German reporter allegedly makes up story about Thai police corruption

A German man arrested in Pattaya last year for having sex with an underage girl insisted that he had never paid a 1 million baht bribe to Thai police. The man said a German reporter distorted and sensationalised the story from his interview to attract public attention.

Police raided a nightclub, Cobra Beer Bar, in Pattaya for human trafficking in December last year after the club was found procuring underage girls to provide sex services to customers. The British club owner and his Thai wife were arrested during the operation.

The raid also led to the arrest of a 55 year old German man named Jens Kirch, who bought sex services from the bar. After Kirch’s arrest, a German reporter made a documentary about his case, and part of the documentary reported that Kirch paid a bribe of 1 million baht to Thai police to drop the charges so he could return to Germany.

Following the allegations against the Thai police, an investigation was launched into the alleged corruption. The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police (RTP), Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, went to Germany on Wednesday, January 24 to follow up on the case and meet with Kirch.

Big Joke revealed to Matichon, yesterday, January 25, that he had the opportunity to discuss the case with a German prosecutor whose identity was not disclosed. The prosecutor explained that German authorities arrested and questioned Kirch on his arrival in the country.

During questioning, Kirch admitted that he visited the nightclub and bought the sex service but he did not know that the girl was under 18 years old. Kirch said he then applied for bail and returned to Germany because he had a congenital illness and needed to take care of his business.

Twisted facts

Kirch stressed that he adhered to the law by paying 1 million baht for bail and did not offer any bribes to Thai officials. He explained that although he was required to report to court after posting bail, he failed to do so because of the pandemic.

According to Big Joke, the prosecutor highlighted that the documentary misrepresented information disclosed by Kirch during the interview. Additionally, the prosecutor issued an apology to the Thai police for the adverse effects the documentary may have had on the organisation.

Big Joke reported that he did not have the opportunity to meet or speak with Kirch personally but added that the German man left an official letter stating clearly that there was no corruption at RTP, only the distorted information made up by the reporter.

Big Joke added that he would take all the relevant documents from Germany back to Thailand to close the corruption case.

ORIGINAL STORY: German national alleges bribe for release on pedophilia charge in Thailand

Provincial Police Region 2 launched investigations into allegations against a 55-year-old German national accused of paying a bribe of 1 million baht to secure his release on charges related to pedophilia. The police announcement follows a documentary by Deutsche Welle titled Sex Tourists in Thailand, which highlighted the account of the accused, Jens Kirch. It is worth noting that the documentary is no longer accessible in Thailand.

The documentary delved into Kirch’s encounter with Thai authorities in September 2022. Kirch was apprehended following a raid on a Pattaya nightclub, Cobra Beer Bar. The nightclub was owned by a 60 year old British man, and his 42 year old Thai spouse, both of whom were detained on child trafficking charges. Kirch’s arrest occurred in his Pattaya hotel room on September 24, 2022.

Kirch claimed to have paid approximately 700,000 baht for bail and legal charges, in addition to 1 million baht in cash to officials. He left for Frankfurt seven days post-charge.

In his documentary interview, Kirch admitted to engaging in sexual activities with an underage girl from the bar. He fled Thailand out of fear of unjust treatment by the police. He cited the filing of charges against him in the Thai language as one such instance.

Police Lieutenant General Somprasong Yentuam confirmed yesterday, December 3, that the police are looking into who accepted the bribe. The investigation is expected to conclude within seven days.

Kirch was able to leave Thailand as there were no conditions attached to his bail. In a letter dated November 7 last year, the Pattaya Court permitted Kirch to travel for business reasons, given that he resided in Thailand, had a Thai spouse, and ran a business in the country. He was instructed to report back on November 14, or risk forfeiting his 500,000 baht bail money. However, Kirch failed to honour the bail conditions.

Police forwarded his case to the Pattaya state prosecutor on December 13 last year for further legal action, reported Bangkok Post.

Thanyawat Kamolwongwat, a list MP from the Move Forward Party (MFP), argued that the documentary presented factual information on sex workers, contradicting Thai media’s denial of the presence of prostitutes in Pattaya.

According to Kamolwongwat, the illegality of sex work creates opportunities for authorities to demand bribes. He advocated for the legalisation of sex work as a potential solution, which would also benefit the workers, reported Bangkok Post.

In related news, prominent figures within the Bang Pla subdistrict administrative organisation (TAO) have been arrested over allegations of demanding bribes of 2.3 million baht for a land excavation and landfill permit.