Burma Maybe ?.. Being ironic

[Reigntax]

Well, so far he has only used his special powers to remove Thaksins rank. I suppose he is dealing with the big issues facing the country first.. or at least those which scare him most based on his black magic predictions.

[edwinchester]

My local border hop involves a short minibus ride across 'no mans land' between check points. Before crossing the border the minibus stopped and a young girl, I guess 10-12 years old got into the bus. The driver was paid 500 bht by the guy who handed the girl over. The girl was told to lie down on the floor in the back of the bus. Just before we got to Thai Immigration the bus stopped, the girl got out and was picked up by a guy on a motorbike who took a track that bypassed the checkpoint. All this was witnessed by Immigration Officers and soldiers who patrol the border. I was horrified at what was going on and the blind eyes being turned.

I passed on what I saw to a Policeman I know and trust.

Edited September 10, 2015 by edwinchester

[saakura]

My local border hop involves a short minibus ride across 'no mans land' between check points. Before crossing the border the minibus stopped and a young girl, I guess 10-12 years old got into the bus. The driver was paid 500 bht by the guy who handed the girl over. The girl was told to lie down on the floor in the back of the bus. Just before we got to Thai Immigration the bus stopped, the girl got out and was picked up by a guy on a motorbike who took a track that bypassed the checkpoint. All this was witnessed by Immigration Officers and soldiers who patrol the border. I was horrified at what was going on and the blind eyes being turned.

I passed on what I saw to a Policeman I know and trust.

Heart wrenching story and pity the girl, hope she is not a victim of trafficking and just crossing over to be with her parents.

But your statement "My local border hop involves a short minibus ride across 'no mans land' between check points..... I passed on what I saw to a Policeman I know and trust" seems to imply that you have been doing this border hop for several years.

[edwinchester]

My local border hop involves a short minibus ride across 'no mans land' between check points. Before crossing the border the minibus stopped and a young girl, I guess 10-12 years old got into the bus. The driver was paid 500 bht by the guy who handed the girl over. The girl was told to lie down on the floor in the back of the bus. Just before we got to Thai Immigration the bus stopped, the girl got out and was picked up by a guy on a motorbike who took a track that bypassed the checkpoint. All this was witnessed by Immigration Officers and soldiers who patrol the border. I was horrified at what was going on and the blind eyes being turned.

I passed on what I saw to a Policeman I know and trust.

Heart wrenching story and pity the girl, hope she is not a victim of trafficking and just crossing over to be with her parents.

But your statement "My local border hop involves a short minibus ride across 'no mans land' between check points..... I passed on what I saw to a Policeman I know and trust" seems to imply that you have been doing this border hop for several years.

Been using about 3 years years now. Happened last month and was the first time I have ever seen something like that happen.

[clockman]

The victims relatives. Should sue the immigration police!

[DavisH]

Hope Somyot cleans up the police force while he's having a go at immigration police. Things are going to get tougher for illegals and those on wrong visas, at least in the short term.

I say in the short term, as corruption is a way of live here and the economy would probably grind to a halt here without it

[tx22cb]

This is novel - going after bribe-takers.

In the past, if there was no receipt, the bribe did not take place.

[speedtripler]

Hope Somyot cleans up the police force while he's having a go at immigration police. Things are going to get tougher for illegals and those on wrong visas, at least in the short term.

I say in the short term, as corruption is a way of live here and the economy would probably grind to a halt here without it

He's not even Barking up the right tree

He said the immigration general may be fired....

That will probably be the last we hear of this

Best way would actually be to cut out All the dead wood but like usually, a few from the bottom will be enough

[surangw]

The victims relatives. Should sue the immigration police!

good luck with that, it will just give some low life lawyers more income, and end result zip

[GuestHouse]

And the cost to the individuals, killed, injured, to their families and to the nation of this $600 bribe was how much?

[Lukecan]

my ex gfs dad was an immigration officer, they lived in a condo worth 20m baht, damn this job has cool perks. Even border patrol officers in the USA cant afford a house worth 700k usd

Edited September 10, 2015 by Lukecan

[peterrabbit]

In Thailand it is always the Pot calling the Kettle black!

I don't think that an honest Thai official exists.

[jaywalker]

And the cost to the individuals, killed, injured, to their families and to the nation of this $600 bribe was how much?

A case of Johnny Walker to the cop.

[BwindiBoy]

You reap what you sew. Backward nation run by backward people who only think of themselves.

[webfact]

BANGKOK BLAST
Border cops under fire over graft accusations
THE NATION



SHRINE BLAST SUSPECT CLAIMS HE BRIBED THAI IMMIGRATION POLICE MANY TIMES

BANGKOK: -- A SUSPECT arrested in connection with the deadly Bangkok bomb attack allegedly confessed to having paid immigration police more than Bt21,000 in bribes each time he travelled in and out of Thailand, the national police chief said yesterday.

Pol General Somyot Poompanmuang, who will retire at the end of this month, blames the corrupt officials for paving the way for the bloody bomb attack in the heart of Bangkok last month.

"It has caused many problems and has even affected national security," Somyot said.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday that he had commissioned an investigation and his deputy General Prawit Wongsuwan as well as the National Police Office would consider taking action on the matter.

"Indeed, we plan to revamp the Immigration Department, but lack budget. This problem concerns not only human resources, but also technology and equipment," Prayut said. "The bribe and corruption involved a lot of people, not just officials but also the private sector."

Somyot hinted that he was preparing to have many immigration police officers transferred to the National Police Office over the scandal.

Immigration Police chief Lt-General Sakda Chuenphakdee stands accused of dereliction of duty.

On September 1, Mieraili Yusufu, 26, was arrested in the border province of Sa Kaew over his alleged role in the two blasts.

The arrest took place on the same day that several immigration police based in the province were slapped with immediate transfer orders.

Somyot said he hoped the media would continue to focus on the bribery scandal so the problem could be solved.

He said police inspector-general Nares Nanthachoti was investigating the bribery scandal and was expected to report the results on September 23.

Bangladeshi authorities, meanwhile, said yesterday that they would take seriously any request from Thailand via Interpol in relation to a suspect linked to the bombings.

Bangladesh's assistant inspector-general Nazrul Islam told The Daily Star that he could not immediately ascertain whether Thailand was seeking cooperation through Interpol.

"Whenever any cooperation is sought from Interpol, we take it seriously and take legal action," the official said. A police source earlier said Abu Dustar Abdulrahman, or Izan, identified as the chief plotter of the blasts, left Suvarnabhumi Airport for Bangladesh via Flight BG0089 on August 16.

The intelligence director of Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion, Lt-Colonel Abul Kalam Azad, said: "We will take the matter seriously and will obviously look into it."

However, Somyot yesterday said Thai police had not yet concluded that Izan was the mastermind. "Officials are coordinating with Bangladesh via Interpol to trace him," he said.

AMLO probing transactions

Meanwhile the Anti-Money Laundering Office is investigating related financial transactions in a bid to nail down all culprits involved in the bomb plot. Lt-General Prawut Thavornsiri, police spokesman and assistant national police chief, said Yusufu had a savings account at the Hua Mark branch of Bangkok Bank, and it contained some money.

Prawut said Izan was involved in the attacks but police had no clear information about his role in the group.

"Primary information indicates that he has left Thailand, but we don't have confirmation whether he landed in Bangladesh," he said.
The Erawan Shrine blast on August 17 killed 20 people and injured more than 100. The following day, another explosion happened near Sathorn Pier, but with no casualties.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Border-cops-under-fire-over-graft-accusations-30268566.html


-- The Nation 2015-09-11

[noitom]

A Thai national disgrace.

[davehowden]

"Indeed, we plan to revamp the Immigration Department, but lack budget."

Got enough for 3 crappy Chinese submarines though mate!!

[metisdead]

Off topic deflection posts have been removed.

[noosard]

Did a border hop yesterday

Used a taxi

Wife sat in the car

She never offically left Thailand or entered Lao

Coming back into thailand car drove thru checkpiont and I had to walk back to get my passport checked

While in line I saw Lao people paying to get their passport stamped ( maybe they have to )

The main security checks seemed to be on the highway

3 checkpionts on the way to Udon

Mainly pulling over Lao plated cars

[dutchweller]

BANGKOK: A key suspect in last monthʼs deadly Bangkok blast paid a $600 (B21,679) bribe to illegally enter Thailand, police said today (Sept 10), highlighting widespread corruption at the kingdomʼs borders. in the Kingdom.

Just makeing a correction to the Headline

[flyingdoc]

A national disgrace indeed !

[glaswegian]

thailand is and hae always been a country o those who pay the money call the tune!! can the junta change this corrupt system ? my answer is no!

[KIWIBATCH]

....Thailand...Hub of corruption......

[falang07]

Thailand, the hub of corruption - and the hub of "fight" against corruption, too.

[maidee]

you think drug dealers do the same at the border ? or human traffickers?

[canopus1969]

Did a border hop yesterday

Used a taxi

Wife sat in the car

She never offically left Thailand or entered Lao

Coming back into thailand car drove thru checkpiont and I had to walk back to get my passport checked

While in line I saw Lao people paying to get their passport stamped ( maybe they have to )

The main security checks seemed to be on the highway

3 checkpionts on the way to Udon

Mainly pulling over Lao plated cars

The reason the Laos vehicles are pulled over on the way to Udon is so that the bent cops can extract more money from them.

[klauskunkel]

"Indeed, we plan to revamp the Immigration Department, but lack budget. This problem concerns not only human resources, but also technology and equipment," Prayut said. "The bribe and corruption involved a lot of people, not just officials but also the private sector."

So, you can't fix your national security hole because you have no money...Ok, PM, I'm helping you out here, again:

This is how you get the funds necessary, audit all officials, take heir money and property, immediate budget fix.

You can easily do this because:

PM Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has special powers under the interim charter over other branches of government and can take any action without concern about legal consequences

Don't worry, you won't have to explain your own wealth (102 mio self+ 26 mio wife + 268 mio transferred to Dad and siblings + 198 mio transferred to children, a proud total of 594 mio baht - figures from Bloomberg, Oct 31, 2014), because you are the poo yai baan!