Police intensify crackdown into child prostitution in far North

[rooster59]

Police intensify crackdown into child prostitution in far North

By THE NATION

 

Pol Lt-General Poonsap Prasertsak

 

Focus on police involved in racket plus customers who had sex with minors.

 

POLICE are expanding a crackdown on underage prostitution in the upper North, mainly targeting local police involved with the racket and those who were customers.

 

Pol Lt-General Poonsap Prasertsak, commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 5, which covers the eight upper northern provinces, said yesterday he had ordered a team of detectives to |secretly gather information about the matter.

 

He instructed the detectives to acquire convincing evidence so that disciplinary action can be taken against the officers involved, Poonsap said.

 

“I and my team will visit Mae Hong Son next week to follow up on the fact-finding mission,” said the Chiang Mai-based regional police chief.

 

The police move came as the Interior Ministry investigates Mae Hong Son Governor Suebsak Iamwichan, who is accused by a woman of having sex with her daughter when she was a minor. The woman also alleged that many local police – both high-ranking and junior – were linked with child prostitution as collaborators and customers.

 

Suebsak has strongly denied the allegation, but the Interior Ministry has set up a team headed by deputy permanent secretary Prayoon Rattanasenee to investigate the allegations of his involvement in child prostitution.

 

Prayoon travelled to Mae Hong Son yesterday to question the provincial governor about the matter. The ministry has given his investigating committee 30 days to complete its mission.

 

National police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda said yesterday he was not surprised that the governor came out daily to deny the allegation against him. “I understand that as a senior state official, he has to defend himself,” he said.

 

Chakthip said he has instructed his deputy, Pol General Srivara Ransibhramanakul, to investigate this matter in order to determine whether it was the current Mae Hong Son governor or his immediate predecessor who was actually linked to the sexual scandal.

 

“I got a report about the finding, but I can’t disclose it now,” he said.

 

Poonsap, the Region 5 police chief, said that the team of detectives was working separately from investigators looking into accusations by the alleged victims of child prostitution.

 

He said at least four local police accused of being involved with the racket had been moved out of their areas of jurisdiction, including a junior officer wanted for allegedly being part of the prostitution ring.

 

Meanwhile, Pipat Ekpapan – Suebsak’s immediate predecessor who is now the Uttaradit governor – said yesterday he had nothing to do with the teenage prostitution scandal in Mae Hong Son.

 

“I maintain my innocence that I had never done anything like that. I also 100-per-cent believe that current Mae Hong Son governor Suebsak Iamwichan did not do this,” Pipat said on his Facebook page. 

 

He also posted pictures and details about his social development projects in Mae Hong Son, including scholarships for underprivileged youths.

 

“Soon the truth will prevail, as an investigation by the Interior Ministry as well as those by the Anti-Human Trafficking Division and the Provincial Police Region 5, are ongoing. 

 

“If anyone did wrong, they won’t escape punishment,” he said.

 

He said that people who were unfairly judged by society, despite unclear facts in media reports, suffer damage to their names so the public should use their discretion to screen news.

 

His online post, which received 950 likes and 91 shares as of Friday afternoon, was in response to recent news reports in which a mother has alleged that her teenage daughter and several other girls had been blackmailed and coerced into the sex trade in Mae Hong Son province.

 

She said some police and state officials, including a provincial governor, allegedly bought sexual services from the minors. 

 

In a related development, an assistant district officer in Mae Hong Son admitted yesterday there had been a practice of providing young prostitutes to local senior officials following reception parties. But Boonyarit Nipawanit, an assistant district |officer in Mae Sariang district who also heads the Federation of Assistant District Officers, vouched for Suebsak, saying he believed the governor “is a good man” and did not have sex with a minor.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30313692

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-04-29

[worgeordie]

"yesterday he had ordered a team of detectives to |secretly gather information about the matter."

the secret's out now.

regards worgeordie

[NCC1701A]

does this mean the police will be selling their karaoke bars?

 

 

[Eric Loh]

Crack me up when the police chieftains react as though they have stumble on a big case. This has been going on for years and the police is an intergal part of any prostitution ring. It has been happening right under these police chiefs noses and they have been protecting them for a fee. Enough of this bs. Nothing will happen and crackdown just a facade and life will go on as before when the heat dies down. 

[jaltsc]

"He also posted pictures and details about his social development projects in Mae Hong Son, including scholarships for underprivileged youths." 

 

Sound familiar?

"The Second Mile was a nonprofit organization for underprivileged youth, providing help for at-risk children and support for their parents in Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1977 by Jerry Sandusky, a former Penn State assistant college football coach. The charity said its youth programs serve as many as 100,000 children annually. The organization has since ceased operations after Sandusky was charged and found guilty of child sex abuse. "

Edited April 29, 2017 by jaltsc

[darksidedog]

How about they crack down on Child Prostitution nationwide. I do not believe this is an isolated incident.

[Thongkorn]

1 minute ago, darksidedog said:

How about they crack down on Child Prostitution nationwide. I do not believe this is an isolated incident.

Don't be silly. Anything that gets you money in Thailand seems to be exceptable. Especially if your Upper Class Big money Thai .

Thai Law does not apply to them . 

[tomwct]

Cover-up already in process. Cash has changed hands and all recording devices have been erased. God you have to love Thailand.

[soalbundy]

bang goes their main source of income

[Yann55]

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Pol Lt-General Poonsap Prasertsak, commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 5, which covers the eight upper northern provinces, said yesterday he had ordered a team of detectives to |secretly gather information about the matter.

You can't make that up.

The big guy announces at a <deleted> press conference that he has ordered his men to secretely  gather information ...

But then, since they think the main culprits are police officers, the trumpeting suddenly starts to make sense.

 

Edited April 29, 2017 by metisdead
8) You will not post disruptive or inflammatory messages, vulgarities, obscenities or profanities.

[simon43]

I can remember frequenting a karaokee bar near Phuket Airport some years ago (I enjoy Morlam music and speak Thai and Issan).  Most of the Issan serving staff were maybe 14 or 15 years old and 'available'.  The owner of the bar never had any problems with the local police because he was also local police....

[sanukjim]

20 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

does this mean the police will be selling their karaoke bars?

 

 

If they close all the underaged <deleted> houses then I guess that the government officials and military officers in that area will have to visit Pattaya for this type of entertainment.

[mtls2005]

In the not so days of old this sort of common practice would just be local gossip, and quickly get swept under the carpet. 

 

Now they have the unenviable job of continually trying to push the "darlie" back into the tube.

 

The "authorities" must be lamenting the advent of smartphones, social media and the internet.

[tomwct]

Waiting on a School Director and Governor to be arrested! I wonder how long it will be?

[jaltsc]

"POLICE are expanding a crackdown on underage prostitution in the upper North, mainly targeting local police involved with the racket and those who were customers."

 

As per Thai policy, everyone caught will most likely get reassigned to Pattaya for re-education. There, the will learn to make proper payouts to the right people, in order for this not to occur again. 

Edited April 30, 2017 by jaltsc

[joeyg]

23 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

Crack me up when the police chieftains react as though they have stumble on a big case. This has been going on for years and the police is an intergal part of any prostitution ring. It has been happening right under these police chiefs noses and they have been protecting them for a fee. Enough of this bs. Nothing will happen and crackdown just a facade and life will go on as before when the heat dies down. 

Yes corruption is rampant. However if even one pedophile is caught and prosecuted that's one less. That's a good thing.

 

[mikebell]

On 29/04/2017 at 10:22 AM, rooster59 said:

“If anyone did wrong, they won’t escape punishment,” he said.

'unless they are in the police force or have connections, money and/or position, ' he added.