So, who is telling the truth? And who is telling lies? The issue is the raid on a gambling den in Khon Kaen province on Sept 18 by troops from Sripatcharin barracks led by Lt Col Pitak Chusri of the 23rd military circle.
The raid on shophouse No 25/210 Maleewan road in tambon Nontap of Nong Rua district was witnessed by several members of the media but, not surprisingly, not a single policeman from Nong Rua district police was present.
The local police did not arrive until shortly before the troops pulled out, and a police officer then took over. The soldiers said they handed the arrested gamblers and all seized money over to the police.
After a raid on a shophouse in Khon Kaen last week, soldiers handed apprehended gamblers and all seized money over to police. But the police deny it even happened. Photo of the raid from Channel 3 news.
A total of 37 gamblers, four men and 33 women, were rounded up and 310,000 baht in cash seized, the soldiers said. The raid was recorded in still photographs and on video, and some of the images were posted on social media websites.
The following day, Nong Rua police chief Pol Col Thanomsith Wongvicharn wrote a report to his immediate superior, the Khon Kaen provincial chief, denying any knowledge of and any involvement in the raid on the gambling den, or any coordination with troops reportedly involved in the operation.
The Nong Rua police chief went further, saying that police later inspected the alleged gambling den but did not find anything illegal. Hence, there was no record of the raid in the police log book.
The Nong Rua police report seemed to corroborate a report to the provincial governor by the district chief, Woratat Thuleechan, that no suspects were held nor any seized cash received by the local authorities.
Lt Col Pitak later said that he called the superintendent of Nong Rua police to report the raid, and that eventually a police team led by Pol Lt Samrith Banthao arrived at the scene. Then, he added, he handed over all the alleged gamblers and the seized cash to the officer, saying he had no authority to make arrests, which is the responsibility of the police.
The military’s version of the incident is totally contradictory to that of Nong Rua district police.
So, which side is telling the truth? Or, if you like, which side is telling lies?
What about the video footage and still images of the raid, and the media who witnessed the raid?
Why the straight-faced denial by the Nong Rua police chief in the first place? I believe readers can figure it out.
Admitting the raid amounts to a confession of the existence of the illegal gambling den and the police failure to stamp out gambling, which is against the mandate of the National Council for Peace and Order.
And to make the denial credible, it is necessary that the denial be corroborated by other elements - such as there being no record of the raid in the police log book, and, supposedly, no arrests of gamblers, and no trace of the seized money.
I wonder if the Nong Rua police chief will get away with such a poker-faced denial. Will the case be blown up out of proportion and turn into a conflict between the police and the military? It should not be, if the police do their job honestly.
The raid in question should have been trouble free if the military notified the local police in advance. But, of course, the question is, can the local police be trusted not to tip off the den's operator? Ask Crime Suppression Division police why they normally do not notify or seek cooperation from the local police when they raid an illegal gambling den.
A fact-finding panel has been set up to look into the case by Pol Lt Gen Dejnarong Sutthicharnbancha, with the result expected in three days. Hopefully, Nong Rua district's Pol Col Thanomsith will come up with a better and more credible clarification.