Thai officers uncover police corruption & drug use
Several Thai officers from the Lad Yao Police Station in the central province of Nakhon Sawan sent a letter to the Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police (RTP), Torsak Sookwimon, revealing mass corruption and drug-related activities in their department.
Last Saturday, October 29, Thai media reported that a non-commissioned police officer from Lad Yao Police Station sent five complaints to the RTP. The five complaints are stated below:
- Officers at Lad Yao Police Station use drugs (amphetamine). When they are high on drugs, they play with their guns and often accidentally fire shots, especially when the superintendent finishes work.
- The Patrol Police office is not for work, it is used for parties. Some officers throw parties at the office every evening. Officers who don’t join the fun have to find another place to work. One police lieutenant general modified the electricity meter to ensure the bill is only 1,000 baht a month despite two air conditioners being used 24 hours every day.
- There are 10 patrol police checkpoints where locals pay separately for the special investigation services of the area. Several officers swindled tens of thousands of baht from locals but they did not do the work promised. The officers who did the work got only 500 baht.
- High-ranking officers never went out on patrol. They ask low-ranked officers to go instead.
- The chiefs ignore the prostitution of children under 15 years old at restaurants and entertainment venues, especially at Tee Derm, and Peunjaeng restaurants. Those places pay 3,000 baht to officers to continue their businesses. The Provincial Administration Department raided a restaurant for human trafficking on August 10, but police from Lad Yao Police Station helped the restaurant owner escape prosecution.
The Bangkok Biz News reported that the superintendent of the Lad Yao Police Station, Wattanakit Chalaoprakone, denied all of the accusations, saying he never heard or saw any drug use or gun abuse under his one-year charge. Wattanakit said that every police officer took a drug test on October 12 and everyone was clear.
Wattanakit promised that he would conduct a further investigation into the rest of the accusations and reveal the result to the public within two to three days.
