Owners of entertainment venues face host of charges
POLICE will press as many as 13 charges against the owners of two entertainment venues whose bosses allegedly hired underage prostitutes, including illegal migrants.
The two venues, The Best and Harlem, are located in Bangkok.
Both businesses have been slapped with a five-year closure order based on the findings of preliminary investigations.
A special taskforce from the Interior Minister led raids at the venues on Thursday in response to a complaint that they engaged in pornographic shows and prostitution.
The complaint was filed via a government complaint-receiving centre.
Staff at Harlem identified Wattana Pupaijitkul as the owner, an informed source said.
“The owner of The Best at this point is identified only as Koo,” the source added.
Many suspects, including the managers of the venues and the alleged pimps and prostitutes, were arrested and handed over to the Bang Sue Police Station.
Relevant officials are trying to identify if there are any victims of human trafficking.
Some girls found at the bars are younger than 18. Among them are a 16-year-old Laotian and a 17-year-old Myanmar national.
National Police Office deputy spokesman Maj-General Songpol Wattanachai disclosed yesterday that a fact-finding committee was looking into whether local police had been negligent in allowing the venues to operate.
“If the investigation finds grounds for negligence, local police involved will face both criminal and disciplinary proceedings,” he said.
Metropolitan Police Division 2 deputy commander Colonel Sarawut Jindakham heads the committee.
Meanwhile, Centre for National Anti-Corruption (CNAC) chairman General Paiboon Koomchaya disclosed yesterday that he would invite public prosecutors to join committees to double check the results of probes that cleared several officials accused of human trafficking and bribery.
The probes were conducted by the accused officials’ agencies, with the officials back in their old posts after being transferred when the allegations surfaced.
Exercising his power as the National Council for Peace and Order chief, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha on Thursday gave the CNAC the power to look into the matter.
“We will start with human-trafficking cases such as shrimp operations in Samut Sakhon,” said Paiboon, who is also justice minister.
Paiboon said if the investigation came to a different conclusion concerning the guilt of the officials, the chiefs of the agencies that conducted the probes would have to take responsibility for what occurred.
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