Volunteers accuse police

[limbo]

Volunteers accuse police

 

The Nation, 12/02/2006

 

Two male civilian disaster-prevention volunteers have filed a complaint against a police captain in Bang Khunthien district for assault after they tried to help a young female friend allegedly being molested by the officer.

 

 

Nattapong Sitthirat, 23, and Pichet Sangprasith, 22, filed the complaint at Bang Khunthien police station at 3am yesterday claiming they were assaulted by about 10 undercover police.

 

They told reporters they had been called by another female friend who claimed the officer had locked the 17-year-old Namfon (not her real name) in his car in front of her apartment and had sexually molested her. They went there at about 2.30am to help.

 

?We saw Namfon in a wrinkled and partly torn shirt getting out of the car that was about to leave, so I parked my motorbike to block the car driving away,? said Pichet. The officer then threatened them and called a group of 10 men to go to the apartment block and assault them, he said. The beating continued even when four other officers, following a crime report, arrived and stood by during the assault, he said. After being taken to the police station the two men and two girls were placed in separate interrogation rooms by the police captain who told reporters the incident resulted from a misunderstanding and that the two men had stolen his gold necklace.

 

While the two men were summoned, Namfon came out holding Bt5,000 in cash, alleging it was hush money given to her by the captain so she would not discuss police involvement, an observer said.

 

Namfon later told reporters she and four vocational students first met a group of 10 officers at a pork barbecue place on Ekkachai Road and they invited Namfon and a friend of hers to join them, which they did. The captain then offered them a lift home and when they got there, he asked her friend to get out first then started to sexually molest Namfon who remained seated in the car, she said.

 

?My friend stood outside, knocking on the window and asking him to let me go but he wouldn?t,? Namfon said. But when he saw Nattapong and Pichet, he let her go and pulled out a gun to threaten the two men.

 

The case was recorded and the two men were sent for traces of physical abuse when superintendent Colonel Theerasak Suriwong arrived at the station. Theerasak said he would ensure justice for both parties.

[bust]

They are the worst low-lifes sometimes. I know of several incidents first hand of them sexually attacking woman and then turning it into an assault on Police to cover their arses. They prey on the illegals, extort money from tourists and blatantly rob their own people. Without sounding like I'm trying to defend them it says a lot about the whole Government structure in LOS. I think these guys are so underpaid they feel society owes them. Sure there are some real bad arses out there but would you do their job for the same money. I know I wouldn't. I don't want generalise things here but I'd be pretty reluctant to turn to them in a time of need.

[Flashermac]

A police captain is not exactly underpaid by Thai standards. It's more a matter of "I can, so I will ..."

[bust]

I agree but is usually the street police who set the ball rolling. I know the under the table fines are based on the size of the station. The Captain usuaaly takes the biggest cut, so I know they do OK by Thai standards.

[chilli13]

if for starters they cut off the 50% or so of cops who nothing all day than lounge for free at the various entertainment shops that pay them to stay open they could instantly double the other 50% salary.

an obvious example is the cops seen drinking at the soi1 entertainment complex all day & night

[The_Munchmaster]

bust1 said: They are the worst low-lifes sometimes.

10+ years ago a close friend of mine had a regular girl at one of the Kings Group gogo bars in PP1. Sometimes he let her drive his car back to his place (OK not the cleverest thing to do) and one night when she was driving they were pulled over by the cops. They were then made to follow them to a bit of deserted land and there the cops told my mate that if he didn't pay them, I think it was 10K, they would have to take her with them. It was made absolutely clear to him that they wouldn't be taking her to a station but somewhere that they could have their way with her. She was petrified and so he agreed. One of the officers accompanied him to an ATM where he withdrew the money and on returning with it she was released.

[Guest]

In response to Munchmasters post, this is slightly off topic but reminisent of last post.

 

A friend of mine in BKK lived in a high rise building on Pethburi with three friends. First night there, him and his buddies had a few beers at the local bar and got a little wild. Back in the apartment, one of the guys went out to the balcony and somehow fell over the rails, falling to the floor many floors below. He died, of course. The guys called the MIB, and on arival, after asking standard questions with honest replies, the MIB made it clear that unless they paid 10,000B each, they would be arested for charges of murder. They all told them to fuck off.... the threat was not persued. The point stil remains though. Cunts, most of them...