PHUKET: Police probing Phuket's taxi driver corruption are promising a ''big surprise'' in an arrest they say will happen this week.
''I can't tell you more,'' said the investigation's leader, Major General Praveen Pongsirin. ''But this will be more exciting for us than the football World Cup.''
Major General Praveen said the first phase of the Phuket taxi task force investigation was completed with the arrest of a driver, formerly from the illegal stand outside the Doubletree by Hilton in Surin at the weekend.
The man's apprehension took the total of arrests to 109 drivers and alleged sponsors. Another 112 face charges on summons.
Cases are being passed to the Phuket Public Prosecutor as they are completed, Major General Praveen said. He hopes all of them can be concluded by July 15, the deadline set for the task force to move on from the initial 11 taxi stands - mostly from the Kata-Karon district - to neighboring Patong, where police say there are fewer leaders involved in organising the networks.
With local police reluctant to act, the taxi and tuk-tuk drivers exerted unchallenged control at many Phuket resorts all over the island, demanding fees for permitting access to tour agency vehicles and pushing fares to extraordinary levels.
The coup on May 22 gave Region 8 Police Commander and Task Force Chief, Major General Panya Mamen, additional authority and he used a unit of 1150 soldiers, police and volunteers to break the taxi and tuk-tuk monopoly in a series of arrests that began on June 3.
''I can't tell you more,'' said the investigation's leader, Major General Praveen Pongsirin. ''But this will be more exciting for us than the football World Cup.''
Major General Praveen said the first phase of the Phuket taxi task force investigation was completed with the arrest of a driver, formerly from the illegal stand outside the Doubletree by Hilton in Surin at the weekend.
The man's apprehension took the total of arrests to 109 drivers and alleged sponsors. Another 112 face charges on summons.
Cases are being passed to the Phuket Public Prosecutor as they are completed, Major General Praveen said. He hopes all of them can be concluded by July 15, the deadline set for the task force to move on from the initial 11 taxi stands - mostly from the Kata-Karon district - to neighboring Patong, where police say there are fewer leaders involved in organising the networks.
With local police reluctant to act, the taxi and tuk-tuk drivers exerted unchallenged control at many Phuket resorts all over the island, demanding fees for permitting access to tour agency vehicles and pushing fares to extraordinary levels.
The coup on May 22 gave Region 8 Police Commander and Task Force Chief, Major General Panya Mamen, additional authority and he used a unit of 1150 soldiers, police and volunteers to break the taxi and tuk-tuk monopoly in a series of arrests that began on June 3.
The momentum needs to be maintained for tangible results to occur.
I am eagerly awaiting the 'Big Surprise' as football bores the backside off me.
Posted by Mister Ree on June 16, 2014 12:52