Cops’ silence sought in paedophile case
ATPD urged to conceal names of celebrities
The chief of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD) has admitted that senior state figures asked him not to hold a press briefing on a paedophile ring case involving high-profile patrons.
Pol Maj Gen Kornchai Klayklueng said they asked him to cancel a briefing the division had planned to hold and not divulge the names of any suspects who may have a strong public presence.
The case relates to the recent arrest of Nampol Somngam, 27, who launched a chat group on the messaging service Line for men who have a sexual preference for boys.
Pol Maj Gen Kornchai said Mr Nampol has been charged with human trafficking and acting as a procurer in a prostitution ring targeting underaged persons.
He also faces charges of distributing online images of boys and uploading them onto a computer system for commercial gain.
The suspect was detained at the Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek Road in Bangkok last week and has been denied bail.
The police expanded their investigation and later found seven boys aged between 12 and 16 who were allegedly procured by Mr Nampol to provide sexual services to customers. They were taken in for questioning and given counselling by public welfare workers.
The boys identified eight men as their customers. The Criminal Court has issued warrants for the arrest of the eight men on charges of supporting prostitution and depriving underaged persons from their parental care.
Pol Maj Gen Kornchai said the eight suspects were all apprehended but denied the charges and were freed after each man posted bail of 300,000 baht last week.
The commander said the eight men included celebrities, well-known university lecturers and state officials. Despite the efforts to cancel the briefing, the ATPD went ahead and held a press conference but did not name the eight suspects.
Pol Maj Gen Kornchai said the law prohibited him from revealing the names of those who patronised the sex service.
Pol Col Komkrit Sukthai, chief of the ATPD’s sub-division 1, said Mr Nampol used to work as the manager of a convenience store in Bangkok. After quitting the job he registered a Facebook account and sold pornographic video clips of boys to members, mostly gay men.
At the same time, he allegedly opened a members-only Line chat group called Rak Dek (Love Youngsters). He also sold pornographic videos to the Line group members.
The ATPD commander said the suspect offered to procure boys for chat group members. He would take the boys to the customers, who paid 1,000 baht for the boy’s services plus a 500-baht commission for Mr Nampol.
Probation Department chief Prasarn Mahaleetrakul has confirmed that one of the customers was a contract worker with the department. He resigned on July 31, saying he was leaving to pursue a business venture.
Pol Maj Gen Kornchai said Mr Nampol recruited boys from poor families and arranged meetings at hotels in Charan Sanitwongse and Bang Kae.