New Year handout cops await probe fate

Sixty Bangkok policemen who received ang pao New Year gift money are unlikely to face criminal charges, but could well have transgressed the force’s professional code of conduct, says Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) commissioner Charnthep Sesawech.

Pol Lt Gen Charnthep said the policemen attached to the Metropolitan Police Division 7 (MPD7) were being investigated for possible criminal and disciplinary violations.

The policemen, mostly non-commissioned officers, were seen in a video clip collecting ang pao envelopes.

Pol Lt Gen Charnthep said each envelope contained about 500 baht in cash and a charm cloth from a man identified as Pol Sub-Lt Manas Termthanasak, who handed them out at his home in Thon Buri over Chinese New Year last week.

The commissioner said he was under the impression the ang pao giveaway was made in a “brotherly manner” during a merit-making rite which Pol Sub-Lt Manas performs each year. The law bans state officials from receiving gifts or cash worth more than 3,000 baht. The Royal Thai Police office prohibits police from soliciting gifts or money during festive periods including Chinese New Year.

It does not look as if they did anything wrong criminally, Pol Lt Gen Charntehp said.

However, they may have breached the force’s professional code of conduct.

The commissioner said at the weekend that any decision to take disciplinary or criminal action against the officers would take into account whether they willingly received the cash or not.

MPD7 chief Boonyarit Rodma has ordered the heads of the police stations to which the officers were attached to conduct an immediate investigation.

Pol Maj Gen Boonyarit said the 60 officers are from Taling Chan, Thammasala, Bang Yikan and Ban Sao Thong stations.

Pol Maj Gen Boonyarit said he gave the station heads seven days to find all the details behind the ang pao handout which was exposed after Komsan Phokong, deputy dean of Rangsit University’s Faculty of Law, posted the video clip on his Facebook page.

After the police stations report their findings, he said, a MPB panel will meet to study the issue “for the sake of thoroughness”.

Meanwhile, deputy national police chief Chalermkiat Srivorakhan said yesterday police were checking whether Pol Sub-Lt Manas is the owner of a gambling den or is connected to one.

Also, it must be ascertained if the ang pao cash the policemen received was money generated from gambling. In that case, the police could be deemed to have received dirty money.