"Exhausted" police to tackle illegal gaming
Despite the government's policy against illegal gaming, 218 illegal games machines and kiosks have been found operating in Bangkok and nearby provinces - up from a total of 109 in an earlier study - according to a Justice Ministry report released yesterday.
The finding by the ministry's Office of the Public Sector AntiCorruption Commission (PACC) was conducted by random selection in only 10 per cent of
police jurisdictions, said PACC's Tharit Phengdit.
Many machines were found in gambling dens or entertainment venues that operate illegally. The PACC report features the locations of all machines with maps and graphics, he said.
The PACC has no authority to arrest wrongdoers and conduct raids, and needs police cooperation in tackling the problem, he added.
Deputy Bangkok police chief Pol Maj General Jakthip Chaijinda said police were not being weak against the illegal gaming - but policemen were exhausted by constant crowd control tasks due to political division.
The officer said he called a meeting last week to launch a 40day campaign to tackle the problem, and other issues regarding vice and copyright infringement.
Jakthip said he welcomed the ministry's report: "If it has been released without any hidden intent, we will listen to it and welcome it as a good sign which shows that government agencies want to jointly protect society," he added.
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