Two senior Thai police officers well known in the border areas of Tak province have been transferred to Bangkok, pending further investigations into possible links with gambling activities and human trafficking in Myanmar.
National police chief Kittharath Punpetch on Tuesday ordered Pol Maj Gen Ekkarat Intasueb and Pol Maj Gen Samrit Aimkamol to move to the police headquarters in the capital with immediate effect.
Pol Maj Gen Ekkarat, 53, was the acting head of a regional branch of the Inspector General Office overseeing some northern provinces, including Tak, before the transfer orders were signed. He is a very popular figure in the border area in Tak and used to be the police chief of Mae Sot district.
Local media reports say the officer owns a mansion on five rai of land, with a waterfall and golf driving range among its attractions, but that he prefers to live in the police accommodation provided for the Mae Sot chief.
Pol Gen Kittharath has assigned Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat Pankaew, deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, to lead an investigation into possible connections between Pol Maj Gen Ekkarat and businesses in the Myawaddy Complex, across the border from Mae Sot in Myanmar. The entertainment venue is well known for gambling and other activities.
Pol Maj Gen Samrit is the Tak police commander responsible for the entire border with Myanmar in the province. He is being investigated for possible links with foreigners conned into entering Thailand and smuggled into Myanmar via Mae Sot, Mae Ramat and Phob Phra districts. The Provincial Police Region 6 Office is in charge of the investigation against him.
The superintendents of the Mae Sot, Mae Ramat and Phob Phra police stations were also moved immediately to the Provincial Police Region 6 Office to pave the way for the human trafficking investigation.
The transferred policemen are the first group of senior officers suspected of having links with call centres and other scams in Myanmar as the Thai government steps up its campaign to uproot them by blocking power, oil and internet services from feeding their illicit businesses.
Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said on Tuesday that he would order the removal of all state officials linked to illegal activities from border areas where they hold influence, in order to facilitate further investigations.
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