The latest charges come after the investigators found that Thawee was involved in illegally supporting five taxi stands in Kata-Karon area that were occupying public land. These were in front of Club Med, Avista Phuket Resort & Spa, Peach Hill Resort, Casa Del Sol Hotel and Baumanburi Phuket Resort.
Investigations revealed that each of these illegal stands had to pay “rent” every month.
Maj Gen Paween Pongsirin, who is heading the crackdown on mafia taxi activities and the associated criminal activities such as money laundering, told The Phuket News today, “We will also think about charging other officials – deputy mayors Itthipon Sangkeaw and Sompong Dapphet, town clerk (palad) Veerasak Anek-wongsawat, and the town’s engineering and planning department chief Wanchai Saetan – in connection with these latest discoveries.
“Thawee surrendered today to answer all five charges. He has denied all of them.”
Gen Paween said that he also expects to bring further charges against Thawee under Section 309 of the Criminal Law Code.
Section 309 of the Code states, “Whoever compels the other person to do or not to do any act, or to suffer any thing by putting him in fear of injury to life, body, liberty, reputation or property of him or another person, or commits violence so that he does or does not do such act, or suffers such thing, shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding three years or fined not exceeding six thousand Baht, or both.
“If the offence according to the first paragraph be committed by making use of arms or by five persons upwards participating, or it be committed in order that the compelled person shall execute, revoke, damage or destroy any document or right, the offender shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding five years or fined not exceeding ten thousand Baht, or both.”
Gen Paween declined to give details, on the record, of why this charge will be brought against Thawee.
“We have almost completed compiling our cases covering [Kata-Karon] for handing over to the Phuket Provincial Prosecutor. We will be focusing our investigation on other areas of Phuket soon.”