.. Posted June 23, 2005 Report Share Posted June 23, 2005 Thai police raid gambling den reputedly owned by politician, arrest hundreds Thai police on Wednesday launched a pre-dawn raid on an illegal gambling den allegedly owned by a prominent politician, arresting hundreds of people in the biggest such sweep in a decade, officials said. After a two-month investigation, more than 200 police officers stormed the house reputedly owned by an unidentified politician in Bangkok's Taopoon district and arrested 306 suspected gamblers, said police Major Gen. Winai Thongsong. Some officers were lowered from a helicopter while others entered at the ground level during the raid, the biggest of its kind in 10 years, he added. Police searched the house for three hours and seized more than 1 million baht (US$24,000, ?20,000) in cash along with poker chips, slot machines, cards and dice, Winai said. The den had long operated under the protection of its influential owner, though police have raided it several times in the past. The suspects were charged with illegal gambling and face a maximum penalty of up to one year in prison if found guilty. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra hailed the arrests, saying police "did a good job in implementing the government policy to crack down on gambling dens." "I gave them a policy not to fear any influential figure and told them to arrest everyone involved in illegal gambling," he told reporters. Gambling is illegal in Thailand, but dens operated under the protection of corrupt politicians and police are known to be booming nationwide. The National Police Bureau has ordered an investigation into five senior police officers at the Taopoon police station suspected of turning a blind eye to gambling dens in the area. http://asia.news.yahoo.com/050622/ap/d8ashst81.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shotover Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Very different from the usual Thai gambling bust where assorted housewives / moto taxi drivers / karaoke workers are busted while playing High/Low with a total pot of 40 baht seized. Interesting that this huge complex was situated just across the street from the Bang Sue MRT station. I would have loved to have taken a tour of it. Wonder if the 'prominent politician' owner, referred to in the article, belongs to the majority party, or the opposition party? He was subtly identified in a local newspaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jitagawn Posted June 27, 2005 Report Share Posted June 27, 2005 This was IMHO all just a step towards legalizing gambling. The PM purchased property in/near Pattaya to develope into casino some four years ago. I know this for a fact as my ------negotiated the deal. Like the as--- does not have enough money.??? Note the day after the raid,at a public meeting or whatever the PM brings up the concept of legalizing gambling.Putting it to a vote :: This would be another social disaster. :: These guys are scumbags the hole lot of them Sur--- etc etc- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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