Prayut scraps anti-mafia agency plan

Prayut scraps anti-mafia agency plan

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha Monday rejected a proposal from the deputy prime minister to set up a committee to crack down on mafia-style gangs nationwide.

Gen Prayut said he saw no need to set up such a committee, as existing laws are sufficient. He said that instead of creating a new body, he wanted authorities to strictly enforce existing laws to suppress organised crime. "The laws are there. Searches and arrests will be conducted in compliance with the legal process," Gen Prayut said.

The government will not resort to unlawful measures to deal with the issue, he added. The premier previously instructed agencies to work together and intensify efforts to stamp out crime syndicates to bring down the rising crime rate, including the smuggling of arms into the country, within half a year.

The agencies are the Interior Ministry, the Defence Ministry, the Royal Thai Police and the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).

Gen Prayut insisted the crackdown is not intended to target any political groups, but will curb crime and arms trafficking.

His comments came after Defence Ministry spokesman Maj Gen Khongcheep Tantrawanich said on Monday that Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon wanted to set up the committee to eradicate mafia-style crime.

The committee would work under the supervision of Gen Prawit, Maj Gen Khongcheep said at a meeting of the Defence Council, chaired by Gen Prawit.

Stemming the rising power of crime syndicates is an urgent priority, said Maj Gen Khongcheep. "The government aims to enforce the law to crack down on influential figures and the use of war weapons. The operation requires cooperation from state agencies and the public," he added.

The armed forces must work with the state sector and people's networks to find clues about mafia-style gangs, he said.

After coming to power in May last year, the NCPO vowed to stamp out organised crime, particularly by influential figures, unregistered taxi operators and public land encroachers. The premier recently declared a new crackdown on mafia crime, as the problem is still acute.

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