Cambodian mob injures officers over raid on border
AT LEAST eight Department of Special Investigation (DSI) officials were injured by hundreds of Cambodian vendors at the well-known Rong Kluea market after they tried to arrest a female vendor yesterday for selling counterfeit brand-name perfumes and belts
The raid at the market on the Thai-Cambodian border in Sa Kaew province renewed concerns about unabated violation of intellectual-property rights.
The DSI officers reportedly did not inform local police and military units in advance of the raid, resulting in a chaotic situation. The Cambodian suspect was snatched away by a mob of around 400 of her compatriots after she was arrested by the officers, who confiscated about 10 bags of counterfeit goods.
The DSI team was accompanied by legal representatives of the owners of these brand names during the raid. According to police, there were about 10 officials involved in the raid, which started at around 11am yesterday in front of a shop selling counterfeit perfume and belts near C Building of the Golden Gate Property market in an area better known as Rong Kluea. The woman, named Muay, was in police custody in a truck along with the confiscated items when a large group of Cambodians showed up and demanded that the police release her.
As the situation turned violent and a DSI vehicle was overturned and badly damaged by the mob, police called in a nearby military unit to help restore law and order.
Maj-General Suriya Paowaree, commander of the 19th Army Unit, said the raid turned violent because the DSI team did not seek advance coordination with the local police and military unit, adding that authorities will have to investigate the case and seek punishment for lawbreakers.
Pol Colonel Paisit Wongmuang, the DSI director-general, said the agency would take legal action against those who incited the mob, adding that such a tactic is often used to fight against officials cracking down on the sale of counterfeit goods.
According to the DSI, officials got a search warrant issued by the intellectual-property-rights court to raid the shop operated by the Cambodian. However, a mob of about 400 Cambodians obstructed the raid and injured the officials.
Beside the eight DSI investigators, four local policemen were injured.
The DSI chief said deputy director-general Major Suriya Singha-kamol would pursue this case because the Rong Kluea market is well known for selling fake brand-name products, which violates the country’s laws on intellectual-property rights.
Previously, Thailand was put on a US watch list for failing to enforce the law on intellectual-property rights effectively, which includes violation of brand names, trademarks, copyrights and patents.
Pol Lt-Colonel Chatupat Singhatti, deputy chief of the Klong Leuk police station, which has jurisdiction over the area, said officials were collecting surveillance footage and mobile-phone clips as evidence to take legal action against Cambodians who violated Thai laws, even though many Cambodians who worked at the market decided to leave and return to their homeland after the incident.
