Police extortion

To prevent getting scammed on your travel around Isaan and Thailand knowledge of what happened to others might help. PLease post your info here, what you experienced in Korat or Isaan that others told should be about to avoid stepping in the same trap and that could help make expat and tourist life safer.
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Police extortion

Ungelesener Beitragvon KoratCat » Fr Jan 25, 2008 8:05 pm

8 police arrested for kidnapping 3 civilians

(BangkokPost.com) - Eight police officers and four civilians were arrested Friday for allegedly kidnapping a wealthy businesswoman and her two children and trying to extort 8.6 million baht, police said.

Police are on the hunt for five other policemen in relation to the crime.

National Police chief Seripisuth Temiyavej signed an order the sacking of the 13 officers in the afternoon.

"We have set up a committee to investigate this case," deputy commander Police Major General Watjanon Tirawat told reporters. "We will continue to protect innocent people from wrongdoers."

Around five or six policemen allegedly entered a condominium of Piengjit Pueng-onn, 42, who owned garment factory, and falsely accused her of drugs offences. They kidnapped her and her two sons, aged 10 and 15.

The three were put in an apartment in Bangkok and were released on Wednesday after Mrs Piengjit gave withdrew 8.6 million baht from bank accounts and ATM for them.

After being freed, Mrs Piengjit reported the crime to police, who began tracking down the suspects.

Police seized 5.9 million baht and eight guns from them.

Bangkok Post Jan. 25, 2008

Anybody wonders?
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Re: Police kidnapping gang

Ungelesener Beitragvon KoratCat » Mo Jan 28, 2008 2:48 pm

Drug cases involving 'abductors' reopened

The Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) is reinvestigating drugs cases closed by police officers arrested last week over the kidnapping of a wealthy Bangkok divorcee.

The alleged kidnappers were led by border police officer Captain Nat Chonniti-wanich and other officers based in Chumphon. Their victim, Piengjit Peung-on, told police she had been abducted by the gang and released last Wednesday only after she emptied her bank accounts of more than Bt8 million.

As of yesterday, many more people, including a Chinese man, stepped forward to testify that they were also victims of these rogue policemen.

"We are now reinvestigating all cases handled by these policemen," ONCB secretary general Kitti Limchaikij said yesterday.

He admitted there had been many complaints against Nat and his accomplices.

On Saturday, a Trang couple accused the gang of abducting, robbing, torturing and forcing them to confess to bogus drug charges on January 6.

In one case, Pranom Changkham said she was sent to Samut Prakan Prison to face drug charges after Nat's gang abducted her and she could not pay a ransom.

"We have just interrogated a woman," Kitti said, adding that she was now awaiting trial.

Kitti said Nat's superior officer would face investigation over why the gang was allowed to operate in Bangkok without the permission or knowledge of local police. He said the investigation on this part would start on Monday.

Superior Colonel Singhanart Seekakaew denied any knowledge of his rogue officer's activities.

"I was appointed superintendent of the unit last October. Before I assumed the post, I was in charge of civilian affairs and a border-patrol police school," Singhanart said.

Had he been aware of the gang's activities, he would have taken action, he said.

"I cannot deny responsibility because I am their superior," he added. "But I am not worried because I am honest."

Meanwhile, 33-year-old Pinyo Sirawilakpakdee yesterday turned himself in to police but denied colluding with Nat's gang in extorting money from kidnap victims.

Pinyo and his girlfriend were implicated after evidence emerged that Piengjit's cash was transferred to their bank accounts.

Speaking to investigators at Bang Phlat Police Station, Pinyo said Nat's gang kidnapped him and his girlfriend, forced them to pay Bt50,000 in ransom and to open bank accounts with ATM cards. Pinyo and his girlfriend had no knowledge about the bank accounts' transactions after that.

[url=Drug cases involving 'abductors' reopened
The Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) is reinvestigating drugs cases closed by police officers arrested last week over the kidnapping of a wealthy Bangkok divorcee.

Published on January 28, 2008


The alleged kidnappers were led by border police officer Captain Nat Chonniti-wanich and other officers based in Chumphon. Their victim, Piengjit Peung-on, told police she had been abducted by the gang and released last Wednesday only after she emptied her bank accounts of more than Bt8 million.

As of yesterday, many more people, including a Chinese man, stepped forward to testify that they were also victims of these rogue policemen.

"We are now reinvestigating all cases handled by these policemen," ONCB secretary general Kitti Limchaikij said yesterday.

He admitted there had been many complaints against Nat and his accomplices.

On Saturday, a Trang couple accused the gang of abducting, robbing, torturing and forcing them to confess to bogus drug charges on January 6.

In one case, Pranom Changkham said she was sent to Samut Prakan Prison to face drug charges after Nat's gang abducted her and she could not pay a ransom.

"We have just interrogated a woman," Kitti said, adding that she was now awaiting trial.

Kitti said Nat's superior officer would face investigation over why the gang was allowed to operate in Bangkok without the permission or knowledge of local police. He said the investigation on this part would start on Monday.

Superior Colonel Singhanart Seekakaew denied any knowledge of his rogue officer's activities.

"I was appointed superintendent of the unit last October. Before I assumed the post, I was in charge of civilian affairs and a border-patrol police school," Singhanart said.

Had he been aware of the gang's activities, he would have taken action, he said.

"I cannot deny responsibility because I am their superior," he added. "But I am not worried because I am honest."

Meanwhile, 33-year-old Pinyo Sirawilakpakdee yesterday turned himself in to police but denied colluding with Nat's gang in extorting money from kidnap victims.

Pinyo and his girlfriend were implicated after evidence emerged that Piengjit's cash was transferred to their bank accounts.

Speaking to investigators at Bang Phlat Police Station, Pinyo said Nat's gang kidnapped him and his girlfriend, forced them to pay Bt50,000 in ransom and to open bank accounts with ATM cards. Pinyo and his girlfriend had no knowledge about the bank accounts' transactions after that. ]The Nation Jan. 28, 2008[/url]
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Re: Police kidnapping gang

Ungelesener Beitragvon KoratCat » Di Jan 29, 2008 11:16 am

More charges levelled against border police gang

Four groups of people came forward yesterday to outline cases to Bang Phlat police in Bangkok that they were also victims of the alleged gang led by "rogue" border police officer Captain Nat Chonnitiwanich.

The city police chief said the gang allegedly had the support of senior officers, but vowed the investigation should nevertheless yield results within three days.

A young couple from Surat Thani, identified only as Pongchai and Nareumol, told police that Nat and three or four accomplices broke into their home on August 4 last year, claiming to have found seven kilograms of marijuana there. Despite their denial, the team seized their Toyota pick-up truck as evidence and took the pair to a bungalow in Tambon Bang Kung in Muang Surat Thani.

The couple claimed they saw 20 other victims assaulted at the bungalow. They said they were also beaten and forced to make a confession "or be killed".

They were then taken to Bangkok and forced to participate in a ya ba "sting" operation in the Phaholyothin area, before being sent to the Narcotics Suppression Bureau along with the "evidence" truck.

The narcotics bureau submitted the case to Surat Thani Court, but the couple's pick-up was not sent to the Narcotics Control Office Region 8 as Nat claimed, they said. The couple later learned via news reports about the abduction last week of a Bangkok divorcee their truck was one of two vehicles used in that crime.

They said they wanted their truck back and evidence of Nat and his team's alleged abuse of authority from Bangkok police, so they could ask Surat Thani Court to postpone its ruling, due to be delivered today.

A second pair of "victims", Krisada and Natthapat Plerng-songkhro, told police Nat and his team raided their home on April 24, 2005, in Muang Pathum Thani and robbed them of Bt540,000 in cash, gold ornaments weighing 30 baht and a Ruger rifle. The team locked Natthapat in the home with her sister and nephew, before speeding off.

Natthapat later lodged a complaint with Pakkhlong Rangsit police, saying a rogue police gang robbed them. But officers at the station only agreed to put the complaint on their records. Her family was then reportedly stalked by local police because of suspicions of drug trafficking. So they decided to move to Nonthaburi's Pak Kret district.

Later, another team of police raided their Pak Kret home and arrested her husband on a bogus charge of possessing three ya ba tablets, Natthapat said. Her husband is still fighting the case.

Natthapat identified Nat from a picture, and said he was the person who held a gun to her head during the alleged robbery.

Bang Phlat police suggested they also file a complaint with Pathum Thani police, where the alleged robbery took place.

The third case took place in Prachuap Khiri Khan on December 17. Parinda Thongloy, 40, said her ex-husband Monchai Khemthong, 46, was charged by Nat and his gang with having 1,400 ya ba tablets in his possession.

Still on good terms after a divorce, she insisted her ex-husband, who works as a fish delivery-man, never had anything to do with drugs. She claimed the gang beat up Monchai and forced him at gunpoint to "confess" at a motel in Bang Saphan Yai. She showed pictures of Monchai's injuries and said he was in the provincial prison.

The fourth case came from a Bangkok-based silver jewellery seller. Juthaporn Noorod, 34, showed up at the police station with her two-month-old baby and lawyer Kwanchai Chotiphan. She accused Nat and his team of abduction, bogus drug charges and extortion. She said her nephew Pairat Meunpol, 25, was arrested in Thung Song district and violently beaten by Nat's team until he "confessed" to possession 200 ya ba tablets and implicated Juthaporn as an accomplice.

On February 4 last year, Nat's team brought Pairat to Bangkok to lure Juthaporn, then two-months pregnant, out to Soi Wat Muang on Petchkasem Road. She said the team accused her of drug trafficking and forced 800 ya ba tablets on her person. The team then took her to the Green Inn Hotel in Petchkasem Soi 81 and tortured her with electric shocks all night, despite her plea of pregnancy, until she "confessed". Pairat and Juthaporn were then taken to Nong Khai, where the team extorted Bt100,000 and took the gold ornaments Juthaporn had on, claiming they needed them to fund a sting operation. She said nothing was returned.

On February 8, the two were sent to the Narcotics Control Bureau to face drug charges. Her nephew "confessed" to the charges due to lack of money to fight the case, but Juthamas maintained innocence. She was detained at Thon Buri Special Prison where she gave birth to her child on October 11, before the court acquitted her on October 29.

National police chief Seripisut Temiyavej said he had assigned deputy police chief Pol Gen Thani Somboonsap to oversee the case. He instructed investigators to review all crimes the suspects were allegedly involved in. He also ordered them to check on Nat's claim he has shared some of the proceeds of his crimes with his supervisors.

Seripisut said this abuse of authority should be severely punished.

Metropolitan police chief Assawin Kwanmuang said he met yesterday with investigators looking into the alleged kidnapping and believed existing evidence should be sufficient for public prosecutors.

Assawin said the father of the border police officer, currently hiding in Chumphon, had contacted Bang Phlat police to arrange his son's surrender.

A woman who was initially identified as an accomplice also turned herself in, claiming she was forced to let the gang use her bank account - a claim the police said sounded convincing.

Assawin has also instructed investigators to include the team's supervisors because the investigation is pointing towards the team getting support from superiors.

News of the kidnapping case, allegedly led by the Chumphon-based border police, gained huge public attention after Bangkok businesswoman Piengjit Peung-on said she was abducted and forced to pay more than Bt8 million before her release last Wednesday.

The Nation Jan. 29, 2008
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Re: Police kidnapping gang

Ungelesener Beitragvon KoratCat » Mi Jan 30, 2008 1:36 pm

CRIME / FORCED CONFESSIONS

Department assists victims of gang of corrupt BPP officers

SUPAWADEE INTHAWONG

The Corrections Department is assisting people claiming to be victims of a gang of corrupt Border Patrol Police (BPP) officers who forced them to admit to possessing drugs, corrections chief Wanchai Rujanawong said yesterday. Mr Wanchai said the department has asked for a list of the victims' names from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB). Department officials will compare the list with the names of prisoners who had earlier petitioned the department, claiming they had been forced to make confessions and were then sent to jail.

If the name of any petitioner on the list matches any name on the ONCB list, the department would help the petitioner revive his or her case.

The move follows the recent arrest of eight BPP officers, members of a gang, led by Pol Capt Nat Chonnithiwanit, who are accused of kidnapping a woman and her two sons and holding them to ransom.

After news reports of the arrest, several people went to the police and claimed they were among the victims of the gang which would collude in the extortion and torture of innocent people, before forcing them to admit to possession of methamphetamine pills. If those victims confessed to possessing drugs, they would be indicted. Some of the victims are said to still be in jail.

Mr Wanchai said the Corrections Department does not have information on the gang's recent victims, who have not been convicted. But they might still be detained in prisons while their cases are before a court.

In most narcotics trafficking cases, suspects would not get bail after arrest. Mr Wanchai suggested that victims who have not been convicted petition the Criminal Court and present to the court evidence of their innocence. Then, if the court granted them bail, the court would tell the warders at their prisons to release them immediately.

In the meantime, Justice permanent secretary Jarun Pukditanakul said officials from the Department of Rights and Liberty Protection have already given assistance to victims of the gang who are facing criminal charges.

However, compensation from his ministry could not match the actual financial damage the gang has allegedly caused to the victims. Mr Jarun suggested the victims file civil suits, seeking additional compensation from the National Police Office, which supervises the BPP.


Bangkok Post Jan. 30, 2008
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Re: Police kidnapping gang

Ungelesener Beitragvon KoratCat » Do Jan 31, 2008 11:01 am

CRIME / POLICE KIDNAPPING GANG

Deputy chief of border patrol unit surrenders, charged, sacked

The deputy chief of the 41st Border Patrol Police (BPP) unit, Surakit Klai-udom, was dismissed from the force yesterday after he surrendered to answer charges of kidnapping and extortion.

An arrest warrant was issued for him on Tuesday over the abduction and ransom of garment factory owner Piangjit Pueng-on and her two sons.

Pol Lt-Col Surakit, 50, denied the charges and any link with the gang allegedly led by Nat Chonnithiwanit rounded up in Bangkok on Friday.

The gang is based in Chumphon province, but operated in Bangkok.

''I know him [Pol Capt Nat], but I did not order anyone to do it,'' Pol Lt-Col Surakit said. He had assigned Pol Capt Nat and his team to a drug case in Bangkok and then attended a course at the police superintendent training school on Jan 6. He had not met him since.

Mrs Piangjit and her two sons were abducted on Jan 20 after she went to a drugs party. The gang pretended to arrest her and extorted money for her release.

She later notified police and said she had been forced to pay 8.7 million baht.

Eight border patrol police and four civilians were arrested on Friday. Five other police officers and one civilian remain at large.

Police spokesman Pongsapat Pongcharoen said police chief Seripisuth Temiyavej had ordered Pol Lt-Col Surakit's immediate dismissal.

Pol Gen Seripisuth also demanded immediate legal action against the corrupt officers if there was enough evidence and an end to the extortion ring.

Eight people claiming to be victims of the gang had come forward, and four or five were about to file complaints, the spokesman said.

The victims would be compensated and their safety ensured.

''As a modern police force, we will ensure better police behaviour. This incident is an important lesson and has greatly shaken public trust,'' Pol Lt-Gen Pongsapat said.

He earlier visited one of the victims, Chutaporn Nunrod, 34, and presented her with cash and a gift basket.

Mrs Chutaporn was abducted, framed with methamphetamine pills and tortured with electric shocks at a motel in Soi Phetkasem 81 in Bangkok in February last year. The court dismissed the case against her in October. She lodged her complaint with Bang Phlad police on Monday after the arrest of the alleged gang members.

Pol Maj-Gen Uayporn Jintaganond, chief of the 2nd narcotics suppression police unit, said his subordinate Pol Lt Saranyu Surinrangsi was abducted and five speed pills planted on him by the gang in October last year. He was detained and tortured in a safe house.

He did not have the two million baht the gang demanded for his release, so he was charged with drug possession.

The police lieutenant was suspended pending an investigation into his counter-complaint against Pol Capt Nat.

Bangkok Post Jan. 31, 2008
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Re: Police kidnapping gang

Ungelesener Beitragvon dutch (†2012) » Do Jan 31, 2008 10:23 pm

After reading stories like this,you wander IF.....there could be farang detained in a similar way??
We read about planting drugs by officials but you most of the time think well......nice story.But obviously it happens :twisted:

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Re: Police kidnapping gang

Ungelesener Beitragvon KoratCat » Fr Feb 01, 2008 9:27 am

KIDNAP GANG / FALSE IMPRISONMENT CLAIMS

More inmates say they were framed by police

Eight inmates have filed complaints with the Corrections Department, claiming they were falsely charged by a gang of Border Patrol policemen led by Pol Capt Nat Chonnithiwanit.

Members of the alleged gang are facing prosecution for allegedly extorting money from their victims and torturing them into confessing to drug trafficking.

Department chief Wanchai Rujanawong said the eight prisoners had separately petitioned the agency.

Of the eight, one prisoner is on remand at Samut Prakan Provincial Prison, another at Khlong Prem Central Prison, five are at the Central Women's Prison and the other is in Trang.

Thanaporn Taeng-orn, the girlfriend of an alleged victim of the gang, said she had sought justice from the Royal Thai Police Office (RTPO) and the Justice Ministry, and is pressing for the release of her boyfriend, Jirat Sarobon.

Juthaporn Noonrod, another alleged victim, called on the prosecution to drop its appeal against her after the lower court acquitted her of drugs charges.

Ms Juthaporn was forced to give birth in prison while being remanded in custody during her trial. She is contemplating suing the RTPO for damages.

Some victims of the gang were yesterday taken by police spokesman Pongsapat Pongcharoen to see justice permanent secretary Jarun Pukditanakul and Suwanna Suwannajutha, director-general of the Department of Rights and Liberty Protection.

Pol Lt-Gen Pongsapat said some of the imprisoned victims may be released temporarily.

So far at least 20 people, mostly from the South and Bangkok, have told authorities they were victims of the gang.

Pol Lt-Gen Pongsapat said the RTPO will take severe disciplinary action against the supervisors of the former officers in the gang, who have now been fired.

The gang is believed to have extorted more than 10 million baht from their victims, he said.

BPP chief Pol Lt-Gen Nipon Siriwong said he has ordered a revamp of the suppression units, particularly those tasked with combating drugs.

National police chief Pol Gen Seripisuth Temiyavej said he would not let the BPP conduct its own disciplinary inquiry against those who colluded with the gang. He has appointed a panel led by a police inspector-general to investigate the officers.

Bangkok Post Feb. 1, 2008
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Re: Police kidnapping gang

Ungelesener Beitragvon KoratCat » Fr Feb 01, 2008 9:48 am

dutch hat geschrieben:After reading stories like this,you wander IF.....there could be farang detained in a similar way??
We read about planting drugs by officials but you most of the time think well......nice story.But obviously it happens :twisted:


As said by senior police officers: ":There are good police and there are bad police."

Reportedly there was a lot of that before the thai government installed the tourist police as an independant unit with better trained and better paid personnel. The Foreign Offices of most of our governments still do warn of extortion, blackmailing and framing by police officers as practised. They advise to make use of the right to immediately contact the embassy in case of an arrest.

But a lot of farangs in Thailand aren't saints either . . . :twisted:
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Re: Police kidnapping gang

Ungelesener Beitragvon KoratCat » Sa Feb 02, 2008 11:33 am

Victims just keep on coming

Five more people on Friday said they were innocent victims of a gang of Border Patrol Police officers who forced them to make false confessions to drug charges and extorted money from them. The gang and leader Nat Chonnithiwanit also face allegations of torture, and claims that victims were imprisoned with false testimony if they failed to pay the ransom.

Chaiwiwat Bunkua, a 33-year-old from Phuket, lodged a complaint with Crime Suppression police on Friday, saying Pol Capt Nat's gang had physically assaulted and detained him and his two friends in September 2006.

Mr Chaiwiwat claimed the gang arrested him along with his friends Sirithep Mingpicharn, 33, and Rewat Rongmuang, 22, on Sept 12, 2006, in Phangnga province, accusing them of trafficking methamphetamines. Mr Chaiwiwat said he and his friends had never been involved with drugs.

He claimed the three were taken to a hotel where they were beaten and tortured until they agreed to make false confessions that they had metham-phetamine pills for sale.

Their trial on charges of trafficking methamphetamines is still before the courts.

Mr Chaiwiwat said he once filed a complaint against the gang at Phuket police station after the incident, but no action was taken.

Nukul Ruangjui, 44, and his wife Somsi Yos-in, 45, from Kanchanaburi have also filed a complaint with Surajit Klai-udom, the deputy superintendent of the 41st BPP unit and Pol Capt Nat's supervisor, accusing him of malfeasance, unlawful detention and robbery.

Mr Nukul alleged Pol Lt-Col Surajit and his associates beat up his son and his son's friend on August 3 last year and forced them to confess that they had 1,182 methamphetamine pills for sale.

Two other people filing similar charges against Pol Capt Nat's gang with Crime Suppression Division police on Friday were named as Chokdee Thong-o, 32 from Krabi, and Jamnong Rungruangma, 50, from Songkhla. Ms Jamnong said she paid extortion money to the gang and was still charged.

In Chumphon, another drug suspect on bail, Somchai Baengbun, 25, lodged a similar complaint against the gang.

Bangkok Post Feb. 2, 2008
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Re: Police kidnapping gang

Ungelesener Beitragvon KoratCat » So Feb 03, 2008 10:38 am

BPP gang cases examined

The Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) will review all drug trafficking cases involving suspects arrested by Nat Chonnithiwanit's gang in the Border Patrol Police and seek the return of cash rewards given to them.

ONCB secretary-general Kitti Limchaikit said members of Pol Capt Nat's band, based in Chumphon, sought cash rewards from the ONCB every time they arrested drug trafficking suspects. The office has already disbursed rewards of over one million baht to them.

The gang has been accused of forcing innocent people to confess to drug trafficking charges, torturing them, and extorting money and valuables from them.

For cases that the gang has not yet been rewarded, the ONCB would suspend disbursements.

The gang, all members of the BPP, faces facing prosecution for allegedly extorting money from the victims and using torture to force them to confess to crimes they did not commit.

The gang is believed to be involved in over 200 such extortion cases. About 30 victims or their relatives have come forward and lodged complaints against Pol Capt Nat and his men. That includes over 20 southern residents from Surat Thani, Chumphon, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Krabi, Phuket and Phangnga.

Nat and the other 11 gang members from the 41st BPP unit in Chumphon were arrested by the Metropolitan Police in Bangkok on Jan 25 for kidnapping Piangjit Pueng-on and her two sons and holding them for 8.7 million baht ransom.

The arrests soon encouraged the other victims to come forward and file extortion complaints against the gang, and led to the sacking on Wednesday of the deputy chief of Nat's unit, Surakit Klai-udomel.

He was dismissed from his post by police chief Pol Gen Seripisuth Temiyavej, who accused him of colluding in the crimes allegedly committed by Nat's gang. Surakit has denied the charges. Six more members of the gang are still at large.

The Metropolitan Police team investigating Nat's gang has summoned for questioning another senior police officer, Pol Lt-Col Chawalit Phetsipia, an investigator at Hat Yai police station in Songkhla. He was implicated by the deputy chief of the 41st BPP unit.

Yesterday two more people from Kanchanaburi and Surat Thani filed complaints against the gang, accusing them of physical assault, unlawful detention, robbery, extortion and forced confession to drug trafficking.

Bangkok Post Feb. 3, 2008

Looks like they got money in any case: either the victim paid off or it was framed with possession of drugs and they got a reward for that. :shock: :shock: :shock:
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Re: Police kidnapping gang

Ungelesener Beitragvon KoratCat » Di Feb 05, 2008 8:28 pm

Number of claimed BPP gang victims rises

(BangkokPost.com) - The Corrections Department found 14 people currently detained in prisons are innocent, and apparent victims of the Border Patrol Police (BPP) gang.


They were accused by the gang of Border Patrol Police of possessing drugs. The gang was arrested in January in relation to the kidnap of a businesswoman and her two sons.


National Police chief Seripisuth Temiyavej has promised a fair investigation into the cases. He accepted that some of the victims have no criminal history. But he added that police will take serious measures against those who invented a story that they were wrongly accused by the gang.


An investigation committee has been set up to look into the cases.


The gang, led by ex-police captain Nat Chonnithiwanit, handled 231 narcotic cases in the South. So far, about 40 victims have filed complaints against Nat's gang, claiming they were tortured and falsely charged with drug dealing.

Bangkok Post Jan. 5, 2008
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Re: Police kidnapping gang

Ungelesener Beitragvon KoratCat » Mi Feb 06, 2008 6:46 pm

80 inmates claim they are falsely charged

(BangkokPost.com) - About 80 inmates detained in prison in Surat Thani province are expected to be victims of border patrol police scandal, Corrections Department chief Wanchai Rujanawong said Wednesday.

Mr Wanchai said he received reports from Surat Thani central prison that 80 prisoners claimed they were forced to accept drug charges filed by the border patrol police extortion gang now in custody.

He said correction department staff are investigating whether the claims are real to make sure real drug offenders do not take this opportunity to get themselves freed.

The claimed innocent victims must file official petition to the police and write detail on how they were arrested.

Bangkok Post Feb. 6, 2008
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Re: Police extortion

Ungelesener Beitragvon KoratCat » Mi Feb 13, 2008 11:14 am

Gang claimed B2.9m rewards

Accused members of the border patrol police extortion gang claimed arrest rewards totalling 2.9 million baht, but gave only 10,000 baht to informants, according to Kitti Limchaikij, secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB). The gang allegedly led by Pol Capt Nat Chonnithiwanit claimed rewards for 390 drug cases in 2005, he said.

The claims were signed by Pol Lt-Col Surakit Khlai-udom, deputy chief of the 41st border patrol police unit in Chumphon province.

He is the superviser of Pol Capt Nat and one of suspects in the case.

Pol Capt Nat received about 200,000 baht of the reward money, Mr Kitti said.

The ONCB is tracking the the money trail as it suspects drug charges may have been falsely laid by the gang to claim rewards.

Meanwhile, payments of reward claims filed by alleged members of the gang that have not been disbursed have been frozen.

Democrat MP for Nakhon Si Thammarat Apichart Sakdiset said three border patrol police officers still being sought on charges of involvement in the gang would surrender in the next few days.

One of the suspects had contacted him and said the three would not surrender at the same time because they could be treated unfairly.They also needed time to find money for bail.

Eight alleged gang members, including Pol Capt Nat, were rounded up in Bangkok on Jan 25 after allegedly extorting 8.7 million baht from businesswoman Piangjit Pueng-on.

Dozens of complaints surfaced after the arrest. Some complainants insisted the gang had brutally forced them to confess to drug trafficking, and later extorted money and valuables from them.

Bangkok Post Feb. 13, 2008
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Re: Police extortion

Ungelesener Beitragvon KoratCat » Di Dez 15, 2009 9:40 pm

Thailand: Convictions of Police in Drug Campaign Abuse a ‘First Step’

Stronger Government Action Needed Against Police Brutality
December 14, 2009

The trial of Captain Nat and his team revealed just how casually police commit abuses. This conviction needs to be followed up by clear action to put an end to police abuses once and for all.
Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch

(New York) - The conviction of eight police officers for crimes in anti-drug operations should be a catalyst for the Thai government to end police abuses, Human Rights Watch said today.

On December 8, 2009, the Talingchan district court in Bangkok found Police Captain Nat Chonnithiwanit and seven other members of the 41st Border Patrol Police (BPP) unit guilty of assault with weapons, illegal detention, and extortion. Each was sentenced to five years of imprisonment.

"The trial of Captain Nat and his team revealed just how casually police commit abuses," said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "This conviction needs to be followed up by clear action to put an end to police abuses once and for all."

Nat and his BPP team were arrested in Bangkok in January 2008 for serious offenses committed over a period of three years. To date, 61 people have filed formal complaints that they or their family members were abused by BPP police under Nat's command.

In the case that led to the convictions, Nat's squad arbitrarily arrested Jutaporn Nunrod in Bangkok on February 8, 2007, and then took her to a "safe house" at the Green Inn Hotel. She was stripped half-naked, subjected to electric shock, severely beaten, and had a plastic bag placed over her head for two days in order to extract a confession that she was involved in drug trafficking. Jutaporn and her family were also forced to give cash and a gold necklace worth 100,000 Thai baht (US$3,000) to Nat.

Other victims of Nat and his squad claim they were subjected to electric shock, had plastic bags placed over their heads, and were severely beaten. Many also claimed they were forced to pay bribes in order to be released or to have lesser charges filed against them.

"These convictions were not an isolated case of rogue officers, but part of chronic problems in police operations that use violence and illegality to fight crimes," said Pearson. "Police in Thailand have long had sweeping powers and have rarely faced punishment for often horrendous misconduct."

Thailand saw the worst police abuses after then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra launched his notorious "war on drugs" campaign in 2003. During this campaign, Thaksin openly pushed police to adopt unlawful measures against drug traffickers.

"There is nothing under the sun which the Thai police cannot do," Thaksin said on January 14, 2003, adding, "You must use iron fist against drugs traffickers and show them no mercy. Because drug traffickers are ruthless to our children, so being ruthless back to them is not a bad thing...If there are deaths among traffickers, it is normal."

In January 2008, a special committee chaired by former Attorney General Khanit na Nakhon found that 2,819 people were killed in 2,559 murder cases between February and April in 2003 as part of Thaksin's "war on drugs." But despite many promises by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to bring those responsible for the "war on drugs" murders and related abuses to justice, no action has ensued. Many police officers implicated in this inquiry and follow-up investigations by the Justice Ministry's Department of Special Investigation remain in office. Many have even been promoted. The failure to hold abusive police accountable makes it more likely that killings, torture, and extortion will happen again, especially in the context of drug suppression operations, said Human Rights Watch.

Thailand continues to face a boom in the use and trafficking of methamphetamines. For that reason, harsh measures against traffickers are politically popular. On December 3, Interior Minister Chavarat Charnvirakul launched a new nation-wide campaign, called "Clean and Seal." This campaign will initially go on for three months and seek to thoroughly "clean up" 16,106 communities of drugs users and traffickers. While traffickers will be arrested and prosecuted, those caught using drugs will be sent to a rehabilitation program at military-style camps run by the Interior Ministry.

"Unrealistic targets set by politicians, combined with deep-rooted police brutality and impunity raise grave concerns about this ‘Clean and Seal' campaign," said Pearson. "To prevent his government from going down the same road as Thaksin, Prime Minister Abhisit should set a new standard by ensuring that abusers will be prosecuted."


Human Rights Watch Dec. 14, 2009
Es gibt nichts Gutes, ausser man tut es! Erich Kästner, 1899 - 1974


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