The chief of the Khlong Luang police station in Pathum Thani has been transferred to an inactive post pending an investigation after a recording purported to be of him soliciting bribes from the operator of a bar was circulated online.
Pol Lt Gen Trairong Phiwphan, the Royal Thai Police (RTP) spokesman, said on Saturday that the force had been informed of the allegations and instructed the commander of Pathum Thani Provincial Police to conduct an immediate, transparent and impartial investigation and submit findings without delay.
According to Pol Lt Gen Trairong, preliminary inquiries showed reasonable grounds to believe that the voice heard in the recording belonged to the superintendent of the Khlong Luang police station.
The controversy stemmed from a report aired by the Poed Toh Khao programme on PPTV HD 36 on Friday. It featured a complaint from the operator of an entertainment venue in Pathum Thani, who released a recording purportedly implicating a police superintendent.
The operator claimed that police demanded a monthly payment of 51,000 baht in exchange for allowing the venue to remain open beyond legally permitted hours until 2am.
The operator also alleged that an additional 100,000 baht was demanded in connection with concerts held between May 8 and 11. The payment was reportedly intended for distribution to other agencies, with references made to senior police officers.
According to the complaint, after the operator refused to pay, police repeatedly inspected the venue and disrupted its operations, forcing it to suspend operations temporarily.
Pathum Thani Provincial Police later obtained a five-minute video recording of the telephone conversation from a PPTV HD 36 reporter. Investigators said the voice in the recording closely resembles that of Pol Col Athimet Chaisaranyawit, superintendent of the Khlong Luang station.
Pathum Thani Provincial Police commander Pol Maj Gen Peerapol Chotikasathien subsequently signed the order transferring the superintendent to the provincial police operations centre.
‘If the investigation finds that there was bribery or any other misconduct, disciplinary and criminal action will be taken decisively without exception, regardless of the individual’s rank or position,’ Pol Lt Gen Trairong said.
The RTP spokesman reaffirmed that the case would be handled on the basis of facts, evidence, transparency and fairness to maintain public confidence.