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 ?