Police chief seeks bribe claim truth

A sticker which indicates a bribe has been paid at a checkpoint is seen on the windscreen of an overloaded truck. (Twitter: @Wirojlak)
A sticker which indicates a bribe has been paid at a checkpoint is seen on the windscreen of an overloaded truck. (Twitter: @Wirojlak)

The national police chief has ordered highway police to investigate claims that drivers of overloaded lorries are not being arrested because they display special bribe-paid stickers.

The chief would welcome any information from the public about the alleged racket so that the police could deal with it, a spokesman said.

Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, a Move Forward Party list MP-elect, recently posted on social media that he was compiling evidence about the alleged racket. He claimed overloaded trucks with special stickers were not being held or the drivers arrested at weighbridges.

The stickers variously depicted rabbits, a smiling sun or Kung Fu Panda, and were available at a cost of thousands of baht per month, he said.

The Highway Police Division commander said that a panel was set up to look into the claim, and tough action will be taken against any lorry operator involved in bribery. Officers implicated will also face legal action.

He also admitted that police taking bribes had existed for a long time, and amending laws is necessary to address the problem.

The president of the Northeastern Transport Association said such stickers had been used for the racket for a long time. He also claimed those involved also include politicians and senior officials.

Vocabulary

  • admitted (verb): agreed that something is true, especially when you are unhappy, sorry or surprised about it - ยอมรับ
  • amend: to make changes to a document, law, agreement, etc. especially in order to improve it - การแก้ไขกฎหมาย
  • bribe: money or a present given to someone so that they will help you doing something dishonest or illegal - สินบน
  • bribery: the crime of giving money or presents to someone so that they will help you by doing something dishonest or illegal - การให้สินบน
  • chief: a person with a high rank or the highest rank in a company or an organisation - หัวหน้า, ผู้นำ
  • depict: to represent or show something in a picture or story - พรรณนา, บรรยายให้เห็นภาพ
  • evidence: facts statements or objects that help to prove whether or not someone has committed a crime - หลักฐาน
  • implicate: to show or suggest that someone is involved in something illegal or morally wrong   - โยงใยถึง, เกี่ยวพันกับ
  • MP-elect: a person who has been elected as a member of the House of Representatives but who has not yet taken office - ว่าที่ผู้แทนราษฎร
  • overloaded: having too great a load or weight on something - บรรทุกเกินพิกัด
  • panel: a group of people who make decisions or judgments - คณะกรรมการ
  • racket: an illegal activity that earns money - การหาเงินโดยผิดกฎหมาย
  • weighbridge: a machine for weighing cars or trucks -
Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT
MORE IN SECTION