An elder brother of a former Surin MP was arrested in Bangkok on Friday for allegedly conspiring to lure underage girls into prostitution at his karaoke bars in Chiang Mai.
Crime Suppression Division police apprehended Boonyasit Rungthanakiart, 65, at the carpark of the Siam Kempinski Hotel in Pathumwan district, Thai media reported.
Mr Boonyasit, alias “Hia Lhor’’ (brother Lhor), was wanted on an arrest warrant issued by Chiang Mai provincial court on June 12 for colluding in human trafficking, allegedly luring girls aged below 18 into the sex trade and running a sex services business.
Friday's arrest followed a raid by Provincial Police Region 5 police and officials of the Social Development and Human Security Department on a karaoke bar in Chiang Mai’s Muang district. They freed three girls aged below 18 who were servicing customers.
A police investigation found seven more karaoke bars in the northern province run by Mr Boonyasit, an elder brother of Kasem Rungthanakiart, a former executive of the now-defunct Thai Rak Thai Party and former Surin MP, reports said.
Police extended the investigation, leading to the arrest by warrant of six people involved in human trafficking. Mr Boonyasit skippd through the net at the time.
On Friday, Mr Boonyasit denied all charges. He said he would testify only in court. He was to be handed over to Chiang Mai’s Mae Ping police for legal action.
Mr Boonyasit’s network allegedly misled girls into believing they were going to jobs paying 40,000-50,000 baht a month. Instead, they were forced to provide sex services for customers, according to media reports.