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Trafficker gets stiff jail term over migrants


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Trafficker gets stiff jail term over migrants

Pratch Rujivanarom
The Nation 

 

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Court: transport of Rohingyas not connected to international crime

 

NAKHORN SI THAMMARAT: -- A HUMAN trafficker has been sentenced to 34 years in prison and fined Bt200,000 for illegally transporting Rohingya migrants within Thailand, but the provincial court in Nakorn Si Thammarat's Pak Phanang district dismissed links to a trans-national crime operation.

The court convicted Sunon "Ko Mit" Saengthong of human trafficking while two accomplices were found guilty of the lesser charge of collaborating in and abetting the trafficking of persons in violation of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act. 

Suriya Yodrak was jailed for one year while Warachai Chadathong was given a six-month sentence.

Plaintiff lawyer Kritsada Sanyadee said Sunon was the only one of the three defendants charged with human trafficking because the other two did not have the phone numbers of other members of the people-smuggling network and did not know exactly where they were taking the Rohingya people.

Kritsada added that although the three offenders had also been accused of trans-national human trafficking, the court dismissed |the allegation due to a lack of evidence.

He said the three defendants would appeal to the Appeal Court and were currently seeking bail for temporary release.

The three were captured in Nakorn Si Thammarat's Hua Sai district in January while transporting Rohingyapeople from Ranong to Songkhla. 

Police, who had been tipped off about the operation, intercepted five cars and arrested the three suspects. Another three drivers escaped.

Officers found 98 Rohingya in the cars, including 42 children under the age of 15. 

The victims, who were all from Myanmar, were extremely exhausted and some had died from suffocation.

Major problem

Kritsada said most of the surviving victims had been taken to the Sri Surat Protection and Occupational Development Centre in Surat Thani and a few were transferred out of the country.

Burmese Rohingya Association in Thailand president Maung Kyaw Nu said the human trafficking of Rohingyapeople was still a major problem.

Although fewer are now being transported by sea, there are new inland trafficking routes opening up through central Myanmar and across the Thai border.
 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Trafficker-gets-stiff-jail-term-over-migrants-30294210.html

 
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-- © Copyright The Nation 2016-09-01
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Nice to see someone actually get punished.  What was the outcome of the military officers and government official they allegedly arrested about 18 months ago for human trafficking.  No photos, fingerprints,  media parades, reenactment or names provided just a media release stating they had arrested the king pins in their commitment to the fight against this crime.    Seen a few photos of small fry, how long does it take to prosecute the ring leaders

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Small fry.

 

This is a highly lucrative and murderous industry. Due to Thailand's political patronage structure and unaccountability of both its holders of power and the agencies and govt. depts they belong to, you can be sure this multi-million industry was channelling its profits up to very high levels and it had to be sanctioned from high.

 

Thailand will do as little as possible to divert the international spotlight.

 

There is almost no precedent here of senior people being held accountable for almost any crime, no matter how heinous, provided they work within the existing power structure and do not cause anyone more powerful to take a loss. The difficulty for most Thais is how to ascend the power structure in order to be able to take advantage of criminal impunity.

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5 hours ago, Thechook said:

names provided

See below:

"Kingpin" Army Lieutenant (3-stars) General Manas - formerly Colonel in  ISOC1 and Advisor to NCPO Chief Prayut until arrest in mid-2015

Navy Commander Kampanart Sangthongchin arrested in January 2015

Army officers Col. Nattasit Maksuwan, Cpt. Visoot Boonnag and Cpt. Santhat Petchnoi - in ISOC until arrest in mid-2015

Identified by ThaiVisa and various news agencies.

 

1a government counter-insurgency agency

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1 hour ago, toofarnorth said:

Have I read this right

Possibly not. None of the three were identified as a ring leader.

In fact the court dismissed allegation that they were involved in trans-national human trafficking, ie., part of a cross-border conspiracy that would have been coordinated by a ring leader. 

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10 hours ago, webfact said:

Officers found 98 Rohingya in the cars, including 42 children under the age of 15. 

 

In just 5 cars ??? Sardines in tomato sauce have more space...

 

 

10 hours ago, webfact said:

Police, who had been tipped off about the operation, intercepted five cars and arrested the three suspects. Another three drivers escaped.

 

5 cars = 3 suspects arrested + 3 drivers escaped. Thais using calculators ???

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'Human trafficker' and 'stiff sentence' shouldn't be used in the same sentence.

 

These people are absolute scum who profit from the misery of others. Change stiff to 'not long enough'. 

 

There are many ways we can gauge intelligence - one of my ways of gauging it is by how much empathy you show others. Unfortunately, too may people have this 'you'd be stupid not to exploit this person' attitude. 

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"illegally transporting Rohingya migrants within Thailand

 

Small fry. Who built the camps? The camp I saw last year was clearly built by soldiers not ordinary Thais.

 

Who provided the transport? What is the only transport in Thailand that is safe and not subject to search by soldiers or police?

 

How did they get into Thailand...?

 

More questions than answers Mr Judge-of-a-Thai-court. And you should have asked them.

 

Winnie

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What where they doing,oh silly me they where using the vehicles as Taxi"s not Trafficking

part of the chain of an Trafficking  organisation "small fry" can"t exist with out them.

he will probally get bail , if not, will pay 500000,and out in the near.

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