Justice Minister ACM Prajin Juntong is vowing to investigate reported links between the alleged human trafficking suspected at Victoria's Secret Massage, raided last Friday, and a group of politicians.
Department of Special Investigation (DSI) deputy chief Songsak Raksaksakul confirmed on Wednesday the DSI had an intelligence report suggesting a link between the brothel and a group of politicians in the North and West who are forming a new political party.
He was responding to questions over whether the raid on Victoria's Secret Massage in the Rama IX area of Bangkok was politically motivated.
He denied it, saying that despite the connection with a political group, the crackdown has nothing to do with politics.
ACM Prajin said Thursday he had yet to receive any information about the group believed to be linked with alleged human trafficking at the brothel. However, he intends probing the matter.
DSI chief Paisit Wongmuang, meanwhile, said he expected the transfer of the investigation into the parlour's possible human trafficking ties, from Wang Thong Lang police to the DSI, which was to be complete by Thursday.
He was speaking after Wang Thong Lang investigators earlier refused to hand over the investigation file to the DSI when Pol Lt Col Supat Thamthanarug, director of the DSI's Bureau of Human Trafficking Crime, visited the station on Wednesday.
Declining to hand it over, the investigators said they would still have to submit the file to executives of the Royal Thai Police for examination, said Pol Lt Col Supat.
"This won't significantly affect the investigation if this delay lasts one or two days," he said.
Pol Col Paisit insisted that previous talks between DSI executives and their counterparts at the RTP over the transfer of the case went smoothly.
Deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul explained the transfer should only take three days and was routine.
Former politician and broadcaster Chuvit Kamolvisit, who previously made headlines by saying the real owner of Victoria's Secret Massage is Kampol Wirathepsuporn, who had acquired it from him, on Wednesday divulged new information about the parlour.
Speaking on his Ruang Loa Chao Nee news talk show on Channel 3, Chuvit, the founder of the massage parlour, said he quit the massage parlour business in 2008.
The authorities should look into where the money went from the credit card readers at Victoria's Secret Massage, Chuvit said.
Pol Gen Srivara said the police don't have sufficient evidence to back a summons or an arrest warrant for Mr Kampol.
Citing information provided by the Immigration Bureau, Pol Gen Srivara, however, said Mr Kampol remains in Thailand.
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