The Bangkok Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) has come up with a four-step action plan to fight mafia extortion of motorcycle taxi drivers in the capital.
As announced by MPB spokesman Pol Col Preeda Sathavorn, the steps are:
1. Combat the powerful criminal groups who run the extortion rackets by gathering intelligence on them and finding out which police might be behaving inappropriately. This is the number one criminal policy priority for all police stations under the MPB’s jurisdiction, as well as devising effective control measures to ensure absolute safety for civilians and on-duty officers.
2. All units must make sure that none of their officers are involved in the rackets.
3. The MPB’s Crime Investigation Division will gather intelligence on gangs and officers involved in the rackets and take legal action against them.
4. All police stations will take quick action if they receive a complaint from a motorcycle cue in their jurisdiction. If an arrest warrant has been issued, should move quickly and make arrests.
If you think steps two and three sound the same as the first, you’re probably right.
Also, aren’t all of these steps things the police should be doing anyways?
The announcement from the MPB was in response to a march on their offices and formal complaint by over 100 motor taxi drivers led by Chalerm Changthongmadan, chairman of the Hired Motorcycle Taxi Drivers Association (AMTD).
Pol Col Preeda said 18 extortion complaints have been filed with 14 stations across Bangkok so far, according to The Bangkok Post.
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Motorcycle taxi drivers in Bangkok. Photo: Coconuts Bangkok
