Highways Police patrolman seen taking bribe from truck driver is facing probe

[webfact]

Patrolman seen taking bribe from truck driver is facing probe



BANGKOK: -- The Highways Police Command has ordered the setting up of a panel to investigate the conduct of a patrolman who was seen in a video footage of taking bribe from a truck driver.

The video clip was posted in the social media and went viral prompting a stream of criticisms.

Pol Maj-Gen Somchai Kaosamran, commander of Highways Police Command, said Thursday he knew the identity of the patrolman in question but declined to name his name until the charge against the suspect can be verified. He expected the result of the probe within seven days.

The commander assured that both the suspect and the victim would be fairly treated and the culprit would be punished.

The incident took place on the Asian highway in Nakhon Sawan province.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/154528


-- Thai PBS 2016-03-11

[Jessi]

Now we have probes???

Where to put the probe?

Where the sun don't shine.

[halloween]

A BIB being "probed", possibly even prosecuted for taking a bribe. Is this the start of reform of the RTP? The monkey will be happy, or not.

[ezzra]

The horrors, the audacity, the flagrant flaunting of the rules, the dishonesty... hang on a minute... I forgot

that this is Thailand.... transfer to inactive post with full pay.....

[Somtamnication]

"ordered the setting up of a panel to investigate". You still need that with a video of the incident?

[jerojero]

One out of a million bribes transacted each year. Will not change anything.

[thesetat2013]

A BIB being "probed", possibly even prosecuted for taking a bribe. Is this the start of reform of the RTP? The monkey will be happy, or not.

Doubtful! What is the point of having him probed when they have a vdo catching him taking the bribe red-handed? That's kind of like the leader robbing a jewelry store on vdo and they set up a probe investigate? He should have been dismissed from duties awaiting charges.

[vogie]

Its not a case of do not take bribes, its a case of do not get caught taking bribes.

[NongKhaiKid]

The culprit will be punished so just what does that mean given the track record of slaps on the wrist.

He should be dismissed, criminally charged and handed a very appropriate punishment to act as a deterrent but !

[Chang_paarp]

I guess the investigation is to ensure the correct % is handed up the line.

[canuckamuck]

Headquarters just want to make sure he followed proper bribery procedure. They need these guys to take their jobs seriously; there is a lot of money at stake.

[colinneil]

A highway policeman accepting a bribe PLEASE how could that happen.

This is Thailand things like that do not happen here.

Sorry i must have forgotten to take my medication again.

[Fookhaht]

Must've been a Burmese cop in disguise. Thai cops don't do that.

[ramrod711]

A BIB being "probed", possibly even prosecuted for taking a bribe. Is this the start of reform of the RTP? The monkey will be happy, or not.

Doubtful! What is the point of having him probed when they have a vdo catching him taking the bribe red-handed? That's kind of like the leader robbing a jewelry store on vdo and they set up a probe investigate? He should have been dismissed from duties awaiting charges.

Seems that a video is not adequate evidence in Thailand. I'm sure you have seen some of the videos from 2010 when certain people were encouraging other people to break the law. Nobody in jail yet.

[uthaithanirules]

One out of a million bribes transacted each year. Will not change anything.

Meh, kind of inevitable now in this day and age where everyone has a phone

Will be a slow process in Thailand, but I think, and it will be mainly thanks to Apple, Samsung and Sony, that traffic cop bribes will change over time

[Gsxrnz]

But, but but.........The Commander doesn't clarify who the offender is when he says "The victim and the suspect will be fairly treated..."

They'll probably prosecute the driver for offering a bribe and bringing the reputation of the RTP into disrepute, and promote the traffic cop for uncovering this corrupy and nefarious truck driver.

Funny things happen in Thailand - the BIB can easily spin this out so the "victim" is the copper and the "suspect" is the truckie.

[Don Mega]

maybe the truck driver and policeman are friends and this is nothing more than the truckie repaying some monies owed.

[bino]

The horrors, the audacity, the flagrant flaunting of the rules, the dishonesty...

When I read this much of your post, I thought you were going to make a funny crack about the driver who covertly recorded the cop!

Kudos to him.

Hmmm... there would be a useful invention for Thailand... a dashcam that also has sideways pointing cameras that would cover the drivers window for moments like this.

But on second thought, maybe not. I'd be tempted to go speeding up and down the highways in attempt to film them all!

[Rayk]

I foresee a defamation lawsuit being brought against the person who took the video by the officer in question as it is ruining his good name.

[jucel]

A video of a cop not taking a bribe would be more interesting

[KIWIBATCH]

."......set up a panel to investigate......should know the results in 7 days......"........oh come on...!!!!

[Acharn]

The horrors, the audacity, the flagrant flaunting of the rules, the dishonesty... hang on a minute... I forgot

that this is Thailand.... transfer to inactive post with full pay.....

This is a common patrolman, not a colonel or above. They don't have inactive posts for common patrolmen. He'll be transferred to another district.

I used to drive from Phanat Nikhom to Chantaburi to pick up produce to take and sell in the market at Sattahip. Especially during the turian season, there were about half a dozen regular road blocks along the route. Trucks, including pick-up trucks, were shunted into a queue, passenger cars were waved through. Standard toll was, IIRC, twenty baht, although I think there was one time I got hit for fifty. Sometimes the cops would wave me on, presumably because I was a farang. My wife said it was just the normal cost of doing business.

[Colabamumbai]

Need more time so that the officer involved can charge the truck driver with offering a bribe, as opposed to an officer accepting a bribe.

[atyclb]

being probed not for taking a bribe but allowing it to get filmed. police protocol states avoid being filmed.

[AlQaholic]

WOAHH!! a Thai patrolling police who takes bribes! GaaHH! I hope he will enjoy the probing.....

Is this where the Aliens take you up to their space ship and do all kinds of probing on you?

Edited March 11, 2016 by AlQaholic

[ChrisY1]

A BIB being "probed", possibly even prosecuted for taking a bribe. Is this the start of reform of the RTP? The monkey will be happy, or not.

Doubtful! What is the point of having him probed when they have a vdo catching him taking the bribe red-handed? That's kind of like the leader robbing a jewelry store on vdo and they set up a probe investigate? He should have been dismissed from duties awaiting charges.

He should be dismissed for being caught on camera!

[klauskunkel]

The commander assured that both the suspect and the victim would be fairly treated and the culprit would be punished.

The actual people being punished are the fact-finding panel, who will have to watch the video clip over and over for seven days.

[apetley]

I guess the junta's scheme to offer traffic police cash to turn down bribes is a failure then?

[Langsuan Man]

The traffic policeman should have played the lottery, since his odds of winning are about as high as getting caught on camera taking a bribe

[seajae]

not far from our place here in Surat Thani on the main highway through town you can see all the overloaded trucks(a few extra metres sticking out the back and on top of them) lining up on a weekend afternoon to do their illegal drive south that night with their "police passes", this happens in many towns along the highways so one cop being pinched for taking a bribe is nothing when all these trucks are getting their police approvals to drive illegally loaded trucks on the highways every week. As long as there is money to be made corruptly this will continue, nothing new in Thailand