Interview with Jeremy Douglas, Regional Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for Southeast Asia and the Pacific

By MAXMILIAN WECHSLER

• Changes in the drug market the past few years have impacted Thailand as organized crime groups have increased production and diversified into powerful and valuable drugs like crystal methamphetamine and ketamine.

• The expansion of the drug trade has meant a corresponding expansion of money laundering and other related crimes, leading to an explosion of the prison population.  

• The region needs to ask itself why the drug trade continues to expand here, who is behind it or benefiting from it and how they use the region to expand it.

• Thailand is a logistics hub for the Mekong region and a lot of the drugs trafficked into the country are for transit to Malaysia or to places like Australia, New Zealand, Japan or Korea.

• There are a lot of aligned but different businesses that go hand-in-hand with the drug trade, for example casinos which are often in border areas and the trade in chemicals used to produce synthetic drugs.

Besides criminal justice and drug-related matters, his office is focused on non-traditional security threats and issues related to the rule of law and public health. Mr Douglas is also the UNODC liaison to China, Korea, Japan and Mongolia and to regional organisations including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS). He is based at the UNODC’s regional office at the UN building in Bangkok.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Chatchai Settheepanlarn requested a transfer to head the K9 unit of the Royal Thai Police because he feels it has great significance to the security of the country.

The old saying that dogs are man’s best friend couldn’t be more true than when applied to the Thai Police Dog (K9) unit. 

“Since it was established in 1954, the unit has played a major part in solving and preventing many important crimes throughout the country,” explains Police Lieutenant Colonel Chatchai Settheepanlarn, who is currently in charge of training. But despite its distinguished history, the unit has not received much recognition. 

“Not too many people know about us. I would like to make the K9 unit more known to the general public. Everyone should know how the dogs are beneficial to the country,” said Pol Lt Col Chatchai, who requested a transfer to the post in 2006. This was somewhat unusual, as not too many policemen actually want to work with dogs. 

“I’ve always loved animals, especially dogs. I wanted to improve and develop the police K9 unit because it has great significance to the security of the country. I like this job and enjoy the challenges,” added the officer, whose dream from childhood was to become a police officer. 

“I think that the police uniform is very sacred when worn. I feel that I am the guardian of the public peace, taking away anxieties and helping provide happiness for the people. I am very proud.” ​

After I observed a regular morning training session at the K9 unit headquarters on Viphawadee-Rangsit Road in Bangkok and was given a tour of the main building, Chatchai began the interview with the basics: 

“Many people don’t know what the internationally recognised term K9 actually means. It is a play on the word ‘canine’, meaning dog. 
“Our unit is under the 191 Special Operations Division of the Royal Thai Police (RTP) Metropolitan Bureau.”

The immense affection between the K9 officers and their four-legged “best friends” is apparent during the training exercises. One can’t help but feel sympathy for these men whose reputations are tarnished almost daily by stories of a minority of rogue policemen reported in the press. 

Chatchai loves every one of his dogs, but the most favoured is a two-year-old German shepherd named Nuclear. Maybe the surname Bomb should be added as well, judging from the behaviour of this large and quite beautiful animal. 

“He is an attack dog,” Chatchai said. “The bottom line is that someone with bad intentions wouldn’t like to have any business with him.” It is quite amazing that such a dangerous looking animal would be so obedient to its master. 

Pol Lt Col Chatchai talked of his goals for the K9 unit. “I have a plan to bring the police dog unit up to a higher standard and make it more effective within the RTP, but I am still missing a number of necessary ingredients, like new training equipment to replace what is old and broken. 
“We need new pick-up trucks and containers to transport the dogs,” he continued. “The vehicles we have, due to their long service, allow water to enter when it rains.”

In addition, special protective clothing that covers the whole body, manufactured abroad, is needed to train the dogs properly. 

Time, patience and devotion 

“Since being assigned to the K9 unit, I've initiated two projects: Friends of Police K9s, and Stray Dogs Against Criminals,” said Pol Lt Col Chatchai. “The first project allows members of the public to bring their dogs here for training similar to that which our dogs receive. This is free of charge. After training, some of the dogs and their also well-trained owners may become K9 volunteers - “Silver Canines” – to help local police in searching for drugs and other jobs as requested. 

By Maxmilian Wechsler

With his insider’s knowledge of the international drugs trade, Police Major General Amaresrit Wattanavibool has the kind of experience that could provide background material for books and movies about the criminal underworld.

After investing 30 years of his life in the suppression of illicit drugs, resulting in several hundred major cases and over 1,000 arrests, Police Major General Amaresrit Wattanavibool is clearly one of the world’s most experienced policemen in the field.

In Thailand, penalties for drug trafficking are severe. Those who slip up face the loss not only of high profits, but possibly even their lives. Therefore, bribe offers are not uncommon. By all accounts, Amaresrit has survived all the challenges to his honour, and is widely respected for his honesty and dedication.

Ever since he first became an anti-narcotics cop back in 1976, the word on the streets has been: “Once Amaresrit gets you, there's no negotiation, no mercy and no deal. It is all over and you go to jail!”

Proof of his excellence is in the numerous commendations presented to him by various foreign law enforcement agencies like the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), many of which are displayed in his office at the Narcotic Suppression Bureau (NSB) headquarters in Bangkok.
His comprehensive insider’s view of the drug trade in Thailand and abroad, if published, would make fascinating reading, a likely bestseller ahead of some famous authors of fiction. In fact, Amaresrit indicated during a three-hour interview that he is considering writing a book after his retirement in four years’ time. From what he said, he shouldn’t write a book but an encyclopedia.

His reputation as a serious and rarely smiling police officer is due in large part to the harsh realities of his chosen profession. He has seen it all - from policemen killed or injured while on duty to addicts on the verge of death. But according to long-time friends and family members, Amaresrit is actually a very caring, sensitive and gentle person.

He described how his career began: “After the Vietnam War many former American GIs came to Thailand to live. Some of them began to build heroin distribution networks from the Golden Triangle to the US. They were in contact with members of Khun Sa’s syndicate in the North, and were sending large heroin shipments to the US. At that time we were handling many cases with a direct American connection.

“Back then, there was no police unit in Thailand directly responsible for handling international drug trafficking investigations. We sat down and discussed the problem with US embassy officials. They offered to sponsor a special police unit that would deal with the problem. That’s when the Metropolitan Narcotic Unit (MNU) was created. I transferred there from the Bang Sue police station in 1976.”

The DSI was established in October 2002 primarily to create a strong, proactive law enforcement agency that would focus on national security and also transnational and organized crime.
 
Pol Gen Sombat has been director-general of the DSI since his move from the Royal Thai Police in January 2004. The DSI now has only one office in Bangkok but there are plans to expand to other regions of the country. “We have got here many highly qualified officers chosen from the ranks of police, customs and revenue departments, as well as prosecutors, accountants and lawyers from a variety of other government departments.”
 
Pol Gen Sombat said that the biggest problem for the DSI is training. “Some of our recruits don’t know how to investigate, so we have to train them. We have a close relationship with foreign investigation experts in the United States, the United Kingdom and several other countries. They come here to instruct our officers,” he revealed.
 
Pol Gen Sombat dismissed a criticism that was rife in the agency’s early days: “Some officials didn’t like the DSI because they thought it overlaps other agencies. They still had an old working culture mindset. Things are better now and we cooperate very well.”
 
He also admitted that in the beginning some officers thought that they were better than other law enforcement people because they were selected to the DSI, but that situation has also been resolved.
 
Pol Gen Sombat highlighted two controversial cases currently being investigated by the DSI. First, the disappearance of human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaichit, who had defended several suspects in connection with the violence in the restive South and who went missing on March 12, 2004. The second case was the murder of environmentalist Charoen Wat-aksorn, who was gunned down on June 21, 2004 after testifying before a Senate committee about attempts by some influential people to grab public land. He was instrumental in pressuring the government to scrap plans to build the Bo Nok power plant in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.
 
Pol Gen Sombat is well aware that the handling of both cases has received a great deal of attention, and criticism, from local and foreign media as well as human rights organisations.
 
“I can assure you that everyone at the DSI is doing their utmost to solve both cases,” he said.
 
The DSI was assigned to investigate the Somchai case about five months ago because it was a priority case that the police were having difficulties with.
 
“I am really trying to solve this case and I am confident that we will succeed. But a lack of evidence makes the investigation very difficult. You see, Somchai’s body has not even been found yet.”
 
As for Mr Charoen, he added, “we have arrested several people, but his wife is not quite happy and still wants us to arrest more. We have no evidence on which to do so, and this has disappointed her. We work according to the evidence, and not because of pressure from any party. We do our best but we have to follow laws, regulations and to respect human rights.”

A new drama series documenting the crimes of Charles Sobhraj, a French- Vietnamese serial killer linked to over 20 murders of mostly young hippies across the world - including Thailand - during the 1970s is about to be screened on Netflix.
 
Award-winning French actor Tahar Rahim will play Sobhraj in the eight-part series called The Serpent, based on the astonishing true story of how one of the most elusive criminals of the 20th century was caught and finally brought to trial.
 
Nicknamed ‘The Serpent’ due to his knack for changing his identity and escaping several international prisons, Sobhraj was once deemed Interpol’s most wanted man. In Thailand, he would befriend young hippies and allow them to stay at his apartment in Bangkok, where they were fatally drugged. Their bodies were later disposed of in Pattaya and other still unknown locations.
 
Sobhraj was interrogated by Thai police in connection with the murders, including two Dutch students, but apparently released because of possible collateral damage to the country's tourist industry.
 
Meanwhile, Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg who had been investigating the case was given police permission to search Sobhraj's Bangkok apartment, a full month after the suspect had left the country. Knippenberg found evidence, including victims' documents and passports, as well as poisons and syringes.
 
Sobhraj was eventually jailed in India twice – the second time deliberately to avoid extradition to Thailand - before settling in France. On a visit to Nepal, he was recognized and arrested. To this day, the 75-year-old remains in prison in Kathmandu.

Another British expat has fallen victim to the scooter scam exposed by The BigChilli in March 2018 under the headline: Scooter scam a bitter pill for British expat. On a website advertising a wide variety of goods for sale, supposedly vintage, reconditioned Italian-made scooters are offered at a very good price. ‘Frank’ (not his real name), a retired British expat who wants to conceal his identity, found out the hard way that the deal was too good to be true. After losing almost 100,000 baht to the scam, he lodged a complaint with the police, but he’s not optimistic about his chances of ever seeing any of the money again.  
​
      Frank showed The BigChilli deposit slips, a sales contract and other evidence including the police report and police letter to his bank. To state the obvious, Frank wishes he had seen last year’s article before he turned over the money, but says he’s going public now because he wants to warn other foreigners about the scam. Through an internet search, Frank came across another website offering the same bikes that was nearly identical to the one advertising ‘his’ Lambretta, with small exceptions. Company name and email addresses are different, as are phone contact numbers (one number with Vietnam’s +84 country code, vs three numbers with Thailand’s +66 country code) but otherwise it’s a dead ringer, making it almost certain the same crooks are involved. 
 
Chronology of events
“My partner Jon and I were interested in purchasing vintage, reconditioned Italian-made Lambretta and Vespa scooters. I made first contact through one very popular Thai website offering all kinds of goods and products, and opened a professionally done website offering these scooters on May 8,” Frank said.
​
“I sent them an e-mail ordering the Lambretta 1964 model L008, offered for US$2,600. Prices for all scooters shown on the website are in US dollars and converted to Thai currency by the seller. I asked for a few extras to be fitted on the scooter and these cost 14,000 baht. The seller agreed with the deal and told me to pay a 60% deposit, 63,740 baht, and the rest on delivery. I deposited the amount into a bank account at Bangkok Bank MEGA Bangna shopping mall in Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan province on May 10.

“I received a phone call that evening asking me to pay the balance of 33,500 baht the next day, as the seller needed the full payment in order to register the scooter in my name with the Department of Land and Transport. I agreed and paid the balance on May 11, making the total 97,240 baht.

“I asked the seller on several occasions to supply an invoice through the WhatsApp phone app, but never got it. On May 12, I had another phone conversation with the seller, who had an African accent. He asked for an extra 10,000 baht to deliver the scooter. I refused and asked for a full refund, and he said that the money would be refunded the next day. I had a feeling that would never happen, and I was right.

“Also on May 12, as I was feeling more and more like I had been scammed; I went to a police station in Samut Prakan to make a complaint. On May 13, I took a copy of the complaint and a letter from the police with a request to block the account I had transferred the money to and gave it to the manager at the Bangkok Bank branch at The Mall Bangkapi. The bank put a block on the account, meaning that money could be deposited but not withdrawn.” Frank found out through his own investigation that the account was opened under the name of Mr Nke Bobga Francis, a Cameroon national who was reportedly deported from Thailand last year.

Frank did receive from the seller a copy of a passport purportedly belonging to a Mr Pierluigi XXXX. This is the same passport used to scam the Brit buyer last year. The supposed owner of the passport is a man with an African accent who introduced himself as head of sales. “Obviously it is a lost or stolen passport the scammer is using to gain credibility with the customers. The Italian name goes well with the Vespa,” said Frank. 
“The same man I had talked to before told me on May 16 that if I didn’t pay the extra 10,000 baht the scooter won’t be delivered. I asked him for a copy of the passport of the bank account holder and his address in Thailand. He just said: ‘Ha ha, if you don’t want to pay the 10,000 baht then don’t pay.’

“I later phoned the seller again and demanded that he give me either the money or the bike. He said: ‘When you pay the 10,000 baht, then I will tell you the date and time of delivery. If you don’t pay then don’t worry, just keep waiting.’ I told him that I had already paid 97,240 baht, and he said: ‘If you do not pay [the 10,000 baht] tonight I will not contact you again. This is your last chance.’

“I asked to see the scooter before I paid any more money, and he said: ‘Keep waiting to see the scooter and if you don’t pay by 7.30pm on May 16, you shall wish you paid. Take care, mate. Goodbye.’ That was the last conversation I had with the man.”
Frank said that the police was helpful. He also did some investigating

on his own and shared the results with the police. He didn’t want to disclose everything he found out to the The BigChilli, but did say the police told him they were waiting for a reply from the Immigration Bureau to their request to reveal the whereabouts of the scammer.

     Frank said Bangkok Bank has been cooperative up to a point. “I was told that the money was withdrawn from an ATM machine in the Bangkapi area. The bank also told me that they can’t disclose additional information only to the police if they may a request.     
​
 “I also went to AIS to get information on the phone number of the seller, but they said they needed to wait for a request from the police,” he added.

GIVEN the nature of their job to protect and safeguard aircraft passengers, it’s not surprising cabin crew are among the most trusted workers anywhere in the world.

​Although theft from their passengers is extremely rare, it is happened, according to readers of the BigChilli. In one curious case, a senior Thai businessman told us last year that his wife had lost a considerable amount of money while on a flight from the Middle East.
 
She suspected a member of the cabin crew after noticing him apparently rearranging her bags when the aircraft lights had been dimmed and she was half-asleep. Later, another reader contacted this magazine and also claimed that he had money stolen on a flight from the Middle East to Hong Kong.
 
Two different airlines, both based in the Middle East, are involved in the passengers’ allegations. Sometime later, the Thai lady forwarded us a report from the newspaper Gulf News that an Emirates steward had been accused of stealing cash from two passengers – not the people mentioned here. In that case, it was alleged in court that a 37-year-old crew member had stolen Dh9,000 (approx. 72,000 baht) and another $2,600 (approx. 78,000 baht) from the wallets of two Emirati brothers after they left their seats unattended during a Bangkok-Dubai flight.