TRAFFICKED
PATONG BAR RAID UNCOVERS CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING NETWORK
Araid on a bar in Patong has uncovered a child sex trafficking network linked to other major tourist destinations in the country. Police have identified three key suspects wanted for leading the network, deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surchate Hakparn revealed last Friday (Mar 18).
Gen Surachate arrived in Phuket after a special operations team from the Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA) raided the ‘Velvet bar’ on Soi Sea Dragon, off Bangla Rd, on Mar 15.
The raid was ordered by DOPA Director-General Manrat Rattanasukhon after he received a tip-off from Operation Underground Railroad, a United States-based nonprofit organisation involved in the rescue of human trafficking and sex trafficking victims, with a special focus on children.
The tip-off explained that the bar was operating as a general bar for tourists, but was offering underage girls as prostitutes to foreign customers. The raid began at 8pm after an undercover officer posing as a customer entered the bar and confirmed that the bar was providing underage girls for sex.
Taksakorn ‘Nam’ Supakaraphokin was confirmed to be the bar manager while Watcharaporn ‘Yuki’ Thongmak was identified as the ‘ broker’ who recruited children to sell sex. The two women were placed under arrest and later charged with human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation of children. The two women were also deemed to be operating a brothel, and charged for that also.
While the two women were being taken into custody, other officers entered a hotel nearby where prostitutes working for the bar were waiting for customers. Six of the sex workers were underage. The youngest was just 15 years old. All six were taken into protective care.
POLICE TRANSFERRED Patong Police were not part of the raid. The day after the raid, five senior officers at Patong Police Station, including Patong Police Chief Col Sujin Nilabadee, were removed from duty.
Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Sermphan Sirikong ordered the transfers on Mar 16, through Phuket Provincial Police Order No. 110/2566. The transfers were...
...effective immediately. The order marked that the transfers had been ordered in accordance with Sections 68, 205(4) and 179 of the Royal Thai Police Act B.E 2020.
The Patong Police officers removed from duty were listed as: Pol Col Sujin Nilabadee, Superintendent; Pol Lt Col Somporn Surin, Deputy Superintendent, Head of Crime Suppression; Pol Lt Col Naruebodin Pangleesen, Deputy Superintendent, Head of Investigation; Pol Lt Col Wutthiwat Leangboonchinda, Inspector, Crime Suppression; and Pol Lt Col Suchart Chumphusang, Inspector, Investigation.
Through a separate order, Order No. 111/2566, the following officers were ordered to report to Patong Police Station to assume the following positions: Pol Col Peerapong Chaiarun, Deputy Commander of Phuket Provincial Police, to serve as Acting Superintendent of Patong Police Station; Pol Lt Col Pongpichan Chayanonpiriya, Deputy Superintendent, Head of Crime Suppression, at Kamala Police Station, to serve as Acting Deputy Superintendent, Head of Crime Suppression, at Patong Police Station; and Pol Lt Col Sathit Nurit, Deputy Superintendent, Head of Investigation, at Cherng Talay Police Station, to serve as Acting Deputy Superintendent, Head of Investigation, at Patong Police Station.
The officers are to continue to serve their new positions at Patong Police Station until further notice.
Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Sermphan Sirikong on Mar 16 made no mention of any legal action against the five Patong officers.
The transfer orders came one day after Maj Gen Wasan Techaakasem, Deputy Commissioner of Provincial Police Region 8, Inspected the bar, and visited Patong Police Station, where he spoke with now-former Patong Police Chief Col Sujin and other senior officers.
Maj Gen Wasan told reporters that he was following up on the case in accordance with an order issued by the Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas, in order to be able to expand the investigation to track down all involved parties.
EXTENSIVE
Gen Surachate told the press last Friday that the expanded investigation into the child sex trafficking network had identified seven more underage girls being used by the network. Two of them had been taken into protective care.
The key suspect, named by police only as “Mr Rolly”, had fled Bangkok to Laos, Gen Surchate said.
Police are searching for two other key suspects believed to still be in the country, he added.
Gen Surachate explained that police were also investigating Thai nationals used as nominees to allow foreign nationals to operate the nightlife businesses now under investigation for being part of the child sex trafficking network.
The network is extensive, Gen Surachate said.
“There are many branches in tourist province areas,” he said.
“The child victims traveled from many provinces in the North, Northeastern and Central regions, most of them claiming to have family problems and going to live with relatives,” he added.
“Child sexual exploitation is a form of human trafficking that should not happen and should not exist in the area. Such offenses may occur from the negligence of both administrative and police officials,” Gen Surachate said.
“In such cases, there must be a final prosecution,” he added.
“Human trafficking is a national problem,” said DPOA InspectorGeneral Ronnarong Thipsiri following the raid.
“This may affect the economy and image of Thailand, including the wellbeing of the people. Therefore, it is a problem that must be jointly solved.”
FALLOUT
Night entertainment operators in Patong said their businesses had lost about B100 million in the week following the raid.
Weerawit Kreuasombat, chairman of Patong Entertainment Business Association, last Sunday (Mar 19) met nightlife venue operators in the Bangla area to come up with measures to prevent venues from becoming involved in illegal activities including drugs and procuring minors to provide sex.
Mr Weerawit said the incident prompted authorities to order all entertainment venues in the area to close at 1am, which had led to a loss of earnings in the sector of at least B100mn.
He also urged everyone to act as the eyes and ears of the authorities to prevent further incidents.
The same owners also run four restaurants. Authorities have ordered them to shut, but the association will call on the landowner to cancel the leases following accusations of underage sex services being offered, he added.