Thai Deputy Interior Minister orders probe into officials linked to Khao San trafficking
Deputy Interior Minister Vorasit Leangprasert orders an urgent investigation after leaked LINE chats reveal state officials tipped off human traffickers on Khao San Road operations.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Thai Deputy Interior Minister orders a strict probe into officials linked to Khao San human trafficking.
- Leaked LINE chats reveal tip-offs on inspection schedules and cell tower location tracking of escaped victims.
- The Anti-Corruption Division is mobilized to bring all implicated state officials to maximum justice.
Following the "Protecting the Blooming Rose" special operation conducted by the Department of Provincial Administration on October 13, which targeted a human trafficking and child labor ring operating around Khao San Road, the case has taken a severe turn. The victims were reportedly smuggled across the border from Mae Sot district, forced to carry forged identity documents, physically abused, and coerced into selling flowers, garlands, and orange juice in tourist areas.
Deputy Interior Minister Vorasit Leangprasert revealed that subsequent interrogations of the suspects uncovered crucial evidence within a LINE application group chat. The digital records explicitly indicate that certain "state officials" were actively involved in assisting and supporting the human trafficking syndicate.
According to the findings, specific government officials leaked advance dates and times of planned inspections in the Khao San Road area, enabling the suspects to relocate and hide the victims before authorities arrived. Furthermore, evidence showed that officials tracked and shared mobile signal location data (cell base triangulation) of victims who managed to escape, feeding the data back to the traffickers to hunt them down for further abuse and forced labor.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
"Actions of state officials in this manner are severely serious and completely unacceptable, as they use their official positions to facilitate and back human trafficking networks."
Vorasit Leangprasert, Thai Deputy Interior Minister
Mr. Vorasit stated that he, alongside Deputy Interior Ministers Polraphat Suwanachwee and Jate Sirathornseth, has ordered an immediate expansion of the investigation. Authorities are closely coordinating with the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) and relevant agencies to inspect the authenticity of all personal identification documents and swiftly prosecute every official involved under the highest legal penalties without exception.
The involvement of state officials in human trafficking rings represents a critical structural hurdle in protecting vulnerable minors, as enforcement agencies meant to safeguard citizens instead become internal liabilities. Collaborating with anti-corruption bodies like the PACC is essential to dismantling illicit financial streams and shielding corrupt protectors from impunity.
Finally, Mr. Vorasit urged local administrative officers and regional authorities to strictly step up social order enforcement. He also appealed to the public to remain vigilant, asking citizens to report any suspicious activities involving children forced to sell goods late at night so authorities can intervene and completely eradicate child labor and human trafficking from Thai society.
Source: Matichon Politics
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