Airport officers transferred over bribes
published : 9 Oct 2018 at 08:37
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Post Reporters
A police superintendent and three deputy chief inspectors at Don Mueang airport have been transferred as they face a probe in connection with a bribery allegation made against them, said Immigration Bureau (IB) acting commissioner Surachate Hakparn.
The four senior officers have been ordered to assist with work at the IB, while a probe has also been ordered to investigate the case, the commissioner said.
The four officers were incriminated after a complaint was made via Facebook recently. A Facebook user claimed a Chinese friend had queued for six hours at Don Mueang airport to obtain a visa on arrival.
The user alleged that the long wait was because of the fact that they refused to pay 200 baht to access a special "fast track channel" at the airport.
The Facebook user said the friend has since returned to China.
Pol Maj Gen Surachate said initial investigation has confirmed the allegation, which led to the transfers of the four senior officers to inactive posts.
"This is something we have warned [the officers] about before," Pol Maj Gen Surachate said. "It's like in sports. If one knows what the rules are and yet still violates them, they must be sidelined."
The acting commissioner added if the four officers realised they have done wrong and were willing to redeem themselves, they might be allowed back to their jobs, but if not, they would face the consequences.
He insisted airports must be free of any kickbacks and the IB will launch swift measures to deal with problems that have been "swept under the rug".
However, Pol Maj Gen Surachate said the priority now was to install more capable and decent officers to help streamline the IB.
Learn from listening
Vocabulary
- allegation: an accusation; a statement that someone has done something wrong or illegal even though this has not been proved - ข้อกล่าวหา
- decent: of a good enough standard or quality - เหมาะสม
- inactive post: a job or position with no real responsibilities or duties -
- incriminate: to show or make you think that someone is guilty of a crime - ใส่ร้าย, กล่าวโทษ
- kickback: an amount of money that is paid to someone illegally in exchange for secret help or work - เงินสินบน, เงินใต้โต๊ะ
- probe: an attempt to find out the truth about an issue, problem or accident, made by an official group (or by the media); an investigation - การตรวจสอบ การสอบสวน
- redeem: to do something good because you have behaved badly, so that people will think you are a good person again - ไถ่บาป
- sideline: to prevent from taking part in something - ทำให้เข้าร่วมไม่ได้
- streamline (verb): make improvements - ปรับปรุงให้มีประสิทธิภาพขึ้น
- swept under the rug (idiom): hidden, not made public - ปกปิด
- violate: to do something that is against a law, rule or agreement - ฝ่าฝืน, ละเมิด
