District chiefs unite over sex-trafficking case

District chiefs unite over sex-trafficking case

Scandal investigation tipped to be expanded

In a bid to crack down on the sex trafficking of teenage girls in Mae Hong Son, the federation of deputy district chiefs of Thailand will call on the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to launch a probe against senior administrative and police officers allegedly involved in a recent high-profile case.

Suebsak: Already been questioned

The federation's chairman Boonyarit Nipawanit said on Friday he will soon lodge a petition with the graft-busters, calling for a probe into all the state authorities that may be embroiled in the sex scandal, as well as investigators who tried to conceal witnesses' testimonies.

Mr Boonyarit was speaking after he provided information relating to the case to Col Somjetta Pakdeebandit, a deputy chief of the Mae Hong Son-based Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc).

His information was gathered from an inspection conducted by the federation based on an account of the mother of one of the teenage prostitutes.

Several teenage prostitutes were procured by female pimps for a party to celebrate the hiring of a high-ranking official at Hong Son Sueksa School on Oct 1 last year, Mr Boonyarit said. This information came from a witness who was also questioned by the Interior Ministry's disciplinary panel against Mae Hong Son governor Suebsak Iamwicharn on April 27, he said.

Although Mr Suebsak has been investigated over his alleged involvement in the sex scandal, Mr Boonyarit did not clarify who the senior official was referred to by the witness.

Uttaradit governor Pipat Ekpaphan, a former governor of Mae Hong Son, chimed in yesterday by using his Facebook page to deny any involvement in the scandal, saying he was elsewhere that day.

After the party, the official and other authorities allegedly paid for sexual services from teenage girls at several places including the Thanachot Resort in Muang district.

The mother of one of the girls called on the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) earlier to accept the sex trafficking as a special case and give her witness protection as she claimed influential figures were involved.

The mother and her daughter mentioned the name of the high-ranking official during an inquiry with local police, but the official's name did not appear on a police investigation report.

Authorities also claimed a record of their testimonies were unusable due to a technical problem. Mr Boonyarit called this a dereliction of duty.

Also yesterday, an Interior Ministry panel led by interior deputy permanent secretary Prayoon Ratanasenee also questioned Mae Hong Son deputy governor Permsak Chaweerak and provincial clerk Jaruek Laoprasert on the matter.

Pol Col Montri Baothong, an investigator at the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division, said more arrest warrants will be issued if needed.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has insisted legal action must be brought against all state officials involved.

"I ordered relevant authorities to strictly enforce the law against officials at all levels who are found linked to the case. No exceptions," he said.

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