Thailand’s deputy national police chief, Surachate Hakparn, has ordered an investigation following allegations by a foreign media outlet that Thai police accepted a bribe of 1 million baht from a tourist.
Surachate also appeared in a candid interview as part of the documentary. The documentary was still available on YouTube yesterday but appears to have been removed.
Deutsche Welle’s report alleges that a German tourist paid the money to escape charges of buying sex from a minor in Pattaya. According to the coverage, the tourist was arrested on September 11, 2022, during a sting operation carried out by local police.
He was released on bail, during which time he allegedly paid the police a million-baht bribe to escape prosecution. Surachate has ordered Pattaya police to look into the allegations and take action to deal with anyone found to have accepted the bribe. He adds that the Immigration Bureau is looking into DW’s claim that the tourist has left Thailand.
Surachate adds that if the corruption allegation turns out to be true, it has the potential to “seriously damage Thailand’s reputation”, as well as casting doubt on the country’s ability to deal with sex trafficking and child sex abuse.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
