By Thai Newsroom Reporters
POLITICIANS AND GOVERNMENT personnel were today (Dec.14) suspected of involvement in the smuggling of pork into the country, according to House Committee on Agriculture chair Sakdinai Noomnoo.
Whilst the unnamed politicians allegedly involved in the smuggling of pork are yet to be questioned and brought to justice, some unnamed officials of the Customs Department and Livestock Department had allegedly failed to submit documents pertaining to imported volumes of pork at Laem Chabang port, the House committee chair said today (Dec.14).
The Department of Special Investigation which has launched an in-depth probe into pork smuggling rackets has not as yet been given the necessary documents from the Customs Department officials tasked with the importing of meats at the eastern seaboard port, Sakdinai said.
The House committee chair said he doubted the smuggled pork which had been earlier seized by the authorities may have been destroyed as claimed by officials of the Livestock Department and probably have been retrieved for sale to domestic markets.
However, members of the House Committee on Agriculture are visiting Laem Chabang port tomorrow (Dec.15) to look into the alleged misconduct on the part of any suspected officials.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has earlier blamed the DSI and other government agencies for failing to track down a “big shot” who may have masterminded the smuggling of pork and other meats, which has already resulted in the lowering of the prices of the domestically produced meats.
The pork smuggling scandals had prompted a recent transfer of Suriya Singhakamon from the post of director-general of the DSI shortly after he had led a raid on a Makro discount store to inspect the imported meats.
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Top and Front Page: Smuggled pork seized on Nov. 16, 2023. Photos: Thai Rath
Insert: House Committee on Agriculture chair Sakdinai Noomnoo. File photo: Matichon
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