Thai Air Force officer arrested in US freed as diplomatic immunity kicks in
A Thai group captain briefly detained in New York over the weekend following a prostitution bust was promptly freed because he has diplomatic immunity, the New York Post online reported on April 15.
Police from the Manhattan South vice squad collared the Thai officer at the Marriott on Lexington Avenue around 11pm for allegedly patronising a prostitute late Saturday, the online news site reported, quoting the New York Police Department.
The officer was released shortly after midnight Sunday, once officials confirmed his diplomatic immunity.
The site quoted police as saying that the officer is a brigadier general in the Thai Royal Air Force. No such rank exists, but a man with a similar name is a group captain in the branch.
Police could not immediately confirm they were the same person.
The Post quoted a source as saying that the arrest was part of an NYPD “hotel operation” to catch men soliciting prostitutes, a source said.
It was not immediately clear if the officer was staying at the Midtown hotel or had only gone to meet the fake prostitute.
The NYPD has been posting fake ads for hookers and arresting men who show up for dates. In some cases, the police texted guys who never showed up and revealed they got lucky – by avoiding arrest.