OVER 80 Immigration police including three holding the rank of major general will be summoned for questioning for allegedly helping a group of Chinese grey capitalists reside in Thailand, Naewna newspaper said today (Jan. 16).
Deputy National Police Chief Pol. Lt. Gen. Surachate Hakparn, whose nickname is Big Joke, said a meeting will be held this week on this case with two of the three major generals being fellow officers of the Royal Police Cadet Academy, Class 47, the same class as a Deputy Commissioner of Police.
Initially they will be charged with violating Section 157 of the Criminal Code for allegedly demanding or agreeing to accept assets or other benefits for oneself or others and wrongfully acting or not acting in keeping with their position.
Although the number of police suspects is large, yet the Immigration force totals over 20,000 officers and eliminating the corrupt officers will strengthen it, Pol. Lt. Gen. Surachate said.
This investigation stemmed from over 1,000 cases in the North and over 3,000 cases in the Northeast where Chinese citizens were issued student visas or had their visas extended to reside in the country through a foundation.
Earlier Pol. Gen. Surachet said 191 and Department of Special Investigation (DSI) police had on Dec. 22 raided a house in Thungmahamek claimed to be the residence of former consul of Republic of Nauru, an island country and microstate in Oceania, used as a hideout of illegal Chinese immigrants but all but one suspect were released in return for kickbacks, INN News said.
An interpreter was sent to a nearby petrol pump to receive 4 million baht from a Chinese representative after which a report was filed that only 2.5 million baht was seized in the raid and Ms. Xiang Yang, the caretaker of the house, was taken to Thungmahamek police station for further legal action.
Subsequently the investigators asked the court to issue arrest warrants for 16 suspects for demanding or agreeing to accept assets or any other benefits for themselves or others as well as many other charges. All the suspects denied the charges and have been released on bail.
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Top: The Thai police force is being shaken by the Chinese grey capitalist cases. Photo: Thai Rath
Deputy National Police Chief Pol. Lt. Gen. Surachate Hakparn. Inserted photo: INN News, Front Page photo: Matichon Weekly
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