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An investigation found that seven Bangkok police officers extorted money from Taiwanese actor Charlene An during a visit to the Thai capital in early January.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, national police chief Damrongsak Kittiprapas said the officers were to blame. would face punishment.
There are still very good police. We should encourage the good and fight the bad. I would like to note that many visitors come to our city. Immigration police, tourism police and local police should take best care of tourists. Due to the incident, if there is any mistake, as the head of the organization, I apologize to the victims who were affected by what happened.
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha echoed the police chief’s statement, saying, “This problem has deep roots. It is necessary to separate the good ones [police] from bad [police]and the real criminals must be punished.”
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The incident happened at the checkpoint of Bangkok Huai Khwang District near the Chinese Embassy on January 1. 4, An reportedly wrote on her now-deleted Instagram stories.
The 32-year-old actor told the incidentwas traveling with friends in a Grab taxi, Bangkok police stopped them and searched their bodies, bags and vehicles for drugs and other illegal items. An told Taiwanese media after his return that the officers also noted how much money they had at the time. Thailand.
He also said that officials did not accept the visa issued to him at the airport as a credential and allegedly insisted that it was not certified.
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An said in his testimony that they were detained at 2:25 on January. 4. He wanted to “covertly record” the incident, but officers forced him to delete any footage he was able to capture.
An said he and his group were then taken to a police station where they spent two to three hours trying to talk to officers.
They were discouraged from making phone calls for help unless they asked for increased charges, An said.
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They demanded an apology from us. We tried our best to apologize, even saying it in Thai – the only thing we didn’t do was beg on our knees. After I finished apologizing, I was still upset… I really felt very helpless and upset.
An and his group were allegedly taken to a dark alley away from surveillance cameras, where they were told to “pay 27,000 baht (about $820)” for their freedom. The actor noted that five more South Korean women were detained at the station when they arrived.
In new reports, An claimed officers placed a vaping device in his hand and demanded money for it – although he didn’t know what it was at the time. Possession of vaping devices or e-cigarettes is illegal in Thailand and can result in prosecution Up to 10 years imprisonment.
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An’s social media post drew criticism from Thai media and social media users The police at the checkpoint deny it all claims
After the investigation began on Thursday, it became known that seven officers stationed at the checkpoint – two captains, two sergeants and three sergeants – were accused of “exceeding their authority or being drunk or dereliction of duty with the intention of harming a certain person.” with dishonest intent”.
It is reported that some of the officials involved in the case have confessed to the charge of bribery Bangkok Post This was reported by a police source.
Former politician-turned-massage-salon tycoon Chuvit Kamolvisit also claimed that evidence against the officers, such as checkpoint surveillance footage and memory cards embedded in helmet cameras, was deleted.
Kamolvisit also accused officials of forcing the Grab taxi driver to tell the media that An was drunk at the time of the incident and that the duration of the incident was much shorter than it actually was.
Seven police officers were charged with dereliction of duty and placed on inactive duty pending the investigation.
Following the news on Monday, An thanked her fans and Taiwanese media for their support Instagram post.
Thank you to the BBC and all participating media from Taiwan for taking your valuable time to listen and share the truth. Thank you all for your words of encouragement, support and care to help me through this traumatic “dark” moment.
