UPDATE: Big Joke Takes Over Chonburi Top Police Extortion Case, More Arrests Coming

By
Goongnang Suksawat
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Chonburi –

Summons and arrest warrants will be issued for people who were allegedly involved in the Chonburi case of high-ranking law enforcement officers accused of extorting 140 Million Baht from illegal online gambling website operators.

Our previous stories:

Six unidentified victims have filed a reported to the Kukot Police in Pathum Thani. They told police that the Chonburi Provincial Police Commander Major General Kamphon Leelaprapaporn and about ten other officers, most high-ranking, allegedly extorted 140 million baht from them.

The Chonburi Provincial Police Commander will be transferred to an inactive post while an investigation continues after he was accused of allegedly extorting 140 million baht from victims involved in illegal online gambling websites.

Now for the update:

Deputy National Police Chief Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn who was appointed the head of the investigation team on this case told the Thai press about the most recent developments via a phone interview on Saturday afternoon (June 17th).

“We are now gathering evidence to request arrest warrants and summons from the Thai Courts for more than ten suspects by tomorrow, Sunday (June 18th). They are being accused of being government officers but conducting illegal behavior and being involved in extorting. However the complete names of these suspects cannot be revealed at the moment pending investigation due to concerns around potential flight risks.”, Big Joke added.

The case has caused significant discussion on Thai social media and comparisons to a similar case in February of this year when Pattaya law enforcement officers admitted to being involved in extorting tourists for money after the tourists were caught vaping, which is illegal in Thailand.

A replacement for the Chonburi commander has yet to be officially announced as of press time but is expected soon.

The original version of this article appeared on our sister website, The Pattaya News, owned by our parent company TPN media.

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Goongnang Suksawat
Goongnang Suksawat
Goong Nang is a News Translator who has worked professionally for multiple news organizations in Thailand for many years and has worked with The Pattaya News for more than four years. Specializes primarily in local news for Phuket, Pattaya, and also some national news, with emphasis on translation between Thai to English and working as an intermediary between reporters and English-speaking writers. Originally from Nakhon Si Thammarat, but lives in Phuket and Krabi except when commuting between the three.