Foreign criminals exploiting police links

The sacking of Senior Sgt-Major Nonthapan Saengsuk, 37, by the head of the Tourist Police Division for allegedly helping two Russians commit a multimillion-baht scam should be a point of concern.

It could also be a sign of things to come.

Tourist Police chief Maj-General Apichai Theamart said a disciplinary probe had been launched against Nonthapan and his superiors. Nonthapan was arrested in Nakhon Ratchasima along with Russian suspects for allegedly conspiring to use fake credit and debit cards to withdraw more than Bt2.9 million from ATM machines around the provincial capital.

Police say the suspects had in their possession more than Bt2.9 million in cash they had allegedly withdrawn over the past week, as well as 328 counterfeit ATM cards.

A search of the Russians’ hotel rooms in Bangkok allegedly then turned up another Bt1.5 million in cash, 31 more fake credit cards and evidence suggesting that Ivanoff had withdrawn about Bt65 million since his recent arrival in Thailand. A manhunt for their accomplices has been launched.

While the police have taken firm action to root out corruption in their ranks, the tough talk from a senior officer sounds all-too familiar. The sad reality is that public confidence in the police has been shaken by the experience of many such cases in the past. 

First of all, the nature of the police sergeant major’s dismissal suggests there is more to the story than just one non-commissioned officer “going rogue” to moonlight with criminals.

Apichai has promised an investigation to find out whether Nonthapan’s superior was involved in the scam. But let’s see how high up the ladder the police chief is willing to go in his quest to uncover the scale of this crime.

Foreign criminals exploiting loopholes in Thai law and weak points in our society is nothing new. But the idea of them teaming up with the very people who are supposed to enforce the law is a point of grave concern.

In private, Thai law-enforcement officers will talk all night about how foreign crime syndicates have taken over cities like Pattaya and Phuket. Any visitor strolling down the tourist strips will get ample evidence in the form of all sorts of offers and propositions.

But point a television camera at a police commander and he will deny outright that Pattaya, Phuket – or Bangkok for that matter – has any problem with foreign crime syndicates. 

Recent evidence suggests otherwise. The latest credit-card scam comes hard on the heels of a similar operation uncovered in July, when Pattaya police arrested a Ukrainian man for allegedly masterminding a conspiracy that bagged Bt20 million. Seven foreigners – from Belarus, Iran and the Ukraine – were arrested in connection with that scam, along with two Thai men. Luckily, on that occasion, the two Thais weren’t police officers.