‘Hi-so’ woman caught in false complaints scandal ‘given official passport by former govt’

Don’s comment was made after an initial probe by Immigration Police of Kai’s travel history found she used a normal Thai passport and a civil servant’s passport, despite no evidence that she ever worked in the civil service.

 Don said the Department of Consular Affairs issued a civil servant’s passport to Kai or Wanthanee Yokwiriyakul after a request from the PM’s Office as she was part of a team working under the PM’s Secretary’s Office. An informed source said Wanthanee was part of a working team under the secretary of former PM’s Office Minister Santi Prompat during the Yingluck Shinawatra administration.

Meanwhile, police conducted a test yesterday at the Bangkok condominium of Wantanee to check her claim – and CCTV “evidence” – that former maid Prapawan “Goi” Jaikla, 19, and her parents stole Bt10 million in gold bars and cash from her. 

The maid strongly denies the claim and says the theft complaint was falsely filed because she refused the woman’s invitations to work abroad. It was later revealed that more former workers faced similar accusations of theft. 

Crime Suppression Division (CSD) deputy superintendent Pol Colonel Chakrit Sawatdee said the CCTV footage showed it took 1.5 minutes to travel from the elevator to the room and back – no time for Goi to steal such items. 

Gold bars plus Bt3 million in cash would also weigh about 10kg, yet the manner in which the suspect carried her bag suggested it was light, he said, adding that their findings would be submitted to court later. 

Chakrit said police were also unsure about claims by Kai, as she had neither served in the civil service nor received any royal decoration. An initial probe by Immigration Police found Kai used a normal Thai passport and a civil servant passport, so CSD officials had asked the Department of Consular Affairs who issued the civil servant’s passport to her.

Metropolitan Police Area 2 chief Pol Maj-General Charoen Srisalak said Kai told Prachacheun police her name was Monta Yokratanakan. But Charoen said a police probe hadn’t found any officer at Prachacheun “involved or favouring” the theft complaint – which led to Goi being detained at a home for three months. Charoen said another case of a former worker for Kai suffering such treatment involved Sukanya Sirimoung, who was jailed for theft. He said Kai claimed an unknown person returned some “stolen” items to her room. Sukanya reportedly confessed and promised to try to return the rest of the “stolen” items. 

 

Three Mae Sariang women make claims

National police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda said police would probe if Kai was backed by senior uniformed officers, as claimed. 

Central Investigation Bureau chief Pol General Thitirat Nonghanpithak said this week should yield clarity on whether Goi stole valuables, while police would check other cases of former workers who might have “confessed” out of pressure. 

Meanwhile, Boonyarit Nipawanich, district clerk at Mae Sariang in Mae Hong Son, urged the Department of Special Investigation’s Northern Operations Centre in Chiang Mai to probe Kai as three young local women also claimed to be |victims. He played an audio clip in which the three testified that they were invited to work at Kai’s home in Bangkok for a salary of Bt7,000 and sponsorship to a nursing school.

But, they only worked as maids and had to accompany Kai to casinos in Laos and Myanmar many times, Boonyarit said, so they asked to go home and Kai allegedly threatened them with a police complaint. 

The family of one girl received a summons, so they had paid Kai Bt30,000 out of fear that the girl would be jailed, he alleged. 

Boonyarit said Kai went to border villages to adopt young good-looking women to work in Bangkok but many had gone back home – and were then hit with criminal accusations. He urged the DSI to probe if Kai’s behaviour was a form of human trafficking.