Phuket MP Alleges Officers Extorting Drug Suspects
A Phuket MP alleges that civil defense volunteers at a drug-testing checkpoint in Thalang are extorting cash from detainees, demanding 6,000–15,000 baht for release in exchange for dropping charges.
Chaloempong Saengdee, a Democrat Party member of parliament representing Phuket District 2, has posted allegations on his personal Facebook page that officers at a drug-testing checkpoint in Thalang district, Phuket, are extorting money from detainees. According to complaints he received, the officers—referred to as the "dark uniform" unit or local civil defense volunteers—operate near a convenience store in the Bang Cho area of Thalang.
The allegations claim that after people are detained at the checkpoint, they are taken into a building near the Thalang district office, where officers demand cash payments ranging from 6,000 to 15,000 baht in exchange for release. One account describes a demand of 15,000 baht that was negotiated down to 12,000 baht, while another case allegedly resulted in a 2,000 baht fine when the matter reached court. A third allegation involves an elderly person having to raise 6,000 baht to secure her son's release.
Chaloempong has raised questions about whether these allegations, if true, represent a breach of duty by the officers involved, and has called on district and provincial commanders to clarify whether they are aware of these complaints and have investigated them. He emphasizes that these remain unverified public complaints and require formal investigation by relevant authorities to establish the facts. The lawmaker has previously filed separate complaints with the National Anti-Corruption Commission and Election Commission regarding unrelated allegations.
