Koh Phangan rogue cop returned to island "on holiday" after being given "inactive post" for extorting tourists

 

Picture: Thairath

 

KOH PHANGAN: -- The rogue cop being hunted for abducting and robbing two Russian tourists had been removed from duty on the island and sent to the mainland, it has been revealed.

 

But when he asked for ten days holiday from his new desk job he simply went back and resumed his criminal ways with drug dealing criminals and would be murderers Thairath reported.

 

Now the head of Surat Thani police is fronting the investigation as they attempt to limit the damage done to tourism on the holiday island. Operators earlier in the week said that the island had a "wild west" image.

 

The case has forced the chief to admit there are some bad apples in his barrel but he claimed that "almost 100% of his force were upstanding honest cops".

 

Chief of Surat police Apichart Bunsrirot went to Koh Pangan yesterday to see the progress of the case for himself. He attended the reenactment of three of four suspects who have admitted their role in the abduction and robbery of the tourists. One other denies it.

 

The chief was presented with a floral bouquet by hoteliers and tourist operators on the island in conjunction with the two victims - husband and wife Anton,36, and Ekaterina Lobanov, 35, who thanked the chief for his swift and decisive action so far.

 

The Russians had bravely gone to cops after they were picked up off Hat Rin beach and bundled into a Chevrolet pick-up after they were approached over a fake drugs deal. They were then driven away and robbed by the gang.

 

The reenactment took place at three locations including where the tourists were abducted, dumped on the Nai Han Road and where their stolen bag was tossed out by a bridge.

 

Tourism operators on the island said that the gang were well known and several of them had been let out of jail after serving time for drugs offences and attempted murder. They were in league with the rogue cop - named as Suriyan Ranjuan or "Jiap" in extorting tourists in drugs deals.

 

The tourism operators told the media that more police were involved on the island. They said that there had been many cases but the tourists were reluctant to report the matter and had left Thailand without making reports.

 

The gangs ringleader "Jiap" was relieved of his job and sent to an inactive post in Don Sak, it has now been revealed. But last week he asked for ten days holiday and promptly return to his old stamping ground and resumed his criminal activities.

 

Chief Apichart said all resources were being employed to hunt him down. "There are some rogue policemen in the Surat force," he admitted, "But almost 100% of my men are upstanding honest cops doing a good job".

 

He said anyone found guilty of misdeeds would be prosecuted with the full force of the law without fear or favor.

 

However, this appeared to have not happened in the case of Jiap who was merely transferred to an inactive post. The locals on Phangan said he was well known for being involved in many cases there.

 

The chief said that most problems on the island stemmed from the drugs trade. Criminals were selling or offering drugs to tourists then robbing or extorting them, he said.

 

Source: Thairath

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-03-03

So much for being removed to an inactive post.

Criminals like him should be sacked/jailed, that is the only way to stop their corrupt illegal activities.

9 minutes ago, colinneil said:

So much for being removed to an inactive post.

Criminals like him should be sacked/jailed, that is the only way to stop their corrupt illegal activities.

 

Agree; jailed.

 

IMHO, in many situations, police who break the law should be subject to higher penalties. Interested to hear what others think. 

Another Detriment for travel to The Land of Smiles. Soon stories like these will become more and more in the forethought of people looking for an island holiday. With Cambodia and Myanmar getting their act together attractive alternatives will be presenting themselves with increasing frequency. Will the Thai authorities wait until numbers drop like a rock before attempting real change?

9 minutes ago, Ramen087 said:

Another Detriment for travel to The Land of Smiles. Soon stories like these will become more and more in the forethought of people looking for an island holiday. With Cambodia and Myanmar getting their act together attractive alternatives will be presenting themselves with increasing frequency. Will the Thai authorities wait until numbers drop like a rock before attempting real change?

 

Add Vietnam, tourist arrivals going through the roof.

10 minutes ago, Ramen087 said:

Another Detriment for travel to The Land of Smiles. Soon stories like these will become more and more in the forethought of people looking for an island holiday. With Cambodia and Myanmar getting their act together attractive alternatives will be presenting themselves with increasing frequency. Will the Thai authorities wait until numbers drop like a rock before attempting real change?

The short yes/no answer to your last question is......... Yes they will wait and NO they won't change.

8 minutes ago, scorecard said:

 

Add Vietnam, tourist arrivals going through the roof.

Yes. I didn't mean Cambodia  and Myanmar exclusively.

4 minutes ago, scorecard said:

 

Add Vietnam, tourist arrivals going through the roof.

Absolutely, TAT should go and witness for themselves the queues at the "Visa on Arrival" counter in Hanoi or HCMC.

37 minutes ago, colinneil said:

So much for being removed to an inactive post.

Criminals like him should be sacked/jailed, that is the only way to stop their corrupt illegal activities.

 

Seems this cop and his history of similar illegal activities is well known to the local folks and to the police.

 

Obvious question: why was he not arrested, investigated, seriously punished (if guilty) years ago?

 

Seems that his supervisors are also need to be investigated and punished, perhaps even more seriously punished in terms of serious  dereliction of their force management responsibilities. 

Now we know what an inactive post is!

Yet more proof that the admin of BIB has absolutely no genuine or serious interest in cleaning up corruption within their ranks. Look at how they (did not) handle this guy.

 

Always inactive posts. Almost never prosecuted and sent to jail. Why???

 

And you'll notice, we almost never hear of what happens to these guys AFTER they're sent to inactive posts. It's not like they stay there forever. Probably in most cases, a brief cooling off period and then back to robbing, stealing, extorting, etc.

 

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Yet more proof that the admin of BIB has absolutely no genuine or serious interest in cleaning up corruption within their ranks. Look at how they (did not) handle this guy.

 

Always inactive posts. Almost never prosecuted and sent to jail. Why???

 

And you'll notice, we almost never hear of what happens to these guys AFTER they're sent to inactive posts. It's not like they stay there forever. Probably in most cases, a brief cooling off period and then back to robbing, stealing, extorting, etc.

 

 

And the media, even after their own 'reforms' never follow up. 

4 minutes ago, scorecard said:

 

And the media, even after their own 'reforms' never follow up. 

Whatever anyone may think of the Thai media, the only "reforming" I'm aware of is the current government's efforts to make them even more complicit and muzzled than they already are. "Alternate facts" Thai style.

 

 

Had a similar experience in pattaya years ago near Walking Street. 'Psst, wanna buy some drugs'? 'Mai Au' and carried on. Just round the corner was a cop. 'There's a man round the corner trying to sell people drugs' says I. No reaction from said cop other than a look of disappointment that he hadn't caught a fish.

17 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

And you'll notice, we almost never hear of what happens to these guys AFTER they're sent to inactive posts. It's not like they stay there forever. Probably in most cases, a brief cooling off period and then back to robbing, stealing, extorting, etc.

Well in this case the miscreant applied for leave and went back to his old stomping grounds to carry on as usual.

2 minutes ago, Chang_paarp said:

Well in this case the miscreant applied for leave and went back to his old stomping grounds to carry on as usual.

Yup, a rare instance of when we do hear what happens during/after inactive posting. Pretty much the only time that happens is when the person is caught the NEXT time doing some other kind of crime again. Most of the time, presumably, it's just back to quiet criminality in some other posting/location.

 

 

Why was he not either in prison, or under house arrest awaiting trial, as us mere mortals would be.........Oh, hang on, silly me, I forgot where I was for a moment.........

Tourism operators on the island said that the gang were well known and several of them had been let out of jail after serving time for drugs offences and attempted murder. They were in league with the rogue cop - named as Suriyan Ranjuan or "Jiap" in extorting tourists in drugs deals.

 

Just how much jail time are these low-lifes being given? I have a feeling it depends how much money you have and how much "pull". The Thai police love to make an example out of some luckless falang caught with a few ecstacy pills or a half ounce of marijuana, by giving them what amounts to a life sentence, but a Mr Big caught with a pick-up load of yaba is out in 6 months.

His only mistake was being stupid enough to get caught. He would have continued in his criminal ways in the full knowledge that he could act with impunity - he was already transferred!. So now that his antics made the newspapers it will be this alone that brings him down - not so much a case of extortion again Russian tourists. 

Land of outrageous government and criminal behavior.  It is just the train wreck that is Thailand.

What a slap in the face. He is the absolute embodiment of poor policing going back to visit the scene of his crime. 

2 hours ago, scorecard said:

Seems that his supervisors are also need to be investigated and punished, perhaps even more seriously punished in terms of serious  dereliction of their force management responsibilities. 

Easy you just passed Mars on your way to interplanetary space. 

Presumably, an 'inactive post' means that he has 'nothing to do all day, and plenty of time to do it in', so no wonder he returned to his criminal ways.

Cops do not get prosecuted or jailed for the simple reason they know too much about other bad cops. The only other option is death by cop to silence a caught one, which is also bad for the cop mafia.

2 hours ago, Chang_paarp said:

Well in this case the miscreant applied for leave and went back to his old stomping grounds to carry on as usual.

I'll be that this happens at a an amazing rate.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The case has forced the chief to admit there are some bad apples in his barrel but he claimed that "almost 100% of his force were upstanding honest cops".

If you find one bad apple in a Barrel there's probably plenty more...

45 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Just how much jail time are these low-lifes being given? I have a feeling it depends how much money you have and how much "pull". The Thai police love to make an example out of some luckless falang caught with a few ecstacy pills or a half ounce of marijuana, by giving them what amounts to a life sentence, but a Mr Big caught with a pick-up load of yaba is out in 6 months.

 

If you get caught feeding the wrong fish then its jailtime and an extended stay in Thailand until trial.

 

So this cop gets a holiday from inactivity and gets caught extorting again, what's the next level of "punishment"?

 

Maybe they have a hierarchy of inactivities?

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The chief said that most problems on the island stemmed from the drugs trade. Criminals Police were selling or offering drugs to tourists then robbing or extorting them, he said.

Just correcting the reporting.

3 hours ago, Ramen087 said:

Another Detriment for travel to The Land of Smiles. Soon stories like these will become more and more in the forethought of people looking for an island holiday. With Cambodia and Myanmar getting their act together attractive alternatives will be presenting themselves with increasing frequency. Will the Thai authorities wait until numbers drop like a rock before attempting real change?

What do you think?

 

Jiap knows how to run the Police office, also make them run, and run away!

 

He might be expecting a jail soon, so 10 days holiday in between, wow!

 

I suspect he as big connection. Expect another Kho-Tao ?