Land official’s death might be linked to powerful crime network, says DSI

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SPECIAL REPORT

Land official’s death might be linked to powerful crime network, says DSI

Pratch Rujivanarom
The Nation 

 

BANGKOK: -- OFFICIALS CLAIMED at the weekend that evidence showed a powerful crime network was behind the illegal registration of expensive seaside plots in Phuket and Phang-nga.

 

On August 30, Tawatchai Anukul, a former land official in Phuket and Phang-nga, was found hanged inside the detention room at the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) headquarters.

The preliminary autopsy result, indicated in a death certificate issued by the Police General Hospital, said Tawatchai died because of a ruptured liver and suffocation.

Emerging details about Tawatchai's death and other information led to public speculation the man had been murdered.

According to the DSI, Tawatchai had many cases filed against him based on his work registering land deeds for more than 1,000 plots of public land in Phuket alone. The DSI got an arrest warrant issued for him based on charges he had granted the land deeds for plots in Sirinat Marine National Park.

Before he abandoned his post and tried to escape his accusers, he was the land official in Phang-nga's Thai Muang district.

The DSI claimed that during that time, he allegedly committed one of his biggest crimes by issuing more than 500 illegal land deeds at Khao Na Yak Mountain, worth up to Bt10.5 billion.

National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) secretary-general Sansern Poljieak also revealed the NACC had probed five cases against Tawatchai. Investigations into three cases were already complete, placing blame on him. The other two cases were still under investigation.

Sansern said that during the probe, it was found Tawatchai was part of a major network of illegal land deeds registration. He allegedly worked in a team with other officials to issue the land deeds to nominees, normally ordinary citizens.

When the land deeds were ready, the nominees would sell the land to investors as a legal property transaction to develop it for tourist destinations and luxury seaside resorts.

"We cannot accurately calculate the profit generated from the overall crime, as the land price usually skyrockets when the land changes hands. [But] this is big crime network we are facing," Sansern said.

The NACC black case number 47910128 on the illegal land deeds registration in Tambon Karon of Phuket's Mueng district was seen as clear evidence that Tawatchai did not work alone.

Officials alleged there were three other land officers - Prajim Chanchuai, Supap Saksritawee, and Darunee Lukchan - involved in these cases. They allege the four suspects unlawfully placed land use certificates (Sor Kor 1) from one plot to register land deeds for another plot.

According to a report on illegal land deeds registration in Phuket by the Royal Thai Police's Crime Suppression Division, issued in 2004, the division found a crime network of local politicians, businessmen and land officials worked together as two teams.

The first team was of land officials and businessmen who illegally registered the land and shared the profit. Meanwhile, the second team was of land officials and politicians who supported the operation and covered up the wrongdoing.

Interestingly, Sansern revealed that most of the disputed lands in these and similar cases were yet to be retrieved by the state.

Cheewapap Cheewatham, Royal Forest Department's Phayak Prai unit commander and former Sirinat Marine National Park chief, confirmed that Tawatchai had been allegedly involved in many illegal registrations at Sirinat Marine National Park.

Cheewapap said he believed there were more illegal land deeds that Tawatchai had issued, but they were not yet revealed.

Authorities said an interesting aspect to the case was that a person was silenced before he could implicate the mastermind.

A former assistant to the Phuket Provincial Land Office chief Phongsathorn Hiranburana, was shot to death in 2003, allegedly while trying to disclose the criminal network. He had taken over Tawatchai's position after Tawatchai had been moved and his killer was still at large.

Officials stressed this allegation was just one possible reason behind Tawatchai's death and the official investigation was continuing.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Land-officials-death-might-be-linked-to-powerful-c-30294527.html

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2016-09-05

[Basil B]

There must be many in the land registry looking over their shoulders at this time, probably one of the most corrupt departments of Thai government.

 

Silly thing is they leave behind a big paper trail... and there are many who want to shut them up.

[Reigntax]

Yes and we all know who the powerful crime network is and who is their self appointed leader.

[Thechook]

11 minutes ago, Reigntax said:

Yes and we all know who the powerful crime network is and who is their self appointed leader.

No not all of us.  You may have to drop a clue

[z42]

But still he died in DSI custody. So unless the DSI's officers are taking orders from said criminal networks to carry out contract killings the buck stops with the DSI, end of.

The attempts to muddy the waters now after the fact show how rotten the DSI themselves are. Surely their job should be to haul in these crime groups, especially if they know who they are. Embarrassing ?

[Wilsonandson]

To quote the Nation newspaper:-

 when an officer went to Tawatchai's detention room at around 2am, Songsak said, he saw that the suspect had hanged himself from the cell door using his sock. The officer said he broke into the cell and had the suspect sent to Mongkut Wattana Hospital, but Tawatchai died at around 4.45am.

and the photos of the cell and its door. Why are the dsi now saying this wasn't a suicide but now a murder by some fictious powerful network? Special Investigators? R's from elbow come to mind.

[shirtless]

It shows the governance in this country , 500 plots of land in a national park and they are only finding this out 

[sharecropper]

And what happened after the 2004 investigation revealed businessmen, officials and politicians were involved?

 

Nothing - as usual. Obviously they are part of the untouchable Elite; the criminal conspiracy - of all colours (and services) - that is allowed to plunder the country with impunity.

 

 

Edited September 5, 2016 by sharecropper

[spacelord]

So, they have known about these four since 2004. How about a list of who they sold the land to? Sad or funny depending.

Edited September 5, 2016 by spacelord
Spellinh error

[worgeordie]

Who would have thought it,  I want to see a 

picture of these hanging socks.

regards Worgeordie

[tomacht8]

According to a report on illegal land deeds registration in Phuket by the Royal Thai Police's Crime Suppression Division, issued in 2004, the division found a crime network of local politicians, businessmen and land officials worked together as two teams.

That was 12 years ago.
Are some culprits accused, arrests carried out, court processes held or prison sentences imposed?
The non-functioning state in the grip of corruption.
Corrupt to the core.

 

[dieseldave1951]

1 hour ago, Wilsonandson said:

To quote the Nation newspaper:-

what the hell does this prove some dirty marks on a door, There is no way you could hang your self on those hinges 

still trying to push the suicide track 

Edited September 5, 2016 by dieseldave1951

[aussieinthailand]

Dodgy land deals down in Phuket and surrounding area's have been going before 2004 and the corrupt people have been purposely let off the hook.  The very rich and powerful have raped the country while lower level business men and politicians get a smaller cut and it has been going on for generations.  And when there is a threat of exposure in their corruption then some one has to (executed) hang themselves/shot themselves in the head four times suicide,  to shut others up.

So if O'l uncle 44 was serious about tackling corruption then there would be a lot more people in gaol,  But there is a big difference between walking the walk and talking the talk...  And you junta fan club, you should be some of the loudest calling on your hero to go after ALL the corrupt and not just a few token selected people...

The fight on corruption was and still is just window dressing and PR and nothing more as the big players have so much more money to make and the lower cling-on's want a bigger slice of the pie.

[Kawapete]

No wonder that many farmers and other good and honest Thais with land in attractive locations a scared of the land office officials. 

[silverhawk_usa]

21 minutes ago, dieseldave1951 said:

what the hell does this prove some dirty marks on a door, There is no way you could hang your self on those hinges 

still trying to push the suicide track 

Those '"Dirty marks'' appear to be a halfhearted effort at dusting for fingerprints.  As you state, it proves nothing.

[Eric Loh]

The crackdown by the junta on influential figures stoking crime seem to omit the criminals in the South. Must be an invisible line whereby the junta conclude that there are no influential mafia figures in the South while all are in the North. Junta logic.

[Caveat Emptor]

Another aspect of the ancient and dishonourable art of trying to deflect   ?

As for major crime networks there' quite a few of those and many involve people wearing various types of official uniforms. 

[LannaGuy]

they let some be and witch hunt the others

[DuiDui48]

Someone,the DSI people that is,have to have taken photos of the man hanging ,or atleast one would think/think so..or they just took him down,put him on the floor and started CPR..or??

 

Many questionmarks still regarding this case..But like they say...Money talk,dead people don't..

[JAG]

His death may be linked to powerful criminal networks. 

 

Then again it may be linked to someone hitting him too hard in the wrong place during an over enthusiastic interrogation session.

 

We'll never know.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens to the land. 

[dcnx]

This too will fade quietly into the night. 

[BlindMagician]

6 hours ago, Thechook said:

No not all of us.  You may have to drop a clue

 

Here's a clue - 6pm.

[elgordo38]

7 hours ago, Thechook said:

No not all of us.  You may have to drop a clue

I await with baited breath for a clue. Is this how Poke the man works??

[elgordo38]

4 hours ago, shirtless said:

It shows the governance in this country , 500 plots of land in a national park and they are only finding this out 

Somebody forgot a payment and slipped a cog in the payment wheel purchance. 

[elgordo38]

1 hour ago, BlindMagician said:

 

Here's a clue - 6pm.

Still lost apart from my bedtime I do not have a clue oh wait you mean oh no not him. 

[elgordo38]

Golly gee a crime family hmm there is only one that comes to mind. Who would have thunk. 

[sweatalot]

5 hours ago, sharecropper said:

And what happened after the 2004 investigation revealed businessmen, officials and politicians were involved?

 

Nothing - as usual. Obviously they are part of the untouchable Elite; the criminal conspiracy - of all colours (and services) - that is allowed to plunder the country with impunity.

 

 

 

I wonder is it by chance that those crimes are coming to the daylight only now - when we don't have a shin government any more?

 

[Basil B]

I can not understand why they would dust the hing side of the doors for prints unless they did not want to find any... must be the same forensic team as used on Kho Tao.

Edited September 5, 2016 by Basil B

[tomwct]

Wait until they start reclaiming the land. This will be fun! Lets get to work!