Crime

Sex Offenders in Thailand Face 10 Years of Electronic Monitoring After Prison

A law that goes into effect in Thailand today aims to keep people convicted of sexual and violent crimes from reoffending. The Corrections Department believes that as long as enough officials enforce the law, it should help reduce violent crimes.

The act, intended to reduce relapses among people convicted of sexual and violent crimes, increases surveillance measures to the point where released sex offenders may be ordered to wear electronic monitoring ankle bracelets for up to ten years after release.

In practice, however, the Corrections Department may face a manpower shortage if it is to keep track of all offenders, 1,500 of whom are expected to be released this year alone.

Acting Sub Lt Thanakrit Jitareerat, secretary to the justice minister, stated that the government wanted to pass the bill due to the reoffending of infamous serial killer Somkid Pumpuang after his release from prison in 2019.

Somkid, dubbed “Thailand’s Jack the Ripper,” was sentenced to life in prison in 2005 for the murders of five women, all of whom worked as nightclub singers or masseuses, at hotels in Mukdahan, Lampang, Trang, Udon Thani, and Buri Ram.

In August 2012, the Appeal Court sentenced him to life in prison. He applied for and was granted parole.

He was described as a “model prisoner” by the department. He was granted parole in 2019 but was murdered again that year. His most recent victim was found in Khon Kaen’s Kranuan district.

According to Acting Sub Lt Thanakrit, the incident prompted Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin to push for legislation to reduce recidivism.

Previously, only Section 39 of the Criminal Code could protect victims from crime. He believes a specific law is required to improve public safety more broadly.

Thailand police

Thailand’s Violent Offenders

According to Acting Sub Lt Thanakrit, the bill targets three groups: those convicted of sexual violence, violent crimes, and unlawful detention or kidnapping for ransom.

Following their release from prison, a ministry-appointed committee will consider whether any of these ex-convicts should wear EM ankle bracelets. According to the law, authorities can order them to wear the EM bracelets for up to ten years.

Corrections officers will track their movements and activities. If ex-convicts commit the same crime or violate any of the terms of their release, they will be imprisoned for at least three years. He also stated that they could be detained immediately for seven days.

He stated that, besides wearing EM bracelets, ex-convicts would be prohibited from approaching their victims or engaging in risky activities. They will be allowed to enter certain areas or leave the country if they are granted permission by a court.

Furthermore, he stated they would be confined to a specific location or rehab facility.

Following their release from jail, ex-convicts must report to officials as scheduled and participate in rehab or voluntary activities as directed. They must also notify corrections officers if they change jobs.

According to Pol Lt Col Montree Bunyayothin, deputy director-general of the Corrections Department, this bill will protect people and increase trust in the justice system.

About Somkid, he stated that when a convict returns to old behavior patterns and is exposed to liquor, pornographic videos, and criminal news stories, good behavior in jail can turn bad on the outside. As a result, wearing EM bracelets to monitor released convicts is required.

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Additional manpower and volunteers

When released, approximately 17,000 inmates who fall into one of the three categories will be subject to the law. The first group of 29 inmates will be released around the end of this month, with approximately 1,500 inmates set to be released this year.

“The Corrections Department has insufficient officials to monitor all of them, and the volume of released offenders is expected to grow,” admitted Pol Lt Col Montree. He urges the Justice Ministry to seek additional manpower and volunteers from state agencies.

According to Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, a commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), much repeat offending occurs, with many tragic incidents caused by those who have previously been convicted of the same offense.

He claims that people convicted of sexual crimes tend to reoffend after release due to a sexual obsession. Section 22 allows prosecutors to seek additional measures to prevent crime in this case.

“This bill will benefit police and justice agencies because they will be able to conduct their duties under clear guidelines,” Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop said. The law will also help offenders change their behavior and place them in rehab to reduce recidivism. Many crimes, including molestation, can occur anywhere, including crowded public places and safe havens like homes, he added.

Meanwhile, Pol Lt Col Krisanaphong Poothakool, assistant to the university president and chairman of Rangsit University’s Faculty of Criminology and Justice Administration, said the bill would improve safety.

As a criminologist, he expressed concern about law enforcement effectiveness, the stability of EM bracelets, and police workload. “Cooperation from locals and communities is also required to address the problem,” he said.

Crime

Police Officer Being Ordained at Temple Arrested for Running Scam Call Center

Police in Northern Thailand have arrested a fellow officer as he was being ordained at a temple in Ngao district of neighbouring Lampang province.

Pol Lt Col Bandit Khonkan chief inspector from the Hang Dong police station was disrobed and taken to the Chang Puak station in Chiang Mai. He was arrested on charges of running a call centre scam gang in Chiang Mai Province.

According to Thai Media Chiang Mai Provincial Police Region 5 obtained an arrest warrant for Pol Lt Col Bandit on Friday from the Chiang Mai Provincial Court for procuring illegal telecom equipment, setting up a station and using public airwaves to run a telecommunications business without permission.

Pol Lt Col Bandit reportedly told investigators that he was not the ringleader and was only a member of the gang with Chinese partners.

His arrest followed the apprehension of his 26-year-old daughter, Miss Wanuchapond, 26, and three others during raids at three housing projects in Chiang Mai on Friday, Pol Maj Gen Weerachon Boontawee, deputy chief of Provincial Police Region 5 told Thai media.

During the raids police police discovered around 12 GSM gateways, or SIM boxes, which are devices used for converting cellular networks into mobile phone numbers used domestically.

The chief inspectors daughter Miss Wanuchapond told the arresting officers that she was paid 8,000 baht a month at each of the three locations for renting thr rooms and monitoring devices.

She claimed she had no idea what the devices were and accepted the job because the pay was attractive.

Police investigators working with telecom regulators used a special tracking device to monitor the gang’s communications and learned that its base was in Myanmar opposite Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai.

The call center gang used the GSM gateways to make calls over the internet to scam people in Thailand out of million of baht.

The GSM gateways transmitting signals via SIM boxes to convert them into domestic phone numbers, duping victims into thinking they were being called from Thai government agencies.

Pol Maj Gen Weerachon said that each SIM box held 32 SIM cards, with a capacity of up to 300,000 calls a month. The seized devices had made fraudulent calls over 3.6 million times.

He said the their investigation is ongoing and they are working to track down the remaining conspirators, including Chinese and other Thai suspects.

Authorities are still deciding whether Pol Lt Col Bandit will be dismissed from the force, he said, adding that so far, no other officers are known to have been involved.

Police in Chiang Rai Launch Crackdown on Cyber Criminals in Golden Triangle

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Settha Thavisin has authorized the establishment of an emergency cyber center operated by the Royal Thai Police to combat transnational crimes committed by call center gangs along the Thai border in Chiang Rai province.

On July 19, Prime Minister Settha Thavisin directed the Center to combat information technology crimes. The Royal Thai Police (Royal Thai Police) will crack down on call center gangs in Myanmar, Laos, and along the border.

His directive comes as call center gangs ratchet up their scams to defraud people of their money, causing concern among Thais and jeopardizing the country’s economic and social stability.

Related Police News:

Machete Wielding Man Shot an Killed by Police in Chiang Rai

https://www.chiangraitimes.com/chiangrai-news/machete-wielding-man-shot-an-killed-by-police-in-chiang-rai/

Crime

Thai Immigration Police Arrest Colombian Tourists Over Home Invasions

Immigration police officers have arrested four Colombian nationals in connection with a series of home burglaries at luxury housing complexes in the Bangkok metropolitan area and Chiang Buri Province.

Pol Maj Gen Panthana Nuchanart, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, told a press briefing that three of the suspects were apprehended in Nonthaburi Province and the fourth in South Pattaya, Chon Buri Province.

According to the Bangkok Post, the Colombians were charged with stealing conspiracy and seized around 3 million baht (US$82,500.00).

According to Pol Maj Gen Panthana, the criminals rode motorcycles through housing estates, scoping out the properties and waiting for the owners to depart before committing their crimes.

He stated that all four of the accused denied any involvement in the home break-ins, but the arresting squad discovered evidence that implicated them.

Police called to home invasion

Meanwhile, police were dispatched to a luxury housing development in Tambon Nong Prue, Chonburi Province, after a Chinese man was attacked during a house invasion.

When they arrived, they discovered the house owner, Mr. Qian Peng Yi, visibly scared and with marks from being tied up with a cable. He informed police that three Chinese males broke into his home at 9 p.m., one of whom brandished a gun at him and directed him to his bedroom.

They bound his hands and feet, gagged him with fabric, taped his head, and forced him into the bed. The intruders then attempted to compel him into transferring 10 million baht in cryptocurrencies to them, endangering the life of his 33-year-old cousin who was in a second-floor bedroom.

While they scoured the house in search of riches, Mr. Peng Yi managed to flee and hide; he subsequently observed them leave with his cousin. Officials investigated the property and analyzed security camera footage from the incident and surrounding areas.

Around 9 p.m., a 30-year-old van driver came at the Bang Lamung police station after being contacted by an agency to carry Chinese customers from Pattaya to Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The driver informed authorities that he was supposed to pick them up at a motel about a kilometer from the Chinese businessman’s home. He then drove them to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, arriving at 1 a.m. and receiving 1,800 baht.

The driver took a snapshot of the group smoking at the airport gate and identified one of them as the victim’s cousin. Police suspected coordination between her and the three suspects in her cousin’s heist, who all departed Thailand on the same aircraft.

Other Bangkok News:

Police in Bangkok Discover Six Vietnamese Tourists Dead in 5 Star Hotel

Police in Bangkok Discover Six Vietnamese Tourists Dead in 5 Star Hotel

Crime

Son of Thailand’s Leading Legal Scholar on Corruption Arrested for Running Online Gambling Network

The son of a former senator and leading economist and expert on corruption and gambling in Thailand has been arrested for on charges of running an online gambling network and its payment system.

Police from Thailand’s Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) have confiscated assets worth more than (US$ 11.1 million) 400 million baht.

Narote Piriyarangsan, 33, was arrested following crackdowns in three sites around the city, according to Pol Maj Gen Athip Pongsiwapai, commander of the police Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD).

Mr Narote’s father, Sangsit Piriyarangsan, is an economist who has written articles and books about corruption and gambling. He was one of the appointed senators that were investigating the government’s intention to legalize casino gaming before their terms expired.

Police also detained 39-year-old Narayut Narakaew, the owner of the gambling website 69pgslot.com. The Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the couple for operating an internet gambling service and money laundering.

According to the Bangkok Post, police seized two desktop computers, one laptop computer, 14 mobile phones, 21 bank passbooks, 53 ATM cards, and four high-end cars — a Ferrari 926 GTS, an Aston Martin, a Lexus, and a Subaru — totaling more than 400 million baht.

Police launched the inquiry after discovering the online gambling site, which accepted funds via an automatic deposit-withdrawal system through bank accounts and deposits in the AskMePay system. Players scanned the VPay QR code as well as the QR codes for Heng Online 888 or Heng Pay Company.

Police also discovered that payments received via QR code scans were transferred to the account of Heng Pay Co and then to the gambling website’s mule accounts using AskMePay, which did not use banks’ face recognition scanning. An inquiry indicated a monthly turnover of approximately 5 billion baht.

According to investigators, the website has been up and running for around four years, with the payment mechanism in use for roughly eight months.

According to Pol Maj Gen Athip, Mr Narote owns the gaming website’s payment systems and is the director of Heng Pay Co. After gathering evidence, authorities requested arrest warrants for 14 people.

Thailand does not allow almost any kind of gaming. Even though the law doesn’t say anything specific about online gaming, it is still considered gambling. The country has pretty strict rules about gambling. Thai punters can bet on the national lottery and horse races, but they can’t bet on any other types of games.

But it’s not a secret that there is a huge illegal gaming business in Thailand, even though it’s illegal.

The illegal casinos, online betting shops, underground lotteries, and pop-up bookies that take bets on everything from cockfights to Muay Thai make a shadow economy that is worth billions of dollars every year.