Three police in far North face dismissal after warrants issued for gang rape of minor

[webfact]

Three police in far North face dismissal after warrants issued for gang rape of minor
By The Nation

 

 

MAE HONG SON: -- ARREST WARRANTS have been issued for three police officers from Kong Koy precinct in Mae Sariang district as part of the investigation into the scandal involving the forced prostitution of girls under 18 in Mae Hong Son.

 

Deputy national police commissioner General Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said yesterday that the Mae Hong Son Court had approved warrants for three policemen over allegations they were involved in the gang rape of a minor. 

 

The three would also be dismissed from the civil service due to the serious breach of discipline, Srivara said, adding that investigators would soon apply for more arrest warrants for at least eight individuals, he said.

 

The warrants were issued as advocates for children and women’s rights urged the government yesterday to punish those involved in the scandal involving the forced prostitution of girls under 18 in Mae Hong Son that reportedly catered to state officials. 

 

They called for accused Mae Hong Song governor Suebsak Iamwichan and policemen to be transferred out of the northern province to prevent any abuse of power or interference in the investigation.

 

The call for the transfers was part of four demands made yesterday during a press conference after a seminar on the matter at the Thai Journalists Association in Bangkok.

 

According to Thicha na Nakhon, director of the Ban Kanchanapisek juvenile centre, the three other demands were a call for the Royal Thai Police to speedily proceed with criminal prosecution of those involved, a call for the government to allow representatives of children and women’s groups to take part in a |fact-finding probe, and a call for the Justice Ministry to provide protection to witnesses, as the information they provide could be useful in future human |trafficking cases.

 

The child sex scandal was revealed by a 43-year-old former police informant who was seeking justice for her teenage daughter, who was allegedly lured into taking drugs and coerced into prostitution. The woman filed a complaint |yesterday at the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok against Mae Hong Song police chief Pol Maj-General Preecha Wimonchaijit, Muang Mae Hong Son precinct superintendent Somkiat Sawngsuk and police investigators who |previously handled the case. 

 

The woman, whose name was withheld, accused the officers of malfeasance in office, as she felt that she did not get justice in the case, her lawyer Kerdpol Kaewkerd said. 

 

He said the woman’s complaint against forced prostitution suspect, Senior Sgt-Major Yutthachai Thongchat of the Nam Piang Din precinct, led to a fact-finding probe by four officers. The investigation ended abruptly as the officers claimed they found no wrongdoing. This was contrary to the Anti-Human Trafficking Division (AHTD)’s probe later that led to arrest warrants issued last week for Yutthachai and two women.

 

A police source revealed that two women accused of procuring girls aged under 18 into forced sex work had been interrogated and were sent to Bangkok on Sunday to face legal action by the AHTD. 

 

The AHTD said if the women implicated state officials in the scandal, arrest warrants would be issued.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30313935

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-05-02

[canuckamuck]

So no jail time for anyone? No foreigners, poor people, or hill tribes involved then.

[AGareth2]

the culture of impunity has to be stopped

you have to start somewhere

 

[wakeupplease]

Someone up top is getting very nervous, do you remember Spain or France? Perhaps not tick tock

[tomwct]

No warrants for Governor or School Director? I wonder why? Also, need to investigate Field Trips from high government officials visiting Mae Hon Son from Bangkok. I think many more warrants are needed!

[colinneil]

Three policemen face dismissal, just the tip of the iceberg.

Dismiss three lowly perpetrators, just as a smoke screen.

What about all the other more senior men involved????

[darksidedog]

11 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Three policemen face dismissal, just the tip of the iceberg.

Dismiss three lowly perpetrators, just as a smoke screen.

What about all the other more senior men involved????

Agreed. This has been a story about "senior' people, not lowly coppers. The cover up has clearly started.

[davehowden]

Dismissal, preposterous, what happened to "inactive posts"

[jimstar1]

Oh a Change not sent to inactive post  the mind Boggles

[Retiredandhappyhere]

Let us hope that the media keep on this case so that the powers that be are forced to name and arrest the more senior officers and officials who were involved.  In the past the media seem to have lost interest in many important cases after a few weeks and the authorities sometimes get away with murder.  No doubt, pressure exerted on the press in the past has had the desired effect as far as the Government is concerned but, hopefully, with the help of other forms of media now, things will change.

 

What developments, if any, have been reported on the half-hearted pursuit of the infamous monk?  That seems to be one example of a case which has recently slipped under the radar and also the Phuket land official who supposedly hanged himself in prison despite contrary hospital evidence?   There are many other such cases of course, such as the one involving sons of policemen who murdered the disabled man a few months ago, but someone should perhaps risk writing a book about them all to bring them all to the world's attention.

[sanukjim]

2 hours ago, tomwct said:

No warrants for Governor or School Director? I wonder why? Also, need to investigate Field Trips from high government officials visiting Mae Hon Son from Bangkok. I think many more warrants are needed!

If the governor is indicted then he might spill some secrets about other illegal dealings he (may have) been involved in with the present administration".So Sorry no can do".

[Happyman58]

Must of found a judge that is not involved and he issued the warrants  How about sending the 3 cops to jail Dont worry these 3 cops are just taking the fall for bigger fish involved But its a start i guess When does all this corruption ever stop?

[Happyman58]

6 hours ago, tomwct said:

No warrants for Governor or School Director? I wonder why? Also, need to investigate Field Trips from high government officials visiting Mae Hon Son from Bangkok. I think many more warrants are needed!

The only warrants you will see are the ones that dont warrant delivery and never will be delivered. The Apple tree is really rotten from top to bottom

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Nice to see some Thai citizen / activist groups are getting involved. The more pressure/attention that is put on the government and the police HQ in BKK on this, the better. It's only when Thais themselves start demanding better of their government, and less of the usual nonsense, that things are going to get any better and people held accountable for their actions.

[Geordie59]

15 years (reduced to 5 eventually) for picking mushrooms in a national park and what for rape of a minor and forcing women into prostitution?
So far they lost their jobs in the police and I wouldn't mind betting that is all they get. They might even get reinstated after a sham court appearance due to lack of evidence i.e. witness intimidation.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 minutes ago, Geordie59 said:

So far they lost their jobs in the police and I wouldn't mind betting that is all they get. They might even get reinstated after a sham court appearance due to lack of evidence i.e. witness intimidation.

 

Or immediately out on bail and then somehow disappear... One of the prior articles said some of those suspects already contacted by police had been warned to begin preparing their bail funds before they were actually arrested.

 

And then, drag out the case unresolved until no one is paying attention to it in the news anymore, or the news folks are told NOT to pay attention to it anymore...

 

Or, give quick, light sentences to a few low-level sorts, and quickly declare the case solved and move on -- leaving ignored whatever influential VIP sorts might have been involved.

 

Those kinds of things seem to be par for the course here.

 

[chrisinth]

It seems obvious to everyone that isn't hiding behind the cloak of corruption, that a proper investigation by a neutral body is needed.

 

IMO, they should start with the money trails and get people to explain the unexplained.

 

A poster earlier said that it has to start somewhere, this is a perfect opportunity. Again, IMO.

[docshock13]

"The AHTD said if the women implicated state officials in the scandal, arrest warrants would be issued."

 

For whom? 

[ChakaKhan]

trust me--im thai....

[sandemara]

Behaviour of authorities directing this matter is getting more laughable. Three police officers involved are to be dismissed? Wow.  The names of other powerful and privileged officials are slowly being erased from the public record.  What are the messages authorities sending to the general Thai public every  time they issue another fatuous statement. Do some in authority believe it's a privilege for members of the common herd to be raped, enslaved by the rich and powerful? It's hard to avoid such a conclusion.  A sick, distorted society seems to just stumble on.