Law Enforcement in Thailand
Pol.Col.Prapon Sahapattana, Ph.D.
Outline• Facts about Thailand • Law enforcement agencies in Thailand • Royal Thai Police• Questions
ThailandLand of Smile
• Established in the mid 14th century
• Known as Siam until 1939
• Area: 514,000 square kilometers (Texas = 678,000 square kilometers )
• Population: 66,404,688 (July 2010)
• 94.6% Buddhist, 4.6% Muslim, 0.7% Christian, other 0.1%
Thailand
• literacy rate 96%
• A constitutional monarchy with a parliamentarian form of government and with the King as head of state
• Constitution signed by the king in 2007
• Legislative power is vested in the Parliament, and exercised through a bicameral National Assembly consisting of the publicly elected House of Representatives and the Senate.
• Judicial power is exercised through 3 levels of the Law Courts, namely the Courts of First Instance, the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court.
• Executive power is exercised through a Cabinet headed by a Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is selected from among members of the House of Representatives.
• The country is divided into 76 provinces, each administered by an appointed governor, which are sub-divided into district, sub-districts, and villages.
• Appointed governors administer 75 of the country's 76 provinces.
• The Bangkok Metropolis Administration is administered by an elected governor and is divided into 50 districts.
Major Law Enforcement Agencies in Thailand
• Various law enforcement agencies such as RTP, NCCC, AMLO, Custom, ONCB, DSI, etc.
• All national agencies• Main agency is RTP (Royal Thai Police)
– Has authority to deal with all kinds of criminal laws
– Has authority to interview and interrogation according to the laws
– Biggest man power among law enforcement agencies
– Experience and expert
The National Counter Corruption Commission(NCCC)
• 1 chairman and 8 members in the commission
• The commission members have a term of 9 years
• The NCCC official office is monitored by a Secretary-General
• The Secretary-General holds an office for a term of 6 years and answerable to the NCCC chairman
• 370 officials and 50 employees in the office of NCCC
Duties & Responsibilities of NCCC
• The declaration and inspection of assets and liabilities
• Corruption prevention area• Corruption suppression area
The Declaration and Inspection of Assets and Liabilities
• 2 groups of persons have to submit an account showing particular of their assets and liabilities 1. Persons holding a political position : Prime
Minister, Minister, Member of the Parliament, Senator, Governor of Bangkok Metropolitan, members of Local Government Organization, etc.
1. State Official : President and vice President of the Supreme Court of Justice, President of the supreme Administration court, Prosecutor General, Director-General level and above, etc.
Corruption Prevention
• Manage to deprive the corruption opportunities, educate people, build up attitudes, values and integrity and seek cooperation from people
- Proposing measures, opinions or recommendations to the Cabinet
- Holding seminars on counter corruption- Promoting of Transparency and
Accountabilities in Thai Society
Corruption Suppression
• Persons holding political positions and State official could be in Criminal Proceedings or Removed from office (similar to the impeachment) if be accused of – being unusually wealthy– committing corruption– exercising of power contrary to the
constitution or the Law– etc. / PM case
Anti Money Laundering Office (AMLO)
• A financial intelligence unit for law enforcement agencies
• A primary function is to collect and analyze reports submitted to AMLO by financial institutes and other sources in order to identify subjects for investigation
• A unit to conduct investigations leading to the seizure and forfeiture of assets
Anti Money Laundering Office (AMLO)
• Founded in 1999 after the reform of the constitution
• The head of AMLO is the Secretary-General
• The Prime Minister is the chairman of the Anti-Money Laundering board with 18 members from political position and state official and 5 qualified experts.
Money Laundering
• The process through which the criminals conceal the source of their proceed of criminal activity by making it appear that the money came from a legitimate source or conceal the ownership of property or goods.
• This process of money laundering is essential to the operations of criminal organizations.
• It is estimated that one-fourth of all currency worldwide circulation is the proceeds of criminal enterprise.
• Criminal organizations involve through money laundering in areas:– terrorist activities– drug trafficking– trafficking in people– cheating and fraud to the public– malfeasance in office or malfeasance in
judicial office– custom evasion– etc.
Department of Special Investigation (DSI)
• Monitored by a Director General• Found in 2002• to prevent, suppress, and control
serious cases, which affect the nation’s economy, society, security, and safety
• Examples of illegal acts which DSI deals with:• Trade Competition Act • Commercial banking Act • Chain Loan Control Act• Trademark Act • Currency Act• Anti Money Laundering Act• etc.
Agencies responsible for the Tax collection in Thailand
• Taxation is the main source of government’s revenue.
• 3 main agencies, which collect a large part of taxation (85-90% of government’s revenue)• The Revenue Department• The Excise Department• The Customs Department
• All of these agencies are under the Ministry of Finance and have authorities to enforce tax law.
The Revenue Department
• Collect more than half of the total tax collection
• Monitored by a Director General• Collect, administer, and develop:
– individual income tax– corporate income tax– value added tax– specific business tax– stamp duties– petroleum income tax
The Excise Department
• Monitored by a Director General• Collect taxation in:
• Automobile• Tobacco• Motorcycle• alcohol• night spots• electronic devices • etc.
The Custom Department
• Monitored by a Director General• Collect taxation for import and export
goods
Royal Forest Department
• Monitored by a Director General• Protect, conserve, manage, and develop
forest• enforce forest law
– RTP also has the authority
• seek for corporation from public to preserve forest
Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB)
• Founded in 1986• Directed by the Secretary General of ONCB• Major roles of ONCB
– Coordinating among various narcotics control related agencies (both inside and outside the kingdom) in terms of policy and operation
– Supporting all intelligence and information to other agencies
– Performing public relation regarding to all activities against drug use
– Training all personnel involved in narcotics control related activities
– Monitoring, controlling, and evaluating all activities and program of various agencies involving narcotics controlling
• Authority of officers• Money laundering and property confiscating
Royal Thai Police (RTP)
• National organization• 1,558 police stations• 207,065 police • 33,221 of them are commissioned officers and
173,844 are non commissioned officers• Police / Citizens ratio = 1 / 319 (The United States
as a whole has about 2.3 sworn police officers per thousand residents or 1/434)
• Militaristic and centralized organization• Military titles
(data as of July 2010)
Royal Thai Police
• A wide range of services• Security service to the royal family• Death investigation, violent crime investigation• Property crime investigation• First response to incidents• Patrol• Border patrol• Traffic enforcement and accident investigation• Community policing• Health care service
POSITION RANK
COMMISSIONER GENERAL GENERAL
DEPUTY COMMISSIONER GENERAL LIEUTENANT GENERAL
ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER GENERAL
COMMISSIONED OFFICER
MAJOR GENERAL
COMMISSIONER COLONEL
DEPUTY COMMISSIONER LIEUTENANT COLONEL
MAJORCOMMANDER
CAPTAINDEPUTY COMMANDER
LIEUTENANTSUPERINTENDENT
SUB LIEUTENANTDEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT
NON COMMISSONEDOFFICER
SENIOR SERGEANT MAJOR
INSPECTOR
SERGEANT MAJORSUB-INSPECTOR
SERGEANT
SQUAD LEADER CORPORAL
SERVICEMAN LANCE COPORAL
CONSTABLE
Rank and Position of Police
Royal Thai Police Organizational StructurePrime Minister
Royal Thai Police
Police Commission Board
Administrative UnitsOperation Units
Technical & Support Units
Office of the Inspector General
Main Operation Units
Support Operation Units
National Police Policy Making Board
Administrative Units
Office of the Secretary
Foreign Affairs Division
Internal Audit Division Logistic Division
Office of Legal Affair Public Relations Division
Budget and Finance Division Personal Division
Police Aviation Division
Strategic Planning Division
Disciplinary Division
Operation Units
Main Operation Units Support Operation Units
Metropolitan Police Bureau
Provincial Police Region 1-9
Central Investigation Bureau
Narcotic Suppression Bureau
Immigration Bureau
Special Branch
Border Patrol Police Bureau
Frontline Operation Center(Provincial Police
Region 10)
Office of Forensic ScienceOffice of Information Technology and
Communication
Provincial Police
Region 7(Nakornpathom
)
Provincial Police
Region 2(Chonburi)
Provincial Police Region 3
(Nakornrachaseema)
Provincial Police Region 4
(KornKean)
Provincial Police
Region 5(Chang Mai)
Provincial Police
Region 6(Pisanulok)
Provincial Police
Region 1(Bangkok)
Provincial Police Region 8
(Surat Thanee)
Provincial Police
Region 9(Song Kla)
Provincial Police
Region 10(Yala)
Technical & Support Units
Police Education Bureau
Police Cadet Academy
Police General HospitalOffice of
the Royal Court Security Police
CHIEF OF THE STATION(SUPPERINTENDENT)
Deputy SUPPERINTENDENT
Administration crime prevention and suppression
Special Task Force Traffic
Investigationand Interrogation
Structure of A Police Station
Deputy SUPPERINTENDENT
Deputy SUPPERINTENDENT
Works in Police Station Administration
Crime prevention and suppression Patrol Community policing
Investigation and interrogation Traffic control Special task force
• Application • Inventory • Finance
• Paperwork • HR • Work schedule
• Planning • Public relation • Etc.
Cases in the Media
found hanging in the closet of his Bangkok hotel room on June 4, 2009
aged of 72 died from accidental asphyxiation not die of natural causes or suicidal causes
(from the nature of the ligatures around the body)
Source: Chinadaily.com
The death of David Carradine
The arrest of a lady who was killed in Tsunami
• Tsunami in December 2006 killed thousands of people in the south of Thailand
Panjit Angkinun, 48, was claimed to be one of the victim Her family was being sued for > 250 M US$. The husband claimed 656,250 US$ from insurance
companies. She changed her ID, name, and had a plastic surgery on
her face. Arrested on Mar26, 2009.
Source: luisprada.com
Source: Naewna.com
A serial killer of Thailand (Somkit Pumpung, 41)
• Serial killing in Thailand rarely happens 5 victims killed in 6 months (2005) All Thai massage practitioners Stole victims’assets to sell Sentenced to death in 2010
Source: csd.go.th
Source: csd.go.th
Questions or comment ?
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