Thai Activist Accuses Police of Running Illegal Gambling Sites

Achariya Ruangrattanapong publicly condemned what he alleges is the involvement of senior police officers, and an ex-national police chief, in illegal gambling websites that are running rampant in Thailand, the Bangkok Post reported.

At Least 100 Police Officers Are Involved in Illegal Gambling

Achariya showed the media a banner on which he had jotted down the names of the suspected corrupt police officers. Police intervened and asked the activist to not attach the poster outside of the headquarters in an attempt to mitigate the incident. However, the activist is not nearly done. His Monday appearance only exposed 16 police officers, but the network of those actually involved is much deeper, he cautioned with at least 100 involved police officers.

He confirmed that he now planned to expose the remaining names as well. Achariya was privy to the day-to-day running of the organization, arguing that the former police chief was actually controlling 70% of the gambling websites that were currently operating in Thailand, and he delegated much of the work to police lieutenant generals.

Achariya offered a staggering level of detail into the alleged operation, naming individuals who are believed to be operating some of the websites – some of whom are Chinese nationals, and also how the illegal proceeds were laundered and their source – obfuscated. A soccer club was used to do part of this. The club’s directors were actually police offers and gambling website operators, Achariya said.

More Whistleblowers Speak Against Police Corruption in Thailand

He is not alone in his accusations of corrupt police officers pushing illegal gambling across Thailand. In fact, his accusations coincide with those of Chuvit Kamolvisit who also alleges that senior police officers have been involved in various clandestine gambling operations. These allegations have not been followed up on yet, but Achariya and Kamolvisit’s accusations are extremely specific to be ignored.