Man who says he is a policeman from Bangkok extorting businesses on Koh Tao

[webfact]

Man who says he is a policeman from Bangkok extorting businesses on Koh Tao

 

 

KOH TAO: -- A man who says he is a policeman from Bangkok has been attempting to extort money from businesses owners on Koh Tao with threats of shutting them down if they do not pay him between 3,000 and 10,000 Baht a month.

 

According to local residents the man has been visiting many businesses including bars and pharmacies checking company papers, passports and work permits, but nobody is entirely sure who he is.

 

Some suggest he is a policeman from Surat Thank who has “gone rogue”. One Koh Tao resident said “he is a real policeman, however he is using the wrong methods when it comes to work and processes.”

 

Today we have discovered that the local police have apprehended the taxi driver who provided transport for the man, but the man himself is still at large. Rumours on Social Media sites also suggest the man has been operating on Koh Phangan and Koh Samui.

 

Source: http://www.samuitimes.com/man-who-says-he-is-a-policeman-from-bangkok-extorting-businesses-on-koh-tao/

 

-- © Copyright Samui Times 2017-01-20

[ChrisY1]

I'm surprised the Koh Tao "family/families" have allowed this guy to still be around......certainly he should have disappeared before now!

[Sphere]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Today we have discovered that the local police have apprehended the taxi driver who provided transport for the man, but the man himself is still at large.

 

Firing squad for the taxi driver and advance bailout for the man-at-large.....

[klauskunkel]

Quote

“he is a real policeman, however he is using the wrong methods when it comes to work and processes.”

...don't they all? 

[arrowsdawdle]

29 minutes ago, ChrisY1 said:

I'm surprised the Koh Tao "family/families" have allowed this guy to still be around......certainly he should have disappeared before now!

 

This suggests that there is collaboration going on.

[jollyhangmon]

1 hour ago, ChrisY1 said:

I'm surprised the Koh Tao "family/families" have allowed this guy to still be around......certainly he should have disappeared before now!

 

... just wait for it, hehe ... > but the man himself is still at large < could turn out in various ways after all ... 

[alfalfa19]

I don't expect this character to be alive much longer.  Playing with fire, stealing from the murderous thieves. 

[ParadiseLost]

He is doing a 'real' police job...

 

Funny how it is possible to check company papers and work permits when there is some profit motivation. The islands are infested with leaches so he must be making a packet.

 

Hard to feel sympathy - once you operate outside the law you are fair game to predators like this. It's part of doing (shady) business; hand over to these bloodsuckers what you save on tax payments!

[brain150]

Only thing anybody needs to know:

By Thai Law it is very simple:

No Government official is allowed to receive payment outside of a Government office !

This is especially for the Police !!!

 

Which means: 

Any payment required outside a Government office in cash is ALWAYS simply corruption !

[SOTIRIOS]

....wow......

[impulse]

4 hours ago, brain150 said:

Only thing anybody needs to know:

By Thai Law it is very simple:

No Government official is allowed to receive payment outside of a Government office !

This is especially for the Police !!!

 

Which means: 

Any payment required outside a Government office in cash is ALWAYS simply corruption !

 

Bad news.  Simple and easy aren't the same thing.

 

Swimming across the Pacific Ocean is simple, too.   Just like dealing with government officials- especially  the corrupt ones.

[StealthEnergiser]

What a lot of rubbish that would never happen on koh tao .

[Khun Han]

At least from the photo it's not retired policeman mr 'S'. He managed to extort $12 million from one Koh Tao business family in one hit. Allegedly .

[Tropicalevo]

22 hours ago, brain150 said:

Only thing anybody needs to know:

By Thai Law it is very simple:

No Government official is allowed to receive payment outside of a Government office !

This is especially for the Police !!!

 

Which means: 

Any payment required outside a Government office in cash is ALWAYS simply corruption !

 

I am sure that you are correct. (I do not really know.)

 

However, here on Samui, the police regularly carry out helmet and vehicle checks. This is at the roadside with a largish portion of the local force directing traffic, handling the admin and stopping 'escapees'.

 

They have a table set up under a sun canopy and violators queue up to pay their fines. All are given an official receipt. It is definitely kosher and it is not in a government office.

 

So, I suspect that technically your statement is true, but reality rules OK!

[bokningar]

On 1/20/2017 at 10:52 AM, ParadiseLost said:

Hard to feel sympathy - once you operate outside the law you are fair game to predators like this. It's part of doing (shady) business; hand over to these bloodsuckers what you save on tax payments!

 

So you really think only people that "operate outside the law" has to pay   

 

[gk10002000]

One thing about things like this.  Many thai businesses don't have the complete proper paperwork.  It is probably difficult to know exactly what the proper paperwork is.  So it is somewhat easy to try extortion schemes.  Not to mention the small Thai owners probably have few options for other work or have their life sums invested in their shops and are scared to death to lose them.  And so many Thais are scared of their government.   All ingredients are in place for extortion.

[NickJ]

Old School Scum.  Seeing if it works.

Just like the Music Police. The uninformed always manage to get caught

[Basil B]

On 20/01/2017 at 5:24 AM, brain150 said:

Only thing anybody needs to know:

By Thai Law it is very simple:

No Government official is allowed to receive payment outside of a Government office !

This is especially for the Police !!!

 

Which means: 

Any payment required outside a Government office in cash is ALWAYS simply corruption !

 

Until they start sting operations to catch rouge police and send the down big time, de-promoting their superior officers, nothings going to change, though I do think if the local Koh Tao Mafia is not in on the action he maybe "Dead Man Walking"...