Lite Beer Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Phuket mayor denies five more taxi mafia chargesTanyaluk SakootPHUKET: Karon Mayor Thawee Thongcham today (July 15) surrendered yet again at Phuket City Police Station to answer to five more charges relating to his involvement with mafia taxi activity.Mayor Thawee (left) at the police station today with his lawyer.PHUKET: -- The latest charges come after the investigators found that Thawee was involved in illegally supporting five taxi stands in Kata-Karon area that were occupying public land. These were in front of Club Med, Avista Phuket Resort & Spa, Peach Hill Resort, Casa Del Sol Hotel and Baumanburi Phuket Resort.Investigations revealed that each of these illegal stands had to pay “rent” every month.Maj Gen Paween Pongsirin, who is heading the crackdown on mafia taxi activities and the associated criminal activities such as money laundering, told The Phuket News today, “We will also think about charging other officials – deputy mayors Itthipon Sangkeaw and Sompong Dapphet, town clerk (palad) Veerasak Anek-wongsawat, and the town’s engineering and planning department chief Wanchai Saetan – in connection with these latest discoveries.“Thawee surrendered today to answer all five charges. He has denied all of them.”Gen Paween said that he also expects to bring further charges against Thawee under Section 309 of the Criminal Law Code.Section 309 of the Code states, “Whoever compels the other person to do or not to do any act, or to suffer any thing by putting him in fear of injury to life, body, liberty, reputation or property of him or another person, or commits violence so that he does or does not do such act, or suffers such thing, shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding three years or fined not exceeding six thousand Baht, or both.“If the offence according to the first paragraph be committed by making use of arms or by five persons upwards participating, or it be committed in order that the compelled person shall execute, revoke, damage or destroy any document or right, the offender shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding five years or fined not exceeding ten thousand Baht, or both.”Gen Paween declined to give details, on the record, of why this charge will be brought against Thawee.“We have almost completed compiling our cases covering [Kata-Karon] for handing over to the Phuket Provincial Prosecutor. We will be focusing our investigation on other areas of Phuket soon.”Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-mayor-denies-five-more-taxi-mafia-charges-47361.php -- Phuket News 2014-07-15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transam Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Wow, hmmmm, looks like Mercs up for auction soon....... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post steelepulse Posted July 15, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted July 15, 2014 He's definitely guilty of these charges and more. Of course he charged rent, and in return for this rent, the taxi tuk tuk thugs got away with whatever they wanted to do. I saw these thugs many times break the law and assault people, then if one of their own caused a wreck, they ganged up on the poor tourist or local and told them to go if they knew what was good for them. Without these guys paying rent and being protected, they wouldn't have acted as they did for years. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iReason Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 It's just comical. ..."shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding three years or fined not exceeding six thousand Baht, or both." Can they at least change that first? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazza5335 Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Does this mean, if he is found guilty, that he will have to give up as Mayor....? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Confuscious Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Does this mean, if he is found guilty, that he will have to give up as Mayor....? How long are you in Thailand? The Mayor will pay 6,000 Baht and go home as if nothing happened. As it is his first offense, he will not have to go to jail. Case cleared. Next case. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmitch Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Don't think a 6,000 baht fine will interrupt his new hotel project (allegedly), on Patak Road behind Kata Post Office. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post steelepulse Posted July 15, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted July 15, 2014 Does this mean, if he is found guilty, that he will have to give up as Mayor....? How long are you in Thailand? The Mayor will pay 6,000 Baht and go home as if nothing happened. As it is his first offense, he will not have to go to jail. Case cleared. Next case. Combine these charges with the other charges leveled against him last month, and I seriously doubt he'll get a small fine and a rap on the knuckles. The military and prosecutors need to make examples out of crooked local politicians that have abused their power for personal financial gain. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eezergood Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Wait till they get to the ex mayor of patong! ..... Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenBravo Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Wait till they get to the ex mayor of patong! ..... Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app Yes, rather puzzling that they go for the mayor of Karon, but, not of Patong, Surin and other west coast beaches. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTom911 Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 (edited) I once attended a grand opening of a new luxury car outlet in Phuket, with the "big shots" of Phuket attending of course... and during the ceremony they proudly announced that one of the big shots just "bought" a Bentley.... and drove home with it.... (pure speculation, not that I would know the details, but I would be surprised if that Bentley would have cost the big shot more than a beer......) Not that "the facts" were any surprise, but I was just gobsmacked how brazenly and "stupidly proud" that was "announced" publicly, with TV running, they OBVIOUSLY did not fear a thing can happen to them... Edited July 16, 2014 by TTom911 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinginKata Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Wait till they get to the ex mayor of patong! ..... Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app Yes, rather puzzling that they go for the mayor of Karon, but, not of Patong, Surin and other west coast beaches. Let's wait an see. Karon mayor was an easy target, I assume the army are collecting evidence about Pian and his son. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenl Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Wait till they get to the ex mayor of patong! ..... Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app Yes, rather puzzling that they go for the mayor of Karon, but, not of Patong, Surin and other west coast beaches. Let's wait an see. Karon mayor was an easy target, I assume the army are collecting evidence about Pian and his son. I think so as well. Once they started digging they came up with more and more. Once they start digging in Patong they'll come up with lots of things as well. They really are serious, who would have thought this would ever happen only a few months ago? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outsider Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 No smoke without fire... just saying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manhood Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Many officials are involved in crimes in this country but they don't have to fear anything: the fine is that small compare to the money they make with their crimes they can laugh on that....and nobody is pushed to step down from his function! As this is not changeing the same procedure will go on and the work of NCPO (i adore what these military guys are doing) is running into a dead end! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NamKangMan Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Wait till they get to the ex mayor of patong! ..... Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app Yes, rather puzzling that they go for the mayor of Karon, but, not of Patong, Surin and other west coast beaches. Let's wait an see. Karon mayor was an easy target, I assume the army are collecting evidence about Pian and his son. Pian and his son are master criminals. They have covered their tracks very well. They were always in the shadows. It will be very hard for the Army to find any evidence implicating them to any crime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wabothai Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 I see nothing, i did nothing and i know nothing. Where did i hear this before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinginKata Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Pian and his son are master criminals. They have covered their tracks very well. They were always in the shadows. It will be very hard for the Army to find any evidence implicating them to any crime. Any evidence you have to support your claim that 'They have covered their tracks vey well' ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenl Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Pian and his son are master criminals. They have covered their tracks very well. They were always in the shadows. It will be very hard for the Army to find any evidence implicating them to any crime. Any evidence you have to support your claim that 'They have covered their tracks vey well' ? Maybe he knows where and how the money flows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenBravo Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Thais don't seem to have any moral qualms ratting out their mates. They will get him in the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NamKangMan Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 (edited) Pian and his son are master criminals. They have covered their tracks very well. They were always in the shadows. It will be very hard for the Army to find any evidence implicating them to any crime. Any evidence you have to support your claim that 'They have covered their tracks vey well' ? Just being sarcastic. Just look at The Chiang Pool Club for example. Open Buddha Days. Open when the Bangkok Police come to Phuket and shut everything at 2am, but not The Chiang Club, allowed to stay open pretty much 24/7. Nothing clandestine about that. The son is at the top of the taxis and tuk-tuks association. Look at the untold damage transport has done to the tourism industry on Phuket through monopoly, collusion and violence that he reigns over. They have operated in full public view and with impunity for years, and in Pian's case, for decades. It shouldn't be too hard to gather evidence on criminals that thought they were above the law. Edited July 16, 2014 by NamKangMan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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