Gambling den 'in railway police area'

One of the gambling dens revealed by politician Chuwit Kamolvisit is located in the jurisdiction of the Railway Police, not the Metropolitan Police Bureau, a senior metropolitan police commander said yesterday.

Railway Police have been contacted and informed of the den, said Pol MajGeneral Pachara Bunyasit, commander of the Metropolitan Police Division 1. "If there is nothing done [by the Railway Police], MPD 1 will take action against it," he said.

All Bangkokbased police officers were instructed to check out their precincts for gambling dens, after Rak Thailand Party leader Chuwit released lists of reported illegal gambling operations. Those who have completed their inspections say they have found none.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung, a former police captain, said most permanent dens no longer existed but mobile ones were still operating - but this was not the police's fault. "Police do nothing wrong by not taking action against mobile dens… which are difficult to keep track of," he added.

Chalerm claimed he had been offered hundreds of millions of baht by den operators to turn a blind eye to their operations - but had turned them down. "All I can say is that if I am in position, no dens can operate," he said. He did not say why he did not take action against the socalled den operators for offering bribes.

On Chuwit's revelation, MPD2 commander Pol MajGeneral Samreong Suwannaphong said he had found no dens in his jurisdiction and could not tell whether any had operated there previously. "All dens operating [in the MPD2 jurisdiction] were inundated during the floods," he said.

Bang Khen police said there were no dens in their jurisdiction, as reported by Inspectorgeneral Pol LtGeneral Sathaphorn Laothong, who said he had found a number of dens operating outside Bangkok. They were in the jurisdiction of Regional Police Bureau 1, under operators named as Sor Sommai and Hia Tue.

Deputy Bangkok police chief Pol MajGeneral Nares Nanthachote said police in Bangkok would make inspections for local dens every 10 days starting from yesterday, for a 30day period. They had no plans yet to interview Chuwit over his revelation.